St. Paul, Minn. -- The 2009 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Men's and Women's Outdoor Track & Field Championships will take place this Friday and Saturday, May 8-9 at Laird Stadium on the campus of Carleton College in Northfield, Minn.
St. Thomas has captured the MIAC Outdoor Championship 22 of the last 26 seasons and will again be the favorite in 2009. Saint John's will challenge the Tommies for the top spot along with strong teams from Hamline, Bethel, and Concordia. St. Olaf, Carleton, Augsburg, and Gustavus all have talented rosters and each could make a leap in team standings. Macalester and Saint Mary's will each be looking to break into the upper tier of the conference.
2009 MIAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships Website
Augsburg
Coach: Dennis Barker (15th season)
2008 Championships Finish: 8th
| Augsburg Championships Preview |
Last season, Augsburg moved up three places in the conference standings between the indoor and outdoor conference meets. The Auggies finished ninth at this year’s indoor meet and are excited about the prospect of continuing the upward trend at the 2009 MIAC Outdoor Championships.
The Auggies will look to Nick Ward (SO, Coon Rapids, Minn. / Coon Rapids HS), defending MIAC Champion in the 100 meters to lead them at this year’s championships. Ward is currently ranked second in both the 100 meters and in the long jump. Ward’s time of 10.97 seconds in the 100 meters is just 0.19 seconds shy of the NCAA provisional mark. Ward was also recently named MIAC Field Athlete of the Week (4/20) for his performance at the St. Thomas TomCat Twilight Meet where he recorded a personal-best distance of 6.94 meters (22-9.25) in the long jump, just two-and-a-half inches short of the NCAA provisional qualifying distance.
In addition to Ward, the Auggies have a dynamic duo in the distance races. All-Central Region cross country athletes Brent Haglund (JR, Fridley, Minn. / Fridley HS) and Victor Sanchez (JR, Minneapolis, Minn. / Southwest HS) are ranked third and eight respectively in the 10,000 meters. Haglund’s time of 31:06.35 is nearly four seconds under the NCAA provisionally qualifying time. Haglund and Sanchez are also ranked fifth and 17th in the 5,000 meters.
Shane Pantila (SO, St. Michael, Minn. / STMA HS) will lead a talented group of Auggies in the field events. Pantila is currently ranked in the top five in three separate events. He is ranked second in the triple jump with a mark of 14.15 meters (46-5.25); third in the long jump with a distance of 6.80 meters (22-3.75) and fifth in the hammer throw with a mark of 47.92 meters (157-3). Emmanuel Marcellino (FY, Circle Pines, Minn. / Centennial HS), Seth Norberg (FY, Northfield, Minn. / Northfield HS) and Tor Sperling (SO, Rochester, Minn. / Century HS) are all ranked in the top 13 in the triple jump and Marcellino and DeAndre Dennis (FY, Minneapolis, Minn. / Washburn HS) are both listed in the top 18 in the long jump. The Auggies will also look to Josh Groll (JR, Plymouth, Minn. / Ro. Armstrong HS) to pick up a few points in the throwing events. Groll is ranked 10th and 13th in the hammer throw and discus respectively.
Augsburg will also be looking to score in the relays and in the hurdle events. The 4x100 meter relay team is currently ranked second in the conference with a time of 42.52, less than 0.60 seconds shy of the NCAA provisional qualifying time, while the 4x400 relay team is ranked seventh. The Auggies have three hurdlers ranked in the top 15 and will be looking for strong performances in both the 110 and 400 meter hurdles. James Strand (JR, Pequot Lakes, Minn. / Brainerd HS) is currently ranked fourth in the 400 hurdles and is 1.2 seconds away from of the NCAA qualifying time. Teammates Adam Horkey (JR, Windom, Minn. / Windom HS) and David Nestrud (JR, Braham, Minn. / Braham HS) are ranked seventh and fourteenth in the 110 meter high hurdles and will be looking to make a charge toward finals.
