MIAC Meet – Men’s Preview

Preview courtesy of Matt Higgins – MIAC Office

MOORHEAD, Minn. — After several surprises a year ago, it’s tough to make predictions about the 2012 MIAC Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships, which will be held Friday and Saturday at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn. Saint John’s ended St. Thomas’ three-year reign atop the conference in one of the closest competitions in recent memory.

The Johnnies were the champ a year ago with a total of 141 points, just four better than Hamline, and SJU was one of five MIAC teams to finish with 100 points or more in an extremely close race at the top. However, the Tommies were bit by the injury bug and were not in triple digits, scoring 77 points and finishing sixth.

Among the big questions heading into this weekend’s championship meet in Moorhead is whether or not the Tommies are back in top form and ready to retake the title. Can Saint John’s defend? Will Hamline leap to the top spot? Or will Gustavus, Bethel, St. Olaf or another surprise contender make a push for the crown? Will the host Cobbers or Augsburg, Carleton, Saint Mary’s or Macalester make a leap into the upper ranks of the standings? As the answers unfold Friday and Saturday, the excitement is expected to be at an all-time high.

Looking at the top returning individuals, there is talent across the board again at the 2012 Championships. St. Thomas was dominant at the indoor championships in March, and with its top three athletes healthy and in the lineup, the Tommies are one of the top contenders for the outdoor title as well. Senior Mike Hutton is seeded first in the 400-meter dash and 800-meter run, and he ranks second in the nation in the 800 after winning the national title in the event in the indoor season.

Eyo Ekpo and Ben Sathre are also expected to star for the Tommies. Sathre – the 2011 cross country national champion – has the top time in the 5,000-meter run and the No. 2 time in the 10,000-meter run and is ranked in the top 10 nationally in both. Meanwhile, Ekpo is seeded first in the high jump and second in the triple jump, and was the MIAC champ in the triple in 2010. St. Thomas is already off to a strong start after Maxwell Dunne claimed the MIAC decathlon champion last weekend as UST swept the top three places.

The defending-champion Johnnies have one athlete – Chase Myhran – seeded first heading into the meet. Myhran has the conference’s top distance in the long jump this season. However, the Johnnies used a deep, talented lineup to claim the 2011 championship, and have plenty of proficient athletes back to help in the title defense.

Gustavus also returns a talented crew, headlined by Blair Riegel. Last year, Riegel claimed MIAC titles in the 100-yard dash and the long jump, and he returns as the top seed in the 100 and the triple jump, and the No. 2 seed in the long jump. Steve Goskreutz enters with the conference’s top time in both the 110-meter and 400-meter hurdles, and Josh Owens – the MIAC record holder – leads the field in the pole vault.

Hamline’s hopes of moving into the top spot in the team standings are bolstered by top-notch talent in the distance and throwing events. Brennan McKeag is the defending shot put champ, and he enters the 2012 meet as the top seed in the shot and the hammer throw. He ranks in the top 20 in the nation in both events. Jack Diechert returns for the Pipers at the defending champion and the No. 2 seed in the 1,500-meter run, and senior Devin Monson appears set for a pair of memorable showdowns with Sathre in the 5K and 10K. Monson is ranked fourth in Division III in the 10K and enters as the top seed, and he’s second in the 5K with the 11th-fastest time in the nation.

Bethel returns a pair of defending champions in Jordon Spronk and Anthony Puckett. Spronk claimed both the 200- and 400-meter dash titles at the 2011 MIAC meet, and he enters the 2012 meet ranked third in the 400, but isn’t seeded in the 200. Puckett was the 2011 pole vault champion, and he returns to defend his title seeded fourth.

Other athletes to watch this weekend include St. Olaf’s Brian Saksa, who has the conference’s top time and the No. 9 time in all of Division III in the 1,500-meter run. Augsburg sprinter Rick Wolke enters the meet as the favorite in the 200, Marcus Huderle of Carleton has the MIAC’s top time in the steeplechase this season, and the hometown fans will be closely watching the javelin, where Concordia’s Connor Johnson is seeded first.

