2017 MIAC Indoor Meet Preview
MIAC Championship Meet preview courtesy of Matt Higgins - MIAC Office
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The 2017 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships begin Thursday at the University of St. Thomas, with the host school aiming to continue an impressive streak of excellence and the rest of the league eyeing outstanding performances and a shot at knocking the Tommies off their perch.
UST and Head Coach Joe Sweeney are seeking an 18th-conseuctive MIAC women's indoor championship, after winning each of the last 17 from 2000 through last spring's impressive victory. The host Tommies – who will welcome teams and fans to their Anderson Athletic and Recreation Complex in St. Paul, Minn. – are seeking MIAC title No. 30 in the 33-year history of the meet, with only Concordia interrupting their dominance as the Cobbers won in 1988, 1998 and 1999.
St. Thomas' last title was definitely impressive, as the Tommies nearly doubled up the rest of the field with 182.4 points at the 2016 MIAC Indoor meet. Saint Benedict finished second, also hitting triple digits with 101.2 points, and Concordia rounded out a strong top three with a score of 92.9. Bethel finished fourth with 78.9 points, and St. Olaf (69.5) edged rival Carleton (63.9) for fifth. Hamline scored 52 to finish seventh, just ahead of Gustavus and its total of 48.5. St. Catherine (29.9) came out just ahead of Augsburg (26) and Macalester (23) for ninth, with Saint Mary's (11) rounding out the standings.
On their home track, the Tommies will again be considered the favorite, with tough, experienced competitors in each discipline. UST will be led by a senior trio – Alex Fossum will lead the team in the distance events, Kayla Janto enters as the top seed in the 800, and talented thrower Allison Mellin leads UST in the field events.
Saint Benedict has tons of talent back, and has performed exceptionally well this fall as the Blazers aim to be the Tommies' top competition again in 2017. Senior runner Allison Kosobud is among the MIAC's best in the middle distance events, versatile junior Megan Sundstrom leads CSB in the multi-events and triple jump, and senior London Stelten aims for her fourth MIAC pole vault title, with two outdoor titles and the 2016 indoor title already in her trophy case.
Concordia is another team coming off a great regular season, as the Cobbers saw senior Emma Peterson break the school high jump record, standout junior Hannah Lundstrom leads the way on the track, and senior Mandy Mercil is back in the throwing events to give Concordia talent across the board. Bethel has enjoyed a breakout season from rookie sprinter Delia Labatt, with top-two seeds in the 200 and 400. Junior distance star Annika Halverosn also returns in the mile, and the Royals are excited about their potential in the relay races as well.
St. Olaf hopes for another top-five finish, with its hopes bolstered by the return of talented junior runners Abby Stets (200, 400) and Jordan Lutz (600, middle distance), with senior Josefine Brekke also back on the track in the mile and middle-distance events. Carleton just missed out on the top five last year, and hopes to rise in the ranks behind the return of standout jumper Damali Britton and senior distance runners Claire Trujillo and Emma Grisanzio.
Hamline has talent back on the field and on the track in 2017, with senior thrower Gabby Koel back in the shot put and weight throw, sophomore Gabrielle Brown looking to carry the Piper torch in the hurdles, and junior Izzy Shafer leading in the running events. Gustavus is looking to improve behind a breakout season for sophomore sprinter Kayal Stowell, senior Sadie Novak-Klug leads in the middle-distance events, and rookie Siri Olson leads the way for the Gusties in the throwing events.
St. Catherine's high hopes start with star senior sprinter Shakeela Wells-Johnson, as the All-Region and All-MIAC sprinter looks to finish strong. Fellow seniors Megan Pholmann and Katelyn Byers-Carter give the Wildcats additional optimism in the throwing events. Augsburg's runners look strong, with senior sprinter Callie Jones back, along with distance expert Taybri Irving, who won the MIAC cross country title in October. Fellow senior Kali Kuusisto gives the Auggies experience in the throwing events as well.
Macalester hopes for an improved performance behind some decorated upperclassmen, led by star All-American distance runner Kimber Meyer and All-MIAC sprinter Hannah Sonsalla. Senior Anik Regan also looks for conference glory after breaking the school pole vault record. Saint Mary's also has plenty of athletes to watch, led by All-MIAC pole vault specialist Maria Missurelli, who holds the indoor and outdoor school records. Sophomore Becca Dup long-jumped her way into the Cardinal record books and is the team's top sprinter, and junior Natalie King leads the Saint Mary's throwers into the conference meet.
The 2017 MIAC Indoor Track and Field Championships begin Thursday with the multi-event competitions. The women's pentathlon starts at 2 p.m. with the men's heptathlon beginning 20 minutes later. The heptathlon finishes up Friday morning at 10 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 10:15 a.m. field events and 1 p.m. track events.
Saturday's final event begins at 4:05 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 2017 Indoor Championships, complete with venue and admission information, the event schedule, and it will be updated with entries, heat sheets and links to follow the results live as they become available. Results, recaps, and multimedia coverage of the championships will be available throughout the event. There will be live results available for all events, and fans can also find entries and heat sheets on the MIAC's event page as they become available.
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 the University of St. Thomas coaches and staff for their efforts to host the event.