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RIPON, Wis. – Grinnell hosts the 92nd annual Midwest Conference Track and Field Championships at the Les Duke Track on the campus of Grinnell College. The ten track and field sponsoring institutions will compete for team and individual championships, which start Friday, May 9 and run through Saturday, May 10.
Monmouth returns after winning the 2013 championships and competes for the sweep for the ninth consecutive season. The events will kick off on Friday at 12:30 a.m. with the field events and will start at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday. A total of 20 gold medals will be given out on both the men’s and women’s side with athletes also competing for a chance to participate at the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Beloit aims to improve from 10th (men) and ninth (women) place finishes a year ago when it travels to Grinnell. On the men’s side Peter Siess contends for an individual championship in the 200- (seventh, 22.37) and 400-dashes (13th, 50.62). Matt Kreiser ranked sixth during the season in the 400-hurdles while Nelson Lauersdorf paces the Bucs in the field events in the javelin with a ninth-ranked toss of 148’09.50”. Felicia Carlson defends her title in the 100-dash from last season and enters the championships with the top time in the MWC (12.01). Along with her conference-best time in the 100 she also tops the charts in the 200-dash with a time of 24.64. Along with Carlson the Bucs will contend in the 800-dash as Ellie Waddle ranked fourth with a time of 58.43.
Carroll picked up a pair of fourth place finishes in 2013 which was a spot lower for each team from the year prior. Andrew Nottling returns in hopes of winning his third straight high jump championship and enters the weekend ranked second in the conference (6’09”). Dakota Pruitt paces the Pioneers in the mid-distance events with a pair of top-three times. Pruitt ranked first in the 1,500-run (4:01.71) and second in the 3,000 steeplechase (9:34.46) while he posted the sixth-ranked time in the 800-dash (1:57.60). On the women’s side the Pioneers welcome back a pair of champions. Lindsey Thomas won the discus and finished the season atop the conference charts with a toss of 146’02.75” while also having top-five marks in the hammer throw (fifth, 152’01.50”) and shot put (fourth, 41’06.50”). Jessica Wiegert won pole vault last season and ranked second in the league with a mark of 11’10”, which is better than her 2013 championship mark.
In its first year back in the MWC Cornell came away with a pair of eighth place finishes and aim for the first championship on either side since 1981. Preston Ritchie paces the Rams in the sprint races with the fifth-fastest time in the 100-dash (11.10) while he ranked eighth in the 200-dash (22.39). Charles Zilaitis headlines the field performers as he ranked first in the hammer throw (160’04.50”) and fifth in the javelin (155’09.25”). The Rams men also have the fourth-ranked 4x400 relay team (3:28.24). On the women’s side Cornell had two runners ranked in the top-five of the 1,500-run with Abrah Masterson in third (4:49.84) and Sanjuanita Martinez checking in at second (4:49.84). Martinez also ran the fastest 3,000 steeplechase (11:06.98) in the conference while Nikki Leach ranked third in the 100-hurdles (15.93).
The Grinnell men made a two spot improvement in 2013 with a third place finish and aim for the team’s first championship since 1994. Frank Canady leads a deep pack of Pioneer distance runners and defends a championship in the 10,000-run. Canady led all MWC runners with a time of 30:55.79 in the 10,000 while he also posted the top time in the 5,000-run (15:09.69). Benjamin Tyler ranked third in both the 1,500- (4:07.37) and 5,000-run (15:19.31) while Jake Lindstrom contends in the pole vault with the league’s fourth-best jump (14’05.25”). Sarah Burnell challenges for a title in the 800-dash and 1,500-run with the top time in the league in each. Christine Ajinjeru also holds a top league time in the 400-dash (56.09) while Eloise Miller ranked third in the triple jump (36’02.25”).
Illinois Col. is in search of the school’s first outdoor championship after sixth (men) and third (women) places finishes this year. On the men’s side Chandler Polyte returns after winning the pole vault in 2013 and enters the 2014 championships after he ranked second (15’05”) during the season. John Piper leads all athletes in the 110-hurdles (15.08) while the Blueboys had the second-fastest 4x100 replay team. The Lady Blues rely on Ofuma Eze-Echesi in the sprint events as she ranks in the top-three in three different events. Eze-Echesi was second in the 100- (12.17), 200- (24.80), and 400-dashes (56.47) as she defenders her title in the 400 from last season. Brittney Burgess also defends a title in the javelin and enters with the league’s top mark (140’07”).
Knox hopes to move up in the standings after ninth (men) and 10th(women) places finishes in 2013. Tim Worrell contends in the field events with the seventh-best discus throw of 142’06.75”. Brian Cole ran the eighth-fastest time in the 10,000-run (35:01.73) with Weston Chenoweth contending in the hammer throw with the league’s seventh-best throw (146’04.75”). Elizabeth Reyes posted the 11th-ranked 10,000-run time (43:06.63) with Carolina Goncalves leading the Prairie Fire in both the 400- (1:04.57) and 800-dashes (2:30.17). Nicolette Bridgeforth posted a pair of top-15 marks in the discus (10th, 116’01”) and hammer throw (13th, 125’11.50”) to lead Knox in the field events.
Lawrence captured a pair of seventh-place finishes a year ago and aim for the school’s first men’s title since 1947 and the first women’s title in school history. On the men’s side, Cameron Davies leads the Vikings in the 1,500 (sixth, 4:10.81) and 3,000 steeplechase (third, 9:45.05) while Jamie Brisbois paces the team in the 5,000 (fourth, 15:42.15). JP Ranumas contends in the 110 hurdles, where he ran the third-fastest time (15.93) during the season. Anna Bolgrien leads the women in the 400 hurdles (fourth, 1:08.57) while Sofie Yang is the Vikings’ top performer in the 100 hurdles (12th, 17.27). Yang also contends in the 400 hurdles (ninth, 1:10.10) and pole vault (seventh, 10’00”) while Katherine Dannecker ranked fifth in the 3,000 steeplechase (12:04.19).
In 2013 Monmouth continued its dominant run by sweeping the outdoor championships for the eighth straight season with the men winning by 69 points and the women by 132.5 points. On the men’s side the Fighting Scots return five total champions by three different individuals and a relay team. Kiante Green defends his gold medal in the 100-dash and enters with the third-fastest time in the league (10.83) with teammate Nick Devor trying to win back-to-back championships in the 400-hurdles (second, 56.50). Karston Anderson won a title in both the 110-hurdles (second, 15.53) and the long jump (first, 21’11.75”) and enters the weekend with the top mark in the triple jump (46’03”). The women return a pair champions with Alyssa Edwards (400-hurdles) and Emily Tysma (high jump) coming back. Edwards headlines the league in the 400-hurdles (1:04.95) while Tysma led the high jump (5’08”). Bailey Jackson figures to contend in both the long jump (17’11.75) and triple jump (36’04.50) where she ranked first and second, respectively, during the regular season.
Ripon tallied a pair of fifth place finishes a year ago and compete for a team championship for the first time in school history. Zach Beek returns on the men’s side after winning the shot put in 2013 and is the favorite this year with the top ranked throw of 51’05.25”. Austen Jentges compliments Beek in the field events and was second in the hammer throw (159’05.50”) while Thomas Beal ranked sixth in the hammer throw (148’03.50”). Michael Allen is the top ranked sprinter entering the championships