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Bethel
Coach: Jim Timp (4th season)
2008 Championships Finish: 4th
| Bethel Championships Preview |
Head Coach Jim Timp believes the 2009 season looks to be a good opportunity to continue with the success that was experienced last year with the men's team finishing in fourth place at the conference meet. The men's squad welcomes back a very talented group of returning athletes, who will provide leadership. Included in that group are Carl Gladitsch (Sr., Bloomer, Wis.), a team captain and 2007 All-American in cross country; Taylor Ferda (Jr., Whitefish, Mont.), who reached the national meet in the 110 meter hurdles in 2008 and member of the 4 x 400 meter relay team that has the second fastest time this season to date; and Eric Rhode (Jr., Oakdale, Minn.), a 400 meter sprinter as well as 4 x 400 meter relay team member. Rhode already earned a trip to the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in the 400 meter run and earned All-American status and has earned a provisional time for the outdoor championships.
Jay Quick (So., Johnston, Iowa) looks to defend his title in the high jump as he has also earned an NCAA provisional mark with the conference's best high jump to date, while older brother Joel Quick (Jr., Johnson, Iowa) will be a strong competitor in the 200 meter dash, and as a member of the 4 x 400 relay team. Zach Schlegel also provides Bethel with some outstanding speed, while Tyler Hinrichs (Sr., Clara City, Minn) has earned a provisional time in the 1500 meter run. Other athletes to watch for Bethel include Steve Vedders (Jr., Foreston, Minn.) in the pole vault, and Mitch Elliott (Fr., Brooklyn Park, Minn.) in the discus.
The coaching staff is very excited about this year's team. Depth has been the problem over the past couple of years which has prevented the Royals from being one of the top teams. Coach Timp believes the talent has been there and now the depth seems to be there as well. With this kind of talent and depth and the leadership and commitment that exist, the squad seems to be poised to move up once again in the MIAC.
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Carleton
Coach: Dave Ricks (4th season)
2008 Championships Finish: 7th
| Carleton Championships Preview |
The Knights bring a team with most of the potential points in the hands of seniors to the MIAC championships. Senior Tom Ballinger (Wenatchee, Wash.) looks to shine again at the MIAC Championship. Last year, he earned two All-MIAC Honorable Mentions and one All-MIAC honor. Ballinger currently has the second-best 400-meter hurdle, fifth-best 110-meter hurdle, and eighth-best 400-meter dash times in the MIAC. His 400-meter hurdles time is also an NCAA provisional qualifying time.
Nick Cesarek (Sr./Eagan, Minn./Eastview) is the Knights top sprinter. He has top-ten times in the 100 and 200-meter dashes. Cesarek also runs the opening leg of the Knights fifth-ranked 4x400 relay.
Jack Delehanty (Sr./Madison, Wis./Monona Grove) owns a top-ten time in the 800-meter run and runs a leg of the 4x400 relay. John Hanks (Sr./LeRoy, Minn./LeRoy-Ostrander) has the second-best throw in the MIAC at 53.94 meters. His throw won the Rolex Classic by over 29 feet.
A couple of non-seniors that Carleton will look for points from are Evan Franco (Jr./Austin, Tex./James Bowie) and John Davis (So./Eden Prairie, Minn.). Franco has the fourth-best pole vault in the MIAC and has improved his personal best multiple times throughout the year. John Davis owns the fifth-best steeplechase time in the MIAC.
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Concordia
Coach: Garrick Larson (16th season)
2008 Championships Finish: 5th
| Concordia Championships Preview |
Once again the Concordia men’s track and field team will be heavy on field talent entering this year’s MIAC Track and Field Championship Meet. The Cobber field athletes spearhead a squad that is projected to finish fifth at the meet.
Concordia has several field athletes in the top three of the nine field events. The team is led by senior Paul Westmark (Appleton, Wis.) who placed second in the recently completed MIAC decathlon and has already provisionally qualified for the national meet in that event. Westmark is also in the top 10 in the conference in the pole vault, 400-meter hurdles and 110-meter hurdles.
In the field events, the Cobber throwers will be called upon to due the majority of the scoring. The javelin, discus and shot put will be the top events for CC. Tom Flynn (Sr., Shelby, Mont.) is ranked third in the conference in the javelin heading into the championship meet. He is currently rounding into top form as his current season best of 173-07.00 came at last weekend’s meet at MSU Moorhead. Joining Flynn in the top 10 in the javelin are freshman Caleb Giesen (Henderson, Minn.), Nick Birchem (Sr., Lisbon, N.D.) and Marly Simmons (Jr., Detroit Lakes, Minn.). Simmons finished fourth at the MIAC decathlon over the weekend. Birchem is also ranked in the top 10 in two other events. He is ranked fifth in the discus and sixth in the shot put.
