Victor Finch (right), the head track and field coach at Ferris State University, is the new head cross country and track & field coach at Lawrence University. Finch's hiring was announced Thursday by co-Interim Director of Athletics Chris Howard.

A native of Midland, Mich., Finch brings two decades of coaching experience at the NCAA Division I level to the job. Finch also has coached two Olympic sprinters who ran in a combined three Olympic Games (1988, 1996, 2000).

A graduate of Indiana State University, Finch majored in physical education and starred in cross country and track and field for the Sycamores.

Finch began his coaching career at Southwestern Michigan College, where he coached sprinter Laurel Johnson. Johnson was a national champion in Jamaica in the 100 and 200 meters and competed in the 1988 Olympics. Finch then served as an assistant coach at the NCAA Division I level at Indiana State, Eastern Michigan University, and Michigan State University and also coached at Northwood University, a NCAA Division II school.

In one season as the head coach at Ferris State, Finch recruited and coached Amy Woodman to the 2008 NCAA title in the long jump. Ferris State had a school-record seven national qualifiers in 2008. In addition to his track and field duties, Finch was the assistant men's and women's cross country coach at both Northwood and Ferris State. In one season with the cross country squads at Ferris, both teams saw dramatic improvements in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

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Carroll’s men’s track & field program was the lone representative among Midwest Conference schools as the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association (USTFCCCA) named its 2007-08 Men’s All-Academic Indoor and Outdoor Scholar Teams.

The selection of the All-Academic Indoor and Outdoor Scholar Teams is based on a combination of academic and athletic achievements, while a team must also carry a minimum 3.000 cumulative grade-point average.

Carroll was selected as an All-Academic Indoor and Outdoor Scholar Team after posting a cumulative team grade point average of 3.110 during the 2007-08 school year. Carroll head coach Shawn Thielitz’s squads saw two student-athletes record a trio of All-American performances this year.

Carroll’s women were also named an All-Academic Indoor and Outdoor Scholar Team earlier in the week, making Carroll one of 56 programs in NCAA Division III to have both their men and women honored.

Scholar Teams - Men

Four Midwest Conference student-athletes were named to the 2007-08 U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association (USTFCCCA) Men’s All-Academic Track & Field Team.

To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 and have met the NCAA Division III Indoor or Outdoor automatic or provisional qualifying standard in their respective event.

Monmouth distance runner Clay Staley was joined on the team by a trio of St. Norbert student-athletes in Paul Leeman, Jeff Pentek (right) and Dann Schneider.

All-Academic - Men

A pair of Midwest Conference schools were named to the 2007-08 U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association (USTFCCCA) Women’s All-Academic Indoor and Outdoor Scholar Teams.

The selection of the All-Academic Indoor and Outdoor Scholar Teams are based on a combination of academic and athletic achievements, while a team must also carry a minimum 3.000 cumulative grade-point average.

St. Norbert and Carroll were selected as All-Academic Indoor and Outdoor Scholar Teams after posting cumulative team grade point averages of 3.230 and 3.150, respectively, during the 2007-08 school year.

Scholar Teams - Women

Four Midwest Conference student-athletes were named to the 2007-08 U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association (USTFCCCA) Women’s All-Academic Track & Field Team.

To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 and have met the NCAA Division III Indoor or Outdoor au tomatic or provisional qualifying standard in their respective event.

Carroll sophomore pole vaulter Rebecca Grafenauer, St. Norbert junior sprinter Ashley Graybill, Monmouth junior hurdler Shannon Turczyn and Monmouth senior high jumper Megan Clennon (right) were all selected to the team.

Graybill was an All-American in the 400-meter dash at the 2008 Indoor Championships, while Clennon (High Jump) and Turczyn (100m Hurdles) both earned All-American accolades at the 2008 Outdoor Championships.

All-Academic - Women

Lawrence student-athlete Benjamin Glover (right) has been chosen as an Arthur Ashe Jr., Sports Scholar Award. The award is presented by the magazine Diverse: Issues In Higher Education, and Glover was a first-team selection in track and field. Glover, who competes in the high jump, long jump and triple for the Lawrence track team, also plays midfield on the Vikings' soccer team. A senior from Accra, Ghana, Glover sports a 3.578 grade point average and is a biology and chemistry interdisciplinary major.

