MIAC Outdoor Championship Meet Preview
MIAC Championship Meet preview courtesy of Matt Higgins - MIAC Office
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The 2015 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Outdoor Track and Field Championships will be held Friday and Saturday at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn., and the biggest question is whether or not St. Thomas can extend its 10-year run atop the conference, or if one of the contenders can finally toppled the Tommies.
In 2014, St. Thomas completed a decade of dominance with its 10th-straight MIAC Outdoor championship. In the 33-year history of the event, the Tommies have won the title 30 times, with Concordia winning twice (2004, 1999) and St. Olaf winning once (1984).
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St. Thomas racked up 187 points last season to claim its 10th-straight outdoor title by a margin of 73 points. Carleton scored 114 to finish second and Concordia also reached triple digits with 105.3 points to round out the top three. Saint Benedict scored 92.3 points to finish fourth and Hamline (83) rounded out the top five.
Bethel finished sixth with 61.5 points. St. Olaf scored 56.5 to edge the duo of Macalester and Gustavus for seventh. The Scots and Gusties shared eighth place with identical scores of 51 points. Augsburg finished 10th with 25 points, and St. Catherine (17.3) edged Saint Mary's (14) to round out the final two spots in the 2014 outdoor standings.
The 2015 field will include eight returning individual champions in nine events, with one already successfully defending her 2014 crown. Carleton's Amelia Campbell won her second-straight heptathlon title last weekend at the multi-event championships, and she will try to add a repeat win in the long jump this weekend. There are also a trio of athletes going for a third-straight tile in their event this season - St. Thomas' Kayla Goeman in the 800-meter run, Carleton's Ruth Steinke in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and St. Olaf's Dani Larson in the high jump.
St. Thomas also has a returning champ back in the 1,500-meter run in Emily Gapinski. Concordia has a pair of field event champs back with Cherae Reeves looking to add another title in the shot put in addition to her indoor national championship in March, and Olivia Johnson is back to defend her javelin title as well. Gustavus' Elizabeth Weiers will try to win a second-straight title in the hammer throw.
The list of returning individual champs is impressive, but each team is excited about their top athletes' chances this weekend. Augsburg has high hopes for sprinter/jumper Callie Jones and middle-distance runner Kayla Roberge. Bethel is excited about its prospects in the middle distance events as well, with standout rookie Annika Halverson in the 1,500 and senior Rebecca Wesley in the 800. Carleton's hopes extend beyond the talented Campbell and Steinke, with decorated runner Colette Celichowski and rookie jumper Damali Britton also ready to lead the Knights at the MIAC meet.
Reeves and Johnson a deep crop of talent in the field events for Concordia, with fellow thrower Hillary Birchem and standout jumper Rochelle Hickerson also contributing to the Cobbers' high hopes. Gustavus is excited to have Weiers back in the throws, along with pole vaulter Kelsey Harms and distance runner Caitlin Fermoyle. Hamline is again strong in the throwing events with Jessica Putland and Erin Urbanowicz back, and Carolyn Saulsberry leads the Pipers in the jumps and hurdles.
The host team has plenty of talent leading the way in the sprints, as Macalester has high hopes for the speedy duo of Hannah Sonsalla and Irene Gibson. Saint Benedict is hoping for another top-four finish and will be led by standout sophomores Allison Kosobud (middle distance) and London Stelten (pole vault). St. Catherine returns one of the MIAC's top sprinters in Shakeela Wells-Johnson and also has high hopes for Brittany Moore in the sprints and jumps.
Saint Mary's will be led by thrower Maya Booker in the field events, and sprinter Laura Schommer will led the Cardinals on the track. In addition to Larson's all-around talents, St. Olaf will lean on Jamie Hoornaeert in the distance events and Abby Stets in the sprints. St. Thomas' drive for 11-straight titles is fueled by more than its middle distance stars Goeman and Gapinski, as twin sprinters Angela and Erika Tipp return for their final MIAC meet, and Gabrielle Pepin is among the nation's best in the 5K and 10K.
The 2015 MIAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships begin Friday with field events set to start at 2:30 p.m. and track to follow at 3 p.m. The meet will conclude Saturday, with field events beginning 2 p.m. and track to follow at 3 p.m. Saturday's final event begins at 6:40 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 Outdoor 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, and Macalester will also team up with the Minnesota Sports Broadcast Network to offer a live video webcast of the meet as well.
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 Macalester College and their coaches and staff for their efforts to host the event.