Billy Oehlers is the other Concordia athlete to have provisionally qualified for the national meet. His toss of 50-08.25 in the shot put at the St. John’s Invite has him ranked 19th in the nation. Giles Henry (St. Cloud, Minn./St. Cloud Tech HS) is the other Cobber two-event threat. He is ranked fourth in the discus and 17th in the shot put.
Besides Westmark, Concordia only has two athletes ranked in the top 12 of any event. Senior Paul Shol (Fergus, Falls, Minn.) is currently ranked ninth in the 400-meter hurdles while sophomore Tom Sederquist (Moorhead, Minn.) is 12th in the 5000 meters.
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Gustavus
Coach: Tom Thorkelson (10th season)
2008 Championships Finish: 9th
| Gustavus Championships Preview |
The Gustavus Adolphus men’s outdoor track and field team will rely on a veteran group to improve upon last year’s ninth place finish at the 2009 MIAC Outdoor Championships.
Several Gustie athletes, led by nationally seeded sprinters senior Tyler Geyen (Watertown, Minn.) and junior Cole Carlson (Mora, Minn.), are poised to contend for conference titles. Geyen hopes to bring home a conference title in the 110-meter hurdles to complement the 55-meter hurdles title he won at this year’s MIAC Indoor Championships. He enters as the top seed in the 110-meter hurdles with the fifth fastest time in Division III at 14.62. Cole Carlson is ranked second in the conference and sixth in the nation in the 400 meters with a time of 48.26. Carlson is also seeded sixth in the 200-meter dash (22.33).
Other runners ranked in the top eight on the MIAC Performance list are first-year Matt Dvorak (Burnsville, Minn.), who is fourth in the 100-meter dash (11.03), and seniors Dan Foley (Minneapolis, Minn.) and John Leaf (Center City, Minn.), who are fourth (31:52.31) and fifth (32:18.31) in the 10,000 meters, respectively.
Senior Chad Arlt (St. Michael, Minn.) has been the surprise of the outdoor season as he enters the conference meet seeded first in the javelin with a distance of 185-0 despite not having competed in the event until this year. Tyler Geyen and sophomore Dave Schutt (Hampton, Minn.) look to add points in the javelin as each is seeded third (167-10) and fourth (166-9), respectively. Junior Brian Anderson (Bloomington, Minn.) will contend for all-conference honors as he ranks fourth in the hammer throw (164-6) and fifth in the shot put (48-1 3/4).
Relays will be a key source of points for Gustavus as two relays are ranked in the top five. The 4x400 relay set a new school record at the Drake Relays with a NCAA provisional qualifying time of 3:16.63. Despite posting the seventh fastest time in the nation, the Gusties enter as the fourth seed in arguably one of the most tightly contested events at the MIAC Championships this year. Relay members include Tyler Geyen, Cole Carlson, Colby Citrowske (So., Canby, Minn.), and Matt Leeb (So., Kasota, Minn.). The 4x100 relay will vie for all-conference honors as the team heads into the meet ranked third with a time of 42.73.
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Hamline
Coach: Paul Schmaedeke (8th season)
2008 Championships Finish: 3rd
| Hamline Championships Preview |
The Pipers head into the 2009 MIAC outdoor championships looking to duplicate the success that they had indoors when they finished second at the conference championships, an improvement of a position over their 2008 finish.
Hamline enters the outdoor meet with five athletes who have hit spring NCAA provisional qualifying marks in five different events, showing the diverse scoring potential for the Pipers across both the track and field disciplines.
Senior Brandon Gleason (Mantorville, Minn.) prepares to run in his final MIAC meet as the reigning outdoor conference champion in the 1500-meter race. This fall he earned All-American status in cross country, finishing 13th, and went on to qualify for indoor nationals in the mile run. He has already run an NCAA provisional time in the 1500-meter run.
Fellow distance runner Ian Bauer (Jr., Roseville, Minn.) ran an NCAA provisional qualifying time in the 10,000-meter run and is edging close to the mark in the 5,000-meter race.