The 2012 MIAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships will begin Friday in Moorhead with field events starting at 1 p.m. and running events beginning at 1:30 p.m. Saturday’s field events will start at 11:30 a.m. with running events scheduled to start at 1 p.m. The meet’s final event will begin Saturday at 5:15 p.m., and a short awards ceremony will follow to honor the men’s and women’s team champions.

Official MIAC  Meet Men’s Preview

MIAC Meet – Women’s Preview

Preview courtesy of Matt Higgins – MIAC Office

MOORHEAD, Minn. — The 2012 MIAC Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships begin Friday at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn., and the top storyline is whether St. Thomas can continue its reign atop the standings as the Tommies eye their eighth-consecutive outdoor conference title.

St. Thomas has won 27 of the 30 MIAC Women’s OTF Championship team titles, with only this year’s host, Concordia (two) and St. Olaf (one) standing between the Tommies and all 30 titles. This season, Joe Sweeney’s team will try to make it eight in a row and 28-for-31 at the outdoor meet, however, the host Cobbers were the last team to knock UST off the top spot back in 2004.

A year ago, the Tommies won by just 11 points (143.5-132.5) over a very good Gustavus team, with Saint Benedict (107), Concordia (90) and Hamline (85.5) rounding out the top five. Bethel, Augsburg, St. Olaf, Carleton and Macalester joined the top 10, and St. Catherine and Saint Mary’s rounded out the 2011 standings.

This season, the Tommies pursuit of another title – and the rest of the league’s pursuit of the Tommies, ranks among the top storylines in an event that should be filled intrigue. The top individual headline is a familiar one, as Carleton senior Simone Childs-Walker aims for history in the 5,000- and 10,000-meter runs. The Knights’ star is the three-time defending champ in both events (and ranked No. 4 in the nation in the 5K) and, as the top seed again in both, she looks to pull off the rare four-peat not once, but twice. Childs-Walker pulled off the double four-peat in March at the MIAC Indoor meet, when she completed career victories in both the 3,000- and 5,000-meter runs.

Headlining the Tommies’ hopes for another title is the breakout star of the 2011 season, Emily Van Heel. The UST sophomore was second in the 200- and 400-meter dashes and the triple jump champion a year ago, and she returns seeded first in the 200 and fifth in the triple. St. Thomas is also strong in the distance events, with Larissa Peyton seeded first in the 800-meter run and Taylor Berg also one of the top returning runners. UST also fields a pair of top-10 nationally-ranked relay teams.

The home team is already off to a great start, as Concordia’s Kaari Jensen set a new MIAC record with her win in the heptathlon last weekend. Jensen’s record score makes her the highest nationally-ranked athlete in the conference, as her point total is the second-best in Division III this season. The Cobbers have high hopes in the jumping events, where Chelsea Klemetson is ranked first in the MIAC and 10th nationally in the high jump and Hilary Thompson has the conference’s top distance in the triple jump this season.

The top newcomer at the MIAC Indoor meet in March was St. Olaf freshman Dani Larson, and she enters her first conference outdoor meet as one of the top athletes to watch as well. Larson has the MIAC’s top time in the 400-meter dash and 400-meter hurdles, and she’s ranked in the top 25 nationally in both the 400-hurdles and the high jump. Larson’s teammate, Maren Westby, has the MIAC’s top time in the 1,500-meter run this season, and is ranked in the top 10 in Division III.

Hamline has big expectations in the throwing events thanks to Brenna Coyle and Becky Culp. Coyle is the defending champion in the hammer throw and returns as the top seed in 2012, and Culp enters both the shot put and the discus as the favorite after leading the MIAC in both events during the outdoor season.

