The Gustavus men’s and women’s outdoor track and field teams are set to compete at the 2012 MIAC Championships being held Friday and Saturday at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn.
The MIAC has set up a home page for the 2012 MIAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships, including entries, heat sheets, links to live scoring and other meet information, and it will be updated throughout the weekend with results and recaps. Concordia’s sports information department also has a home page for the event, with great preview information and other links, and it will also be updated frequently throughout the meet.
Men’s Preview
After a strong third place finish last season, the Gustavus men’s outdoor track and field team is poised for a return to the podium at the 2012 MIAC Championships being held on May 11-12 on the campus of Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn.
The Gusties will rely heavily on its workhorse sophomore Blair Riegel (Lakeville, Minn.) for big points in Moorhead. Riegel, the reigning MIAC champion in the 100-meter dash and long jump, will once again look to contribute in the sprints, jumps and relays. In the sprints, Riegel ranks first in the 100-meter dash (10.80) and fourth in the 200-meter dash (22.27) according to the most recent MIAC performance lists released by Raceberry .com. The sophomore also ranks second in the long jump (22-3.50) and first in the triple lump (47-5).
Helping out Riegel in the sprints will be Matt Dvorak (Burnsville, Minn.) and Phillip Butler (St. Paul, Minn.). Dvorak ranks fourth in 100 (10.97) and 12th in the 200 (22.70), while Butler ranks 10th in the 100 (11.14).
Eric Jorgenson (Maple Grove, Minn.) is Gustavus’ top mid-distance runner, ranking fifth in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:52.66. Tanner Davenport will also look to crack the top ten in the 800, ranking 11th at a 1:54.55.
Anders Bowman (Plymouth, Minn.) will look to cap off his senior season with a strong performance in the steeplechase, entering the meet with the fourth fastest time at 9:36.44.
Rounding out the top competitors on the track is Steve Groskreutz (Faribault, Minn.). Groskreutz comes in as one of the top hurdlers in the conference, ranking first in both the 110 (15.08) and 400 (53.64).
To have a shot at the podium, the Gusties will need a strong showing in the field events. Having a great spring season so far has been Cameron Clause (Mankato, Minn.) in the long jump. He currently ranks ninth with a leap of 21-2.50.
Ryan Obele (Le Sueur, Minn.) will seek the top-10 in all three throwing events, as he ranks fourth in the discus (144-3), 10th in the shot put (45-6.25), and 12th in the hammer throw (152-0). Jesse Scheiterlein (Sartell, Minn.) ranks 10th in the discus (134-8), and Mark Stice (North Oaks, Minn.) ranks sixth in the hammer throw (166-5).
To cap off the field events, Josh Owens (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) will attempt to defend his indoor title in the pole vault, entering the MIAC Championships as the one to beat in the event. His top mark so far this season is 16-6.75.
Women’s Preview
With seven consecutive runner-up finishes at the MIAC Outdoor Championships, the Gustavus women’s outdoor track and field will need to turn in its best performance of the season to get back on the podium in 2012. With the loss of standout Janey Helland due to graduation, the Gusties will need to step up across the board
Top Gustavus competitors in the sprints will be Sarah Lundgren (Mankato, Minn.) and Amanda Iverson (Waconia, Minn.). Lundgren ranks fourth in the 400-meter dash with a time of 58.54, and Iverson ranks sixth in the 400 with a time of 58.93.
Caitlin Fermoyle (Mendota Heights, Minn.) will look to score big points as Gustavus’ top distance runner. She ranks eighth in the 10,000 (38:15.24), 11th in the 5,000 (18:34.59), and 15th in the 1,500 (4:50.97) entering the meet. Fermoyle is also ranked eighth in the steeplechase with a time of 12:08.80. Beth Hauer (Little Falls, Minn.) will add depth in the distance races, ranking sixth in the 10,000-meter (38.15.24) 10th in the 5,000-meter (18:31.37).
Danielle Burgmeier (Plymouth, Minn.) enters as the top Gustie hurdler, ranking second in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 63.42. Erica Roelofs (Vernon Center, Minn.) will also look to score in the 400 hurdles while at the same time looking for a big day in the javelin. Roelofs ranks 11th in the 400 (68.02) and sixth in the javelin (110-3).
In the field events, the Gusties are led by Emily Klatt (Woodbury, Minn.) in the jumps. Klatt ranks in the top-five in the triple, long, and high jump competitions. She ranks sixth in the triple jump (35-10), and fifth in both the long jump (17-6.25) and seventh high jump (5-3). Lauren Rothschiller (Chaska, Minn.) adds depth in the triple jump, ranking third with a leap of 35-10.50.
Allyson Hannemann (Mansfield, Ohio) and Rachel Colter (North St. Paul, Minn.) enter the conference meet as the top Gustie throwers. Hannemann is ranked ninth in the hammer throw (142-6) and 11th in the discus (123-11), while Colter sits in 13th in the shot put (37-0.50). Colter also ranks fifth in the javelin (112-5).
Allyson Voss (Wausau, Wis.) rounds out Gustavus’ top competitors as the one to beat in the pole vault. She enters the meet in first after clearing an MIAC best 12-4.50.’