The Sports Scholar Award is named for Arthur Ashe, who died from AIDS-related pneumonia in 1993 after contracting the disease from a blood transfusion following double-bypass surgery. Before his untimely death at the age of 49, Ashe already had an impressive academic, athletic, social and civil rights résumé. Ashe was a pioneer in tennis, becoming the first African-American man to win the U.S. Open, the Australian Open, and Wimbledon.

Glover, who was one of 17 athletes named to the first team but one of only five from NCAA Division III institutions, is an Academic All-Midwest Conference selection in both soccer and track and field. A Dean's List student at Lawrence, Glover recently won the college's Campus Life Award, given to a senior in recognition of service and leadership, and the John H. Scidmore Memorial Award, given to a senior man who best exemplifies the characteristics of academic diligence, service to campus groups, and interest in and loyalty to classmates. Glover also has won the African Heritage Leadership Award and the United States Achievement Academy Collegiate Minority Leadership Award.

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The U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association (USTFCCCA) recognized its All-Americans for the 2008 Indoor Track & Field season. The USTFCCCA, like the NCAA, honored any athlete who finished in the top 8 in their respective event at the 2008 NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field National Championships as an All-American.

The MWC’s All-American’s included: Monmouth’s Jonny Henkins (Pole Vault), Luke Reschke (400m), Peter Sprecher (Pole Vault), Jessica White (Pole Vault), Zach Wilson (Weight Throw) and the men’s 4x400 relay team; Carroll’s Josh Hurlebaus (55m) and Erin Kelley (800m, Mile); St. Norbert’s Ashley Graybill (400m) and Lawrence’s Madeline Steininger (High Jump).

All-Americans - Men - Women

Monmouth’s men fell 11 points shy of a National Championship at the 2008 NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field National Championships, which concluded on Saturday (March 15) on the campus of Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio. The Fighting Scots tallied 33 total points to record the school-best runner-up finish, while UW-La Crosse took the title with 43 points.

Carroll senior Erin Kelley (left) closed her prolific indoor career with a pair of All-American performances, as she placed eighth in both the mile run (5:05.30) and 800-meter dash (2:20.52 ) on Saturday. Josh Hurlebaus represented Carroll’s men with an All-American effort in the 55-meter dash (6.41), as the junior placed eighth as well.

St. Norbert junior Ashley Graybill (right) rounded out the MWC’s All-Americans, as she placed fifth (56.93) in the 400-meter dash.

The MWC closed the event with 11 All-American performances and one National Champion in Monmouth senior Jonny Henkins (Pole Vault).

Monmouth’s men are in first-place in the team point standings at the midway point of the 2008 NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field National Championships, which began Friday (March 14) on the campus of Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio. The Fighting Scots’ 20 points were seven better than second-place UW-Platteville.

The Scots were paced by three All-Americans and a National Champion on their first day of competition. Senior pole vaulter Jonny Henkins (right) became the school’s first indoor National Champion when he won the event with a height of 16’09.50. Teammate and fellow senior Peter Sprecher, the defending outdoor national champ and 2008 Midwest Conference indoor title winner, finished fifth (16’05.50”) to claim All-America honors. Senior Zach Wilson rounded out Monmouth’s day one scoring by placing third in the weight throw with an All-American effort of 61’0.75”.

Lawrence sophomore Madeline Steininger celebrated her birthday with All-American honors, finishing fifth in the high jump with a leap of 5’03.25”.

Wilson is scheduled to compete in the shot put for Monmouth on Saturday, while the men will also have the chance to add points in the 4x400 relay and the 400-meter dash (Luke Reschke). If Monmouth can hold off all comers on Saturday, it will mark the first team National Championship by a current MWC member while in the league.

Monmouth indoor track & field coach Roger Haynes (right) has been named the 2008 Midwest Regional Men’s Coach of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Monmouth’s men won their ninth consecutive Midwest Conference men’s indoor title this season, as the Fighting Scots topped runner-up Illinois College by more than 100 points. Zach Wilson has the nation’s best mark in the weight throw at 62’03.25” entering nationals and teammate Monmouth teammate Peter Sprecher is a co-owner of the nation’s top pole vault height (17’01.50”). Haynes is in his 24th season as the men’s coach.