At shorter distances, the Pipers will be looking at sprinter Brent Nelson (Jr., New London, Minn.) to lead the points, as he is now the school record holder in both the indoor and outdoor 200-meter dash and is a member of the 1600-meter relay team that has run an NCAA provisional time this spring. The trio of Andy Marnach (Jr., Hokah, Minn.), Brant Luehman (Sr., Amery, Wis.) and Tyson Molitor (So., Belgrade, Minn.) join him on that relay team and will also be looking to score points in sprints without the baton.
The Piper throwing corps has led the MIAC all season and will to do the same at the outdoor championships. Derall King (So., Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) threw to an All-American performance at the NCAA indoors in shot put and has hit a provisional mark for outdoors. First-year Brennan McKeag (Lakeville, Minn.) is creeping up towards a provisional put of his own in the same event.
Andy Norman (So., Winona, Minn.) is the fifth Piper to hit an NCAA provisional mark, doing so in the hammer throw, and is hoping to be the fourth different Piper thrower in 12 months to head to nationals.
With the depth in scoring that Pipers look to have in place this season, Hamline looks to move up in the final conference standings and send one of their larger groups of athletes on to the NCAA outdoor meet in recent years.
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Macalester
Coach: Martin Peper (16th season)
2008 Championships Finish: 10th
| Macalester Championships Preview |
Macalester lacks the depth to post a high conference finish, but several individuals could be factors in their events in this year’s outdoor championships.
Wade Ekstrom (Jr., La Crescent, Minn.) is one of several standout veterans in a strong 1500-meter run field, and will also stretch out to race in the 5000 meters. He was seventh in last year’s 1500 finals. Martin Mudry (Sr., University Heights, Ohio / University School) looks to close out an excellent distance running career at Macalester when he steps up to the starting line in the 5000 meters.
Kevin Williams (Sr., Kingston, Jamaica) is currently ranked No. 5 in the MIAC in the 100-meter dash (11.04) and Martin Stenman-Andersson (Jr., Uppsala, Sweden / IT-Gymnasiet Uppsala) is ranked eleventh in the MIAC in the long jump (20-11 ¾). Williams is joined in the sprints by last year’s seventh-place MIAC finisher in the 200 meters, Kyle Hamblett (So., Paris France / American School of Paris). If healthy enough to compete, Andrew Yokom (Sr., Arden Hills, Minn. / Mounds View) could be a key contributor in the sprints and relays. Alex Rosselli (Jr., Columbus, Ind. / North) is looking to make the 400 high hurdle finals.
Joining Ekstrom and Mudry in the middle and long-distance races are Ollie St. John (Fy., Washington, D.C. / Edmund Burke School) in the steeplechase and Carl Biggers (Fy., Verona, Wis.) in the 10K.
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Saint John's
Coach: Tim Miles (30th season)
2008 Championships Finish: 2nd
| Saint John's Championships Preview |
After finishing second at the 2008 MIAC Outdoor Championships, the Johnnies are aiming for their fifth conference championship in the last 13 years.
Saint John’s ended last season on a good note, finishing seventh out of 81 teams at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships. The Johnnies finished third in the final NCAA Division III Coaches’ Power Rankings; their best finish since 1999 when SJU finished second in the country.
The Johnnies return four-time All-American, senior Eric Buss (Coon Rapids, Minn.). Buss earned consecutive seventh place finishes at nationals in the triple jump outdoors, and consecutive third-place finishes in the triple jump indoors. Buss was named the 2009 MIAC Indoor Field Athlete of the Year after winning the triple jump for the second consecutive year and finishing second in both the long jump and high jump. Buss currently holds the MIAC’s best mark in the triple jump this season with an NCAA provisional distance of 14.37 meters.
Also look for sophomore Matt Reeve (Fairmont, Minn.), sophomore Griffin Hayes (Mendota Heights, Minn. /St. Thomas Academy) and senior Brayden Wagner (Englevale, N.D./Lisbon) to make strong contributions for the Johnnies.
Wagner won the pole vault at the 2009 MIAC Indoor Championship and took 13th at nationals. Wagner currently has the top mark in both the pole vault, with a height of 4.85 meters, and in the decathlon with 6,226 points. Both are NCAA provisional marks. Reeve has the fifth-best mark in the 110-meter hurdles (15.36), while Hayes has the best distance in the discus (46.15 meters) and the eighth-best distance in the shot put (14.24 meters).
