St. Peter, Minn. – The Gustavus Adolphus men’s and women’s track and field teams are set to compete in the 2013 MIAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships being held this weekend on the campus of the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul.
The 2013 MIAC Indoor Track and Field Championships began with last weekend’s multi-event competitions at Saint John’s. The full event will begin Friday at St. Thomas with field events beginning at 3:00 p.m. and track events starting at 3:30 p.m. Saturday’s action will start with the National Anthem at 11:50 a.m. The day two field events start at 12:00 p.m. and the track events will begin at 1:00 p.m. The full schedule of events is available online.
Saturday’s final event begins at 4:35 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 fourth- through sixth-place finishers in each open event and second- through sixth-place relay teams will all be named All-Conference Honorable Mention.
The MIAC has a Web page dedicated to the event, and complete results, recaps, and multimedia coverage of the championships will be available on that site throughout the event. There will be live results available for all events courtesy of Apple Raceberry Jam and fans can also find entries and heat sheets on the MIAC’s event page as they become available
On the men’s side, Gustavus will look to its standout Blair Riegel (Jr., Lakeville, Minn.) for big points. The reigning MIAC Champion in the long jump and member of last year’s first place 4×100-meter relay, Riegel is set to leave his mark both on the track and in the field events. Heading into the weekend, the junior ranks second in the triple jump (45’ 3.5”), sixth in the long jump (21’ 4”), seventh in the 100-meter dash (11.08), and eighth in the 200-meter dash (22.58). Riegel was named the Outstanding Field Athlete at MIAC Championships last season.
Also on the track, Matt Flotterud (Jr., Cannon Falls, Minn.) is poised to score in the 110-meter hurdles, ranking fifth with a time of 15.95.
Josh Owens (Sr., Brooklyn Park, Minn.), a two-time All-Conference performer in the pole vault, seeks a breakthrough in 2013 after finishing second in the event the past two seasons. Owens is currently the top contender for the title, coming in with a height of 15-feet 8.25-inches, which he cleared at the Meet of the UnSaintly last weekend.
Other top competitors include thrower Ryan Obele (Jr., Le Sueur, Minn.) and javelin specialist Ryan Ness (Sr., Inver Grove Heights, Minn.). Obele ranks second in the hammer throw (161’) and fourth in the discus (148’ 4”), while Ness holds the top javelin toss in the league by more than eight feet with a mark of 188-feet 9-inches. Brody Ziegler (Fr., Mankato, Minn.) and Isaac Tapp (So., Stewartville, Minn.) round out the top field competitors. Both will compete in the high jump where Ziegler ranks third (6’ 6.75”) and Tapp ranks sixth (6’ 6”).
Leading the way for the Gustie women will be 2012 All-American Ally Voss (Sr., Wausau, Wis.) who looks to score her second straight MIAC title in the pole vault this weekend. A three-time All-Conference performer, Voss is the top contender with height of 12-feet 0.5-inches turned in at the MSU Twilight Meet on April 30.
Beth Hauer (Sr., Little Falls, Minn.) is the squad’s top competitor on the track, coming off a fourth place finish in the 5,000-meter run and a fifth place finish in the 10,000-meter run at the 2012 MIAC Championships. She is currently ranked sixth in the 5,000 with a time of 18:04.27. After a strong run last weekend at the Meet of the UnSaintly, Amanda Iverson (Sr., Waconia, Minn.) looks to score points in the 400-meter dash in which she ranks fifth with a time of 59.24.
Also in the field events, Gustavus expects a big weekend from Lauren Rothschiller (Sr., Chaska, Minn.) who ranks second in the triple jump (36’ 8.5”) and 11th in the long jump (16’ 8.5”). Thrower Elizabeth Weiers (So., Le Center, Minn.) will make a run at the podium as well, coming into the meet with the second-ranked hammer throw of 162-feet 5-inches turned in on April 30 at the MSU Twilight Meet.
The Gustavus women’s team has three throwers who rank inside the top 10 in the shot put. Haley Solheim (Fy., Crookston, Minn.) leads the group in sixth (40’ 11.75”), while Sarah Swanson (Fy., Fairbanks, Alaska) and Emily Ford (So., Brooklyn Park, Minn.) sit in ninth (39’ 8”) and tenth (39’ 6.75”), respectively.
Admission for the event is $7 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, its coaches, and its staff, for its efforts as the host school. Stay tuned to St. Thomas’ athletic web site for complete details and meet information.