Other athletes to watch this weekend include Gustavus’ Allyson Voss, who is seeded first in the pole vault and ranked No. 9 in Division III. Bethel’s Ashley Magelssen is the defending champion in the 100-meter dash, and appears ready to defend her title with the conference’s top time in the event this season, as well as a No. 12 national ranking. Saint Benedict’s Julia Renner is the 2010 MIAC champ in the long jump, and could add another title this weekend as the top seed in the event.

The 2012 MIAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships will begin Friday in Moorhead with field events starting at 1 p.m. and running events beginning at 1:30 p.m. Saturday’s field events will start at 11:30 a.m. with running events scheduled to start at 1 p.m. The meet’s final event will begin Saturday at 5:15 p.m., and a short awards ceremony will follow to honor the men’s and women’s team champions.

Official MIAC Women’s Meet Preview

Heat Sheets Are Here! Heat Sheets Are Here!

One of the most awaited days of the MIAC outdoor track and field season is here! The official MIAC Outdoor Championship Meet heat sheets are out and all the entries for this weekend’s meet are set.

Special thanks to Jack Moran of Raceberry Jam who does a tremendous job putting all the results and entries together. He is truly one of the unsung heroes of the MIAC!

Click on the links below to check out all the entries!

MIAC Men’s Meet Official Heat Sheet

MIAC Women’s Meet Official Heat Sheet

The NCAA Top 25 Watch List

We thought we would compile a list of all the MIAC athletes currently ranked in the top 25 in the NCAA in their event. As you can tell the MIAC should be well represented at the NCAA National Meet in California. We stopped at the top 25 because that is the cut off for national qualifying for the women’s events (plus it is a nice round number!)

Here are some fast facts about the MIAC athletes in the NCAA Top 25:
– Mike Hutton of St. Thomas is the top ranked men’s competitor as he is ranked second in the brutal 800 meters
– Kaari Jensen of Concordia is the top ranked women’s athlete. She is No.2 in the heptathlon after winning the MIAC
– The toughest single event is the men’s 800 meters where  four MIAC runners are ranked in the top 25
– The toughest women’s event is the 10,000 meters where three different athletes have times in the top 25
– Five different men’s teams have athletes in the top 25 while seven different women’s teams have athletes in the top 25
– Four different men’s athletes  are ranked in the top 25 in two different events
– Only one women’s athlete is ranked in the top 25 in more than one event (Dani Larson, St. Olaf, 400 hurdles, High Jump)

MIAC Men’s Athletes In NCAA Top 25
400 Meters
12. Mike Hutton – St. Thomas –    48.17
800 Meters
2. Mike Hutton – St. Thomas – 1:49.45
12. Brian Saksa – St. Olaf – 1:51.91
15. Brian Tomlinson – St. Olaf – 1:52.23
17. Noah Laack-Veeder –    Carleton – 1:52.38
21. Eric Jorgenson – Gustavus –    1:52.66
1500 Meters
9. Brian Saksa – St. Olaf – 3:51.03
13. Jack Deichert – Hamline – 3:51.92
15. Reid Gilbertson – St. Olaf – 3:51.97
5000 Meters
5. Ben Sathre – St. Thomas – 14:17.20
11. Devin Monson – Hamline – 14:29.72
10,000 Meters
4. Devin Monson – Hamline – 29:37.13
9. Ben Sathre – St. Thomas – 29:52.43
400-Meter Hurdles
16. Steve Groskreutz – Gustavus – 53.64
High Jump
15. Eyo Ekpo – St. Thomas – 6’8.25″
Pole Vault
5. Josh Owens – Gustavus – 16’6.75″
Triple Jump 
17. Blair Riegel – Gustavus – 47’5″
21. Eyo Ekpo – St. Thomas – 47’1.75″
Shot Put
17. Brennan McKeag – Hamline – 53’6.25″
Hammer
8. Brennan McKeag – Hamline – 190’11”
Decathlon
16. Maxwell Dunne – St. Thomas – 6201
21. Gavin Yseth – St. Thomas – 6151
22. Cameron Clause – Gustavus –  6067

