Tommie Sports - Women's Track and Field
13's a record: Track teams sweep to MIAC titles
1st of 12MIAC Champ. (W), May 12, 2012
St. Thomas used clutch final-day performances and swept the MIAC men's and women track and field team titles at the two-day conference meet, which concluded Saturday in Moorhead.
The two gold trophies gave St. Thomas a new conference record as it captured 13 of the 22 regular-season MIAC team championships contested on the 2011-12 school year. St. Thomas had won 12 titles twice before.
The 13 championships included eight crowns by men's teams -- football, golf, basketball, hockey, swimming, baseball and a sweep of both indoor and outdoor track. Tommie women swept indoor/outdoor track, and also won volleyball, softball and basketball.
The Tommies men topped runner-up Hamline by 34 points thanks in part to seven firsts and six seconds and points in 20 of 22 events.
The Tommie women scored 140 points on Saturday alone. Their 172.5 points topped runner-up Concordia-Moorhead (120.5) by 52 points. St. Thomas scored in 19 of 22 events and got points from 19 different athletes.
UST won the school's eighth consecutive outdoor title and 69th MIAC team crown under 33-year coach Joe Sweeney in indoor/outdoor track and cross country.
Sophomore Emily Van Heel had a hand in four firsts, and now has 13 individual/relay wins in four career MIAC meets indoors and outdoors. Van Heel won the triple jump (38-8 1-4) and 400 dash (57.40), ran on the winning 4x100, and anchored the winning 4x400 relay.
The 4x100 team of Mallory Burnham, Van Heel, Christina Rozeske and Angela Tipp clocked 47.05 and broke a 15-year old school record of 47.25 set by the Tommies' 1997 NCAA champion team. The 4x400 team of Angela Tipp, Larissa Peyton, Kayla Goeman and Van Heel clocked 3:52.39.
Peyton (800, 2:14.22), sophomore Sarah McNamara (steeplechase, 11:31.27) and junior Taylor Berg (1,500, 4:34.14) also had firsts for the Tommies.
McNamara was seeded fifth but dropped 25 seconds off her previous best in the steeplechase as she won the eight-lap race by just .35 of a second over St. Ben's senior Kaycee Knutson.
St. Thomas also received runner-up points from five athletes. On Saturday, Katie Ryan was second the 100 hurdles (14.95); Kayla Goeman was second in the 800 (2:16.11); and Angela Tipp was second in the 200 (25.07). On Friday, seconds were recorded by Hannah Volkman (discus) and Erin Statz (10,000).
On Saturday, UST also got thirds from senior Traci Pastoors in the javelin (118-4) and Rozeske in the 100 (12.00). Fourths were recorded by Burnham in the 100 hurdles (15.24); Angela Tipp in the 100 (12.14); and Van Heel in the 200 (25.39). Fifths were scored by Alyssa Hewes in the javelin (112-10); and Statz in the 5,000 (18:22.84). Amy Maas took sixth in the shot put (38-10 1-2); and Meredith Rothstein took sixth in the 100 hurdles (15.52). Eighths were recorded by Jackie Destache in the 400 hurdles (68.72); Abby Baier on the 100 hurdles (15.82); Erika Tipp in the 100 (12.14); and Haley Zajac in the shot put (38-2).
Click here for Saturday results:
http://www.miac-online.org/documents/2012/5/12/womensmiacmeetfinalresults120512.htm?id=231
Friday story
The Tommie women sit in fifth place out of 12 teams, just 15.5 points out of the lead, going into Saturday’s final day at the MIAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Moorhead.
Coach Joe Sweeney’s Tommies have many strong events to go and are poised to make a charge up the leader board on Saturday.
With seven of 22 events completed, Gustavus (48) leads followed closely by Hamline (44), Concordia (40.5), Carleton (36), St. Thomas (32.5), St. Ben’s (25) and St. Olaf (21).
Seven individual races held Friday prelims –- the 100 and 400 hurdles and 100, 200, 400, 800 and 1,500. St. Thomas has the most qualifiers into Saturday’s finals in those events with 15 followed by seven for St. Ben’s, six for Concordia and St. Olaf, and five for Carleton. UST is also expected to score well in the 4x100 and 4x400 relays.
On Friday, UST got a 2-3-8 finish for 15 points in the discus from Hannah Volkman (138-8), Amy Maas (137-10) and Haley Zajac (125-6). In the hammer, Zajac (153-3) and Maas (141-10) placed fifth and eighth for five more points.
Erin Statz took second in the 10,000 (36:40.47) to add eight points. Christina Rozeske placed sixth in the long jump (17-5 1-4). Abby Baier tied for seventh in the pole vault (9-10 1-2).
Click here for Friday’s results:
