Story Courtesy of Matt Higgins, Assistant to the Executive Director of the MIAC
St. Paul, Minn. – Gustavus athlete Erica Roelofs (Vernon Center, Minn.) was one of the Gusties to compete in the multi-events competition over the weekend at Winona State’s Warrior Open, and her performance was certainly memorable. Roelofs finished first in the heptathlon with nearly 4,300 points with one of the top showings in the event in both the MIAC and all of Division III this season, setting new personal records in four different events. For her performance, Roelofs has been named the MIAC Women’s Outdoor Field Athlete-of-the-Week.
Roelofs won the heptathlon against a good field with a total score of 4,298 points. She had personal bests in the 100-meter hurdles (16.92 seconds), the 200-meter dash (27.49 seconds), the high jump (1.53 meters) and the javelin (33.60 meters). Only Concordia’s Kaari Jensen (4,690) has recorded a better score than Roelofs in the heptathlon this season, and her score in Winona is the 10th best mark in all of NCAA Division III thus far in 2012.
The Gusties have another busy weekend on the horizon, starting with the three-day, star-studded Drake Relays Thursday through Saturday. The meet is hosted by Drake in Des Moines, Iowa, and attracts top talent throughout all three NCAA divisions. Gustavus will also host an alternative meet to the Drake Relays Saturday for athletes not competing in Iowa. The Gusties meet will start Saturday in St. Peter at 11 a.m.