MIAC Women’s Athletes In NCAA Top 25
100 Meters
12. Ashley Magelssen – Bethel – 12.11
800 Meters
14. Larissa Peyton – St. Thomas – 2:11.66
1500 Meters
10. Maren Westby – St. Olaf – 4:31.34
19. Taylor Berg – St. Thomas – 4:34.32
10,000 Meters
4. Simone Childs-Walker – Carleton – 35:40.87
9. Emma Lee – St. Olaf – 36:07.61
18. Alison Smyth – Carleton – 36:22.73
400-Meter Hurdles
17. Dani Larson – St. Olaf – 1:02.70
4×100-Meter Relay
10. St. Thomas – 47.32 (Burnham, Van Heel, Rozeske, Tipp)
4×400-Meter Relay
6. St. Thomas – 3:49.87 (Tipp, Tipp, Peyton, Van Heel)
High Jump
10. Chelsea Klemetson – Concordia-Moorhead – 5’6″
22. Dani Larson – St. Olaf – 5’5.25″
Pole Vault
9. Allyson Voss – Gustavus – 12’4.5″
Triple Jump
14. Hilary Thompson – Concordia-Moorhead – 38’6.75″
Shot Put
14. Becky Culp – Hamline – 43’5.75″
21. Cherae Reeves – Concordia-Moorhead – 43’2.25″
Discus
12. Becky Culp – Hamline – 144’0″
14. Amy Maas – St. Thomas – 143’8″
Hammer
21. Shawny Kramer – Hamline – 164’4″
Heptathlon
2. Kaari Jensen – Concordia-Moorhead – 4829
17. Erica Roelofs – Gustavus – 4298

Best Athletes In The MIAC

The titles of “best athletes in the MIAC” were handed out on Friday at Carleton as the decathlon and heptathlon crowned winners. The decathlon was won by St. Thomas  senior Maxwell Dunne while Concordia junior Kaari Jensen broke the conference record on her way to winning the heptathlon.

Dunne posted a season-best score of  6,201 points on his way to recording the win in the decathlon. His score is the 15th best in the nation this season and puts him squarely in contention to make the NCAA National Meet. Dunne set the tone for his multi-event meet by racing to a 11.49 in the 100-meter dash in the very first event of the competition. That turned out to be his top scoring event of the 10 tasks. Dunne scored over 600 points in seven of the 10 events. He only posted one top 3 mark of the competitors in the 10 events but used his overall ability to post nine top 5 scores. He had the best height in the pole vault as he cleared 13-09.25.

Dunne led the Tommie 1-2-3 finish in the decathlon. UST junior Gavin Yseth finished second with a total of 6,151 points while fellow junior Patrick Ecklund was third with 5,868 points.

Jensen had the performance of the weekend as she broke the MIAC heptathlon record. Jensen finished with 4,829 points which eclipsed the old conference record of 4,668 was set in 2005 and held by Ashley Dingels of St. Mary’s. Jensen’s total is the second highest in NCAA Division III this year.

Jensen set personal best marks in three of the seven events. She also had the best marks of any competitor in the field in five of the seven events. In addition to her school record final total, she also posted the third fastest time in the 100-meter hurdles when she ran a 15.14 in the very first event of the heptathlon on Friday.

Jensen’s highest point total in any event came in the 100-meter hurdles where she scored 823 points. Jensen scored at least 600 points in all but one event and scored over 650 points in four of the seven competitions.

Gustavus senior Erica Roelefs held off a second-day charge from Mandy Witschen of St. Ben’s and finished in second place. Roelefs finished with 4,256 points which was less than 200 better than Witschen. Roelefs saved her best effort for the final event. She scored her most points of any event in the 800 meters – the final event of the competition. Both Roelefs and Witschen excelled in the running events. Both athletes scored over 640 points in all three running competitions.