The Johnnies also return All-MIAC athletes senior Mitch Gesell (Alexandria, Minn.), junior Patrick Lowder (Chanhassen, Minn./Chaska) and sophomore Andrew Norman (Maple Grove, Minn.).
Junior Ryan Noack (St. Cloud, Minn./Cathedral) and Lowder are second (9:32.70) and third (9:33.26), respectively, in the 3,000 meter steeplechase (9:32.70). Norman is third in the pole vault (4.60 meters) and Gesell is fourth in the 800 meters (1:53.38). Norman claimed second place in the pole vault and Lowder finished third in the steeplechase at the 2008 MIAC Outdoor Championships.
Head coach Tim Miles is currently in his 30th season in Collegeville. Miles has produced a winning program that has finished among the MIAC's top two squads in 20 of the past 29 seasons, including MIAC championships in 1997, 1999, 2005 and 2007. Miles won MIAC Coach of the Year honors in 2004, 2005 and 2007. At the national level, Miles' athletes have put together 53 Division III All-America performances since 1980.
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Saint Mary's
Coach: Shawn McMahon (2nd season)
2008 Championships Finish: 11th
| Saint Mary's Championships Preview |
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Jared Brandenburg (Independence, Wis.), Chris Fisette (Elmhurst, Ill.), Josiah Ryks (Austin, Minn.) and Curtis VanAsten (Shiocton, Wis.) have all had solid springs and Saint Mary’s University track and field coach Shawn McMahon is expecting more of the same in their final meet of the season.
“I’d love to see us jump up a place or two (in the conference standings),” McMahon said. “And if we perform the way we are capable, that’s a very realistic possibility.”
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St. Olaf
Coach: Phil Lundin (1st season)
2008 Championships Finish: 6th
| St. Olaf Championships Preview |
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The Oles, under first year head coach Phil Lundin, will look to thrower John Schantzen and its middle and distance crew at this weekend's MIAC Championships in Northfield.
John Schantzen notched the second-best throw in Division III this season with a school record 17.17 shot at Hamline's Meet of the UnSaintly on Saturday. Schantzen, twice the MIAC's field athlete of the week, finished second in the event only behind Minnesota Viking defensive end Brian Robison, a former football and track and field standout at the University of Texas.
The team's distance crew will be led by Dobuol Ruon -- the MIAC's cross country champion -- who won the 5000 at Macalester's Bolstorff Twilight last month. The team could also get help from Jacob Marotz and Jon Lambert.
St. Olaf will also lean on David Green, who had a 3000 steeplechase win at the Carleton Relays in mid April.
Isaac Tut and Cullen O'Neill, who has a provisional time in the 800, will also lead the team at the championship. O'Neill has a 1:52.86 to his credit, which ranks in the league's top five.
Dan Monroe could be the team's best bet in the sprints. Monroe has run the 100, 200 and 400 this spring.
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St. Thomas
Coach: Steve Mathre (14th season)
2008 Championships Finish: 1st
| St. Thomas Championships Preview |
St. Thomas won the MIAC men's indoor team championship in March by 67.5 points over runner-up Hamline. The Toms have now won the indoor team crown all 25 seasons it has been held -- the longest team championship streak in conference history.
The Toms have captured the MIAC outdoor track team championship 22 of the last 26 seasons will will look to add another first at the competition this week in Northfield.
In conference outdoor season bests, the Toms came into May are ranked first in nine events, are second in eight events, are seeded third in five, and are seeded fourth in seven events.
Despite graduating three aces -- five-time All-American P.J. Theisen, hammer throw national champ Mark O’Connell, and discus NCAA runner-up Derek Marks -- the 2009 Tommies will look to post 175 or more points again.
The Toms are ranked in the top-six nationally in the hammer, 4x100, 4x400, 1,500 and long jump, and are ranked in the top 10 nationally in Division III power rankings. They also have the team to beat in the 4x800.
Three senior All-Americans lead the Tommies into the meet -- sprinter-long jumper James Ewer, middle-distance ace Brian Sames and 200-400 ace Pat Jager. Seniors Phil Bastron, Joe DeFrance, Kyle Brandon and Matt Boumeester (middle distance) sophomore Andrew Brueggen (hammer) and freshman Mike Hutton (800) are others with top-two potential.
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