The Midwest Conference will be represented by 15 student-athletes from four league schools at the 2008 NCAA Indoor Track & Field National Championships. The event will unfold on Friday and Saturday, March 14-15 on the campus Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio.

If the seeds hold true, the MWC could be in line for a trio of national champions, as Monmouth’s Zach Wilson (Weight Throw), Peter Sprecher (Pole Vault) and Jessica White (Pole Vault) all enter with the top times in the nation. Monmouth will be sending a conference-best nine athletes to the event, including Jonny Henkins (Pole Vault), Logan Hohl (55m Hurdles), Luke Reschke, Monmouth (400m) and Shannon Turczyn, Monmouth (55m Hurdles). The Fighting Scots men’s 4x400 relay team will also be in action, as Reschke and Hohl are joined by Brad Gross and Jacob Stott. In addition, Wilson will also be competing in the shot put event at this year’s championships.

Carroll’s Erin Kelley joins Wilson as the only other athlete competing in two events, as the senior qualified in the 800-meter and mile runs. Kelley will be joined by teammates Josh Hurlebaus (55m) and Rebecca Grafenhauer (Pole Vault) at this year’s competition.

St. Norbert will be represented by Ashley Graybill (400m), while Lawrence’s Madeline Steininger rounds out the conference field after qualifying in the high jump event.

A live webcast of the event is available here

NCAA National Championship Website

Monmouth ran its men’s and women’s Midwest Conference Indoor Track & Field title streaks to seven and nine in a row, respectively, as both Fighting Scot teams prevailed on the second and final day of action at the 2008 Championships in Jacksonville, Illinois.

St. Norbert had a pair of record-breaking performances on day two, as Ashley Graybill (right) bested Heather Furrow’s (Monmouth) 400-meter dash record from 1996 with a new record time of 56.96 Graybill was also a part of the Green Knight champion 4x400 relay team that topped Monmouth’s old mark with a new record of 4:03.68.

Monmouth’s men picked up seven titles on Saturday, including relay wins in the 4x400 relay and distance medley relay. Zach Wilson (weight throw) and Clay Staley (3,000m) both added their second event victories of the weekend, while Luke Reschke (400m), Damon Bautista (800m) and Logan Hohl (55m hurdles) were crowned champions.

Three of the Monmouth women’s titles on Saturday came in field events, as Jenny Babos (weight throw), Morgan Leffel (triple jump) and Jessica White (pole vault) all took the top spot on the podium. Shannon Turczyn rounded out the Fighting Scots 2008 winners with a threepeat in the 55-meter hurdles.

The rest of the day belonged to Carroll, as the Lady Pioneers got two individual titles from Erin Kelley (800m, 3,000m), who also helped key a crown in the distance medley relay. Josh Hurlebaus and Melissa Roesch continued their domination of their respective 55-meter dash events, as both juniors completed threepeats. Dona Lado rounded out the Pioneer winners with a victory in the triple jump.

Dillon Binklye kept an award on campus for host Illinois College on the last day of competition as well, as he won the high jump event.

Monmouth’s men’s and women’s indoor track & field teams are in a familiar position after the first day of action at the 2008 Midwest Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships, which are being hosted by Illinois College ( Jacksonville, Ill.).

Both Fighting Scot teams are in first-place entering the second and final day of competition, as the men’s and women’s squads vie for their ninth and seventh consecutive MWC titles, respectively.

The Monmouth men were led by a pair of repeat champions. All-American senior pole vaulter Peter Sprecher and shot put All-American Zach Wilson both picked up titles on day one for the second straight year, while Clay Staley captured the men’s mile championship before helping Monmouth’s sprint medley relay team win the conference title.

Illinois College’s Dink Simmon was crowned in the long jump and also ran a leg on the Blueboys winning 4x200 relay team. St. Norbert senior Jeff Pentek rounded out the men’s day one winners with a repeat title in the 5,000-meter run.

St. Norbert and Carroll remain in striking distance of the Monmouth women, as both teams were represented on the podium on day one. Carroll senior Erin Kelley, one of the most decorated distance runners in league history, added another title in the mile and also helped the Lady Pioneers claim gold in the sprint medley relay.