The multi-event athletes will now join the rest of their teammates as they compete in the majority of the MIAC Championship Meet on May 10-11 at Concordia.

Final MIAC Decathlon Standings
1. Maxwell Dunne, Sr, St. Thomas – 6201
2. Gavin Yseth, Jr, St. Thomas – 6151
3. Patrick Ecklund, Jr, St. Thomas – 5868
4. C J. Dale, Jr, Carleton – 5747
5. Matt Flotterud, Fr, Gustavus – 5605
6. Dylan Cheever, Jr, Carleton – 5593
7. Colby Seyferth, Fr, Carleton – 5571
8. Brad Johnson, Jr, Concordia – 5493
9. Matt Johnson, Sr, St. Olaf – 5385
10. Evan McNeil, Fr, Carleton – 5366
11. Andrew Ferguson, So, Hamline – 5293
12. Derek Rausch, Jr, Saint John’s – 5226
13. Nick Thies, Fr, Saint John’s – 5188
14. Caleb Giesen, Sr, Concordia – 5127
15. Tamas Peterson, Fr, St. Olaf – 5087
16. Nikolaj Hagen, Concordia – 4060

Final MIAC Heptathlon Standings
1. Kaari Jensen, Jr, Concordia – 4829
2. Erica Roelofs, Sr, Gustavus – 4256
3. Mandy Witschen, So, Saint Benedict – 4066
4. Georgia Cloepfil, Macalester – 3732
5. Olivia Decker, So, Concordia – 3569
6. Adrianne Acosta, So, Hamline – 3427
7. Keelie Sorenson, So, Hamline – 3253
8. Kayti Helm, So, Saint Benedict – 3138
9. Jule Muegge, Fr, Saint Catherine – 3088
10. Makayla Skluzacek, Fr, Saint Catherine – 2951
11. Jessica Marken, So, Concordia – 2658
12. Emily Hughes, So, St. Thomas – 2553 

Multi-Eventers Kickoff MIAC Meet

The 2012 MIAC Track & Field Championship Meet is officially underway as 30 multi-eventers finished off Day 1 of the decathlon and heptathlon at Carleton College.

Under the backdrop of a perfect blue sky, the men completed five events and the women finished off four. A trio of Tommies stand atop the decathlon leaderboard as sophomore Maxwell Dunne used a 755-point 100-meter dash in the very first event to bolt to a 45-point lead over teammate Patrick Ecklund. Ecklund is in second place with 3,216 points while UST junior Gavin Yseth is close behind in third place at 3,200 points.  Cameron Clouse, the No.1 seed entering the meet who is ranked 17th in DIII, started slow and is in seventh place with 2,933 points.

It was status quo on the women’s side as pre-meet favorite Kaari Jensen of Concordia bolted to a 325-point lead over second-place Erica Roelofs of Gustavus. Like Dunne in the decathlon, Jensen used a huge score in the very first event to set the tone for the day. Jensen is currently ranked second in the nation in the heptathlon after she posted a score of 4,690 points at the CSB Multi-Event Meet.

The decathlon and heptathlon will conclude on Friday, May 4 beginning at 10:30 and noon.

– Complete Decathlon Day 1 Results

– Complete Heptathlon Day 1 Results

Decathlon Day 1 Standings
1. Maxwell Dunne, Sr, St. Thomas  – 3261
2. Patrick Ecklund, Jr, St. Thomas – 3216
3. Gavin Yseth, Jr, St. Thomas – 3200
4. C J. Dale, Jr, Carleton – 3183
5. Colby Seyferth, Fr, Carleton – 3168
6. Evan McNeil, Fr, Carleton  – 2965
7. Cameron Clause, So, Gustavus – 2933
8. Dylan Cheever, Jr, Carleton – 2923
9. Brad Johnson, Jr, Concordia – 2901
10. Tamas Peterson, Fr, St. Olaf – 2863
11. Nick Thies, Fr, Saint John’s – 2856
12. Matt Flotterud, Fr, Gustavus – 2849
13. Caleb Giesen, Sr, Concordia – 2788
14. Matt Johnson, Sr, St. Olaf – 2761
15. Andrew Ferguson, So, Hamline – 2758
16. Derek Rausch, Jr, Saint John’s – 2714
17. Nikolaj Hagen, Concordia – 2112
18. Logan Carlson, Jr, Concordia – 1577

