MIAC Indoor Track & Field Championship Meet Preview

MIAC Championship Meet preview courtesy of Matt Higgins - MIAC Office


MOORHEAD, Minn. -- The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference's (MIAC) attention will turn toward the north this weekend, as Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn., will host the 2015 MIAC Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with the University of St. Thomas eyeing a 16th-straight conference title and the other 11 teams hoping to finally topple the Tommies.

St. Thomas extended its impressive streak to 15 MIAC Indoor championships in a row in 2014 with its 27th overall title. The only other team to hoist the MIAC indoor trophy is hosting this weekend's festitivities, as Concordia has won the other three championships in the event's 30-year history, including back-to-back titles in 1998-99. A year later, St. Thomas regained the title and hasn't relinquished it since. 

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The Tommies separated themselves from the rest of the field with 185 points, and a 63-point margin over runner-up Saint Benedict. The Blazers, which hosted the 2014 meet, scored 122 to finish second, and Carleton's 110 points were good for third. St. Olaf (72) edged Hamline (68) by four points for fourth, and Bethel (57) wasn't far behind in sixth. Gustavus (39) emerged atop a narrow four-team fight for seventh place, just ahead of Augsburg (38), Macalester (37) and Concordia (34). St. Catherine (16) and Saint Mary's (two) claimed the final two spots in the standings.

The conference's top two individual awards will be up for grabs in 2015. Graduated sprinter Mallory Burnham set a pair of MIAC records en route to Outstanding Track Athlete honors a year ago while leading St. Thomas to the team title. Carleton's Amelia Campbell claimed the other two honors (field, performance) behind her MIAC and Division III record in the pentathlon (3,914), but an injury has limited the 2014 National Field Athlete-of-the-Year and pentathlon national champion, and she'll only compete in the shot put this weekend. St. Thomas Head Coach Joe Sweeney received the 2014 Coach-of-the-Year award for his role in his team's 15th-straight MIAC indoor title.

This year, six athletes will attempt to successfully defend seven MIAC individual event titles, starting with Saint Benedict's Allison Kosobud, who set a meet record in winning the 800-meter run and also won the 1,000-meter run in 2014 as a rookie. Concordia's Cherae Reeves also set a new MIAC meet record in the shot put, and is back to defend her title in front of the home fans. Carleton has a pair of defending champs back in Ellie Wilson (600-meter run) and Colette Celichowski (mile). Hamline's Jessica Putland is the defending champ in the weight throw, and St. Olaf's Dani Larson won her second career indoor high jump title in 2014 after also winning in 2012, and will look for her third career MIAC indoor title in the event this weekend.

Though St. Thomas graduated Burnham, the team is loaded with talent again in 2015 starting with senior sprinting twin sisters Erika and Angela Tipp. Emily Gapinski and Kayla Goeman also return in the middle distance events, Gabrielle Pepin leads the team in the distance events and the versatile Bailey Cook will try to help the team in the jumping events and hurdles.

Saint Benedict's success will likely start again with Kosobud, who has the top time in the 1K this season and also hopes to defend her 800 title. Suzi Adams and Natalie Frier will lead the Blazers in the sprinting events and Frier will also help in the hurdles. London Stelten enters with the MIAC's second-best mark i the pole vault, and Brooke Rasmussen will represent CSB in the distance events.

It's no surprise Carleton is strong in the distance events - led by Celichowski and MIAC cross country champ Ruth Steinke - after winning the MIAC title last fall. Wilson is back to lead the Knights in the sprints and Zoe Peterson and Damali Britton both hope to soar in the jumping events. Larson again leads St. Olaf as she eyes a third high jump title and further success in the multi-event competition. Mean Holmes and Jame Hoornaert will lead the Oles in the distance events, and Emma Fulton will represent St. Olaf has high hopes in the pole vault.

Hamline has a pair of stars back in MIAC champion thrower Putland and Carolyn Saulsberry, who has the MIAC's top time in the 60-hurdles. Rookie sprinter Izzy Shafer, thrower Erin Urbanowicz and pole vaulter Merina Lenz all hope to shine for the Pipers as well. Bethel graduated a talented crop of runners, but has high hopes for rookie distance star Annika Halverson and fellow distance runners Rebecca Wesley and Mollie Gillberg. Talented thrower Alyssa Solberg is expected to contribute Royal returns in the weight throw, and Jillian Krier leads the team in the sprinting events.

Gustavus hopes to improve in 2015 behind distance runner Caitlin Fermoyle, who is ranked in the top four in both the 3K and 5K, and a pair of talented throwers in Sarah Swanson and Elizabeth Weiers. The Gusties are also excited for pole vaulter Kelsey Harms to take flight. Augsburg is excited for its crew of sprinters, with sophomores Callie Jones, Molly Allen and Ashley Waalen leading the team. Jones will also represent the team in the long jump, and Kayla Roberge is also back in the middle distance events.

Macalester has high hopes on the track in the first year under Head Coach Margaret Gehring.Hannah Sonsalla and Emily Diener lead the Scots in the sprinting events and Irene Gibson is theteam's top runner in the middle distance events. The host school, Concordia, has a lot to be excitedabout beyond its home-track advantage. All-American thrower Reeves looks to add to herconference success along with fellow thrower Olivia Johnson, and a trio of versatile athletes -Rochelle Hickerson, Vanessa Johnson and Anna Skow-Anderson, could help the Cobbers ina number of different events.

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St. Catherine is another team that figures to factor heavily in the sprints with All-MIAC runner Shakeela Wells-Johnson and hurdler Brittany Moore both back. Abigail Palmer will lead the Wildcats in the jumps and Shannon Strickland and Jenna McElroy will both help in the distance races. Saint Mary's enters the MIAC meet with high hopes for thrower Maya Booker and sprinter Laura Schommer, who owns the team's top time in four different races. 

The 2015 MIAC Indoor Track and Field Championships begin Thursday with the multi-event competitions. The women's pentathlon (Heat Sheet - Live Results) starts at 2 p.m. with the men's heptathlon (Heat Sheets - Live Results) beginning 15 minutes later. The heptathlon finishes up Friday morning at 10:30 a.m., with Friday's field events set to start at 2 p.m. and track to follow at 4 p.m. Saturday's final session starts with 10:15 a.m. field events and 12:30 p.m. track events.
 
Saturday's final event begins at 3:40 p.m., and there will be a short awards ceremony following the conclusion of the meet to honor both team champions. The top three individuals in each event and the first-place relay team will automatically earn All-Conference honors, and the 4th-through-6th place finishers in each open event and 2nd-through-6th place relay teams will all be named All-Conference Honorable Mention.

The MIAC has a home page dedicated to the 2015 Indoor Championships, complete with venue and admission information, the event schedule, entries, heat sheets and links to follow the results live (Men - Women). Results, recaps, and multimedia coverage of the championships will be available throughout the event. There will be live results available for all events courtesy of Apple Raceberry Jam.

Admission for the event is $7 for adults and $3 for students per day, with children ages 5 and under admitted free. MIAC passes will be honored. The MIAC would like to thank Concordia College and their coaches and staff for their efforts to host the event.