Jenny Scherer paced St. Norbert by winning an MWC title in the 5,000-meter run.

Lawrence’s Madeline Steininger won the high jump competition, while Gloria Lehr (shot put) rounded out the day one women’s champions by scoring Monmouth’s lone title.

The Fighting Scots are led by trio of All-American senior pole vaulters in 2008, as Jessica White (top right) looks for her second straight indoor women’s title and Jonny Henkins (left) and Peter Sprecher (right) continue to push each other to new heights. The pair tied a year ago for first-place and enter with the same conference-leading height again this season.

4x200 Relay (M) - Illinois College - 1:28.71

The Monmouth men’s and women’s indoor track & field teams look to extend their conference championship streaks in Jacksonville, Illinois this weekend, as Illinois College hosts the 2008 Midwest Conference Men’s & Women’s Indoor Track & Field Championships. Monmouth’s men and women have not left the MWC meet without a conference championship trophy since 1999 and 2001, respectively, as Carroll captured top honors in both of those seasons. This year’s event takes place on Friday and Saturday, February 29-March 1 and a complete weekend event schedule is available on Page 2 of this release.

The Fighting Scots are led by trio of All-American senior pole vaulters in 2008, as Jessica White (top right) looks for her second straight indoor women’s title and Jonny Henkins (left) and Peter Sprecher (right) continue to push each other to new heights. The pair tied a year ago for first-place and enter with the same conference-leading height again this season.

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St. Norbert College athletics director Tim Bald has announced the hiring of Don Augustine as head men’s and women’s track & field coach. Augustine arrives in De Pere after being the head men’s and women’s track & field coach for four years at Westminster College, an NCAA Division III school located in New Wilmington, Pa.

During Augustine’s tenure at Westminster, the Titans qualified their first two athletes to the NCAA Division III national track & field meet. A 2001 Westminster graduate, Augustine was a standout middle-distance runner on the track as well as a two-year starter at linebacker on the football team. Augustine earned his master’s degree from Temple University and was a graduate assistant in football for the Owls during the 2002-2003 school year.

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The Grinnell women's track & field team earned recognition off the track when the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announced its 2007 Academic All-American teams. To qualify, a team had to maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or higher.

The Pioneers women registered a 3.50 cumulative grade point average, the sixth-best tally among the 73 NCAA Division III programs who qualified for All-American status.

Patrick Irwin (right) and Dan Zierfuss (left) were named co-head track & field coaches at Knox on June 18. Irwin was also named the head cross country coach, while Zierfuss will assist the Prairie Fire football team.

Irwin is familiar with Knox after serving as an assistant coach with the Prairie Fire cross country and track & field teams last season. He also was the assistant girl’s track coach at Solon ( Iowa) High School in the spring of 2006. A four-year letter winner at Cornell College ( Iowa) in cross country and track & field, Irwin will primarily work with the distance runners. The Monmouth, Illinois, native earned a degree in Secondary Education and Physical Education from Cornell in 2006.

Zierfuss, who will primarily focus on coaching the throwing events, was a graduate assistant coach at Carroll last season, where he coached the school record-holders in both the men’s and women’s hammer throw. In 2005-06, Zierfuss served as an assistant football and assistant track and field coach at Beloit.

Zierfuss, who earned his degree in Psychology from Beloit in 2005, was a captain for both the football and track & field teams as an undergraduate. He was an MWC Academic All-Conference selection from 2002-05.

In addition, Knox assistant football coach Cory Bonstead will also assist the track and field teams in the spring, focusing on the jumping events.

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Joe Dunham has resigned his men’s and women’s cross country and track and field coaching positions at St. Norbert to pursue another career opportunity outside athletics.

Dunham has spent the last four years at St. Norbert as the head men’s and women’s track and field coach as well as the men’s cross country coach. He was also slated to begin his first year as the women’s cross country coach this fall.

During Dunham’s tenure, 41 indoor and outdoor school records were broken. St. Norbert track athletes earned 137 All-Midwest Conference honors, placing third or higher at MWC championships. Seven were named All-MWC in cross country, placing in the top 20 at the conference meet. St. Norbert finished second once and third twice in men’s cross country in the Midwest Conference under Dunham, and also finished second in MWC men’s indoor and outdoor track on two different occasions.

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