Heptathlon Day 1 Standings
1. Kaari Jensen, Jr, Concordia  – 2819
2. Erica Roelofs, Sr, Gustavus – 2494
3. Mandy Witschen, So, Saint Benedict – 2427
4. Olivia Decker, So, Concordia – 2287
5. Georgia Cloepfil, Macalester – 2105
6. Adrianne Acosta, So, Hamline – 2020
7. Jule Muegge, Fr, Saint Catherine – 1905
8. Keelie Sorenson, So, Hamline – 1860
9. Kayti Helm, So, Saint Benedict  – 1811
10. Makayla Skluzacek, Fr, Saint Catherine – 1718
11. Emily Hughes, So, St. Thomas – 1571
12. Jessica Marken, So, Concordia  – 1379

Rankings, Rankings and More Rankings

The USTFCCCA (by far the longest coaches acronym of any college sport) just released their latest national and regional rankings. The USTFCCCA does a tremendous job in promoting the sport and trying to get the tough task of ranking teams into a more objective format.

The rankings they use are more reflective of how a team will compete at the national level and not as much as a true team ranking which you would find in other sports. The rankings can be dominated by a single individual who can score ranking points in many different events.

Here are the latest (as of May 2) USTFCCCA Central Regional (only MIAC, IIAC and Neb. Wesleyan) rankings for both the men and women. Below you will also find a link for the national rankings as well as a link to each individual team and how their individual athletes rank in the NCAA. It is a very thorough and comprehensive list and a great effort put forth by the media relations people at the USTFCCA. You will have to scroll down a ways to bypass other regions to get to the MIAC schools in Central region for both the men and women.

USTFCCCA Central Region Rankings (May 2)
Men
1. Central (Iowa) – 517.19
2. Wartburg – 418.24
3. Hamline – 297.35
4. Nebraska Wesleyan – 266.33
5. St. Thomas (Minn.) – 250.71
6. Gustavus Adolphus – 212.83
7. Loras – 208.19
8. Bethel (Minn.) – 198.44
9. Luther – 157.53
10. Saint John’s (Minn.) – 148.98

Women
1. Wartburg – 834.10
2. Concordia Moorhead – 228.18
3. Nebraska Wesleyan – 224.11
4. St. Thomas (Minn.) – 194.24
5. St. Scholastica – 183.72
6. St. Olaf – 171.45
7. Gustavus Adolphus – 156.13
8. St. Benedict – 150.47
9. Luther – 149.50
10. Hamline – 139.13

– Complete USTFCCCA Regional Rankings

– Complete USTFCCA National Rankings

– Complete Team-By-Team National Breakdown

– USTFCCCA Conference Championship Meet Page

 

Welcome To The 2012 MIAC Outdoor T&F Meet!

Welcome to the 2012 MIAC Outdoor Track & Field Championship Meet! This blog will be your “one-stop” place for all the results, information, schedule changes and anything else that goes on with the 2012 MIAC Outdoor Meet.

Be sure to check back on a daily basis before the meet begins and then on an hourly schedule the days of competition as we will try and bring you all the up-to-the-minute news and feature on the meet.

Feel free to pass along any comments or things you would like to see on the site.

Good luck to all the teams and athletes as they prepare to qualify for the meet. We look forward to seeing everyone on May 11-12! Hopefully the weather will cooperate!

Complete 2012 MIAC Meet Schedule of Events