2016 MIAC Indoor Meet Preview
MIAC Championship Meet preview courtesy of Matt Higgins - MIAC Office
NORTHFIELD, Minn. -- The 2016 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships begin Thursday at Carleton College in Northfield, Minn., with the University of St. Thomas hoping to continue its remarkable run at the top and claim a 17th-straight conference title.
The Tommies have won each of the 16 MIAC indoor championships since 2000, and 29 titles in the meet's 31-year history. Concordia (1988, 1998, 1999) is the only other conference team to claim the championship. UST's latest title came in decisive fashion as the team ran out to a 108 points and a 56-point lead after Friday's events, and finished with 199.7 points and a remarkable 112.7-point margin of victory in 2015.
Bethel was the 2015 runner-up with the best finish in school history, as it scored 87 points to edge Carleton (84) by three in a heated battle for second place. Hamline (79) finished fourth, just ahead of fifth-place St. Olaf (72.5), with Saint Benedict and Concordia tied for sixth with 69 points apiece. Macalester (40) was eighth, Gustavus (29.5) finished ninth, St. Catherine (23.3) rounded out the top 10 and Augsburg (18) and Saint Mary's (nine) completed the 2015 MIAC indoor standings.
On the eve of the 2016 MIAC meet, the USTFCCCA national and regional rankings both point to the Tommies as the favorite once again, as UST is ranked No. 9 in the nation and No. 3 in the Central Region. Carleton (No. 6), Saint Benedict (No. 9) and Concordia (No. 10) all join the Tommies in the Region top 10, with all 12 MIAC teams ranked in the Central's top 25. Hamline is 13th, Bethel is 15th, St. Olaf, Augsburg and Gustavus are 17-19, respectively, and St. Catherine (23), Saint Mary's (24) and Macalester (25) also appear in the Central Region top 25.
The Tommies had more to cheer about at the national championships in 2015, as the UST distance medley relay team captured the Division III title, as did Concordia senior Cherae Reeves in the shot put. This year, St. Thomas welcomes back Emily Gapinski, who was a member of that championship relay squad and the MIAC's 2015 Indoor Women's Track Athlete-of-the-Year. She returns as the defending champion in the 1,000-meter and one-mile runs, and is seeded first in the MIAC in both events once again. Bethel's Andrew Rock was voted Coach-of-the-Year in 2015 after guiding the Royals to their best-ever second-place finish.
Three other student-athletes return to defend a total of four MIAC titles in their respective events. Hamline's Carolyn Saulsberry won both the hurdles and the triple jump a year ago, and she's seeded first in each event in 2016. Carleton's Ruth Steinke is back to delight the hometown fans, as she's seeded first with her eyes on a second-straight title in the 3,000-meter run. Augsburg's Callie Jones was victorious in the 60-meter dash in 2015, and she has the top time in the 55-meter dash to lead this year's field.
With only five events including defending champions, the door is open for a host of new winners to cross the finish line in 2016. Concordia's Hannah Lundstrom has the fastest time in both the 200- and 400-meter dash, and St. Thomas' Aimee Junget leads both the 600- and 800-meter run fields. Bethel distance runner Mollie Gillberg will headline the 5,000-meter run field with the MIAC's top time. In the relays, the Tommies have the top time in all three events and won the 4x400 title a year ago, while St. Olaf is the defending 200 champ and Saint Ben's won the DMR in 2015.
In the field, UST's Bailey Cook enters the pentathlon with the best score thus far in 2016, and teammate Allison Mellin is seeded first in the weight throw. Bethel rookie Hannah Frekot has the conference's top mark in the long jump, and Concordia's Vanessa Johnson enters the MIAC meet atop the high jump leader board. Gustavus' Sarah Swanson has the league's best throw in the shot put, and Saint Benedict's London Stelten and Saint Mary's Maria Missurelli have both cleared the pole vault bar at a MIAC best 10-10 this season.
In addition to the defending champs and top seeds in each event, there are plenty of other athletes-to-watch throughout the 2016 MIAC Indoor Championships. In addition to Jones, Augsburg has a pair of talented juniors back in thrower Kali Kuusisto and distance runner Taybri Irving. Bethel has junior Jillian Krier back in the sprints and sophomore Erin Alpers coming on strong in the middle distance events. The host school hopes to have plenty to cheer about, as Carleton has versatile star Amelia Campbell and standout jumper Damali Britton back in addition to Steinke.
Concordia has high hopes for Olivia Johnson who is seeded second in the shot put. Gustavus also has a pair of top-three seeded athletes alongside Swanson, with Lydia Hayes in the 1,000 and Mallory Butchko in the pole vault. Hamline hopes to own the hurdles, with Gabrielle Brown teaming up with Saulsberry and Jordan Walls hopes to give the Pipers an All-MIAC performance in the pole vault. Macalester is excited about a pair of Hannahs - Sonsalla and Pollard-Garber - in the sprinting events, and Sarah Jonathan leads the Scots in the distance races.
Saint Benedict hopes junior star Allison Kosobud can return to MIAC championship and All-Conference form in the middle distance events, and Anna Wagner hopes to boost the Blazers' point total in the jumping events. St. Catherine has returning Outdoor Track Athlete-of-the-Year Shakeela Wells-Johnson back to lead the team in the sprinting events, and the Wildcats also have fellow sprinter Brittany Moore and distance runner Rachel Hall back in the lineup.
Saint Mary's field hopes are led by Missurelli in the pole vault, and 5k runner Paige Schernecker and Alicia Berkenes (800) both hope to lead the Cardinals on the track. St. Olaf heads across town to the conference meet with thrower Michaela Bolden, versatile athlete Madison Van Wylen and middle distance runner Suzie Hoops hoping to lead the Oles to another top-five finish.
The 2016 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 Sheet - 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 4 p.m. and track to follow at 4:30 p.m. Saturday's final session starts with 11:45 a.m. field events and 1 p.m. track events.
Saturday's final event begins at 4:15 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.
Admission for the event is $8 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 Carleton College and their coaches and staff for their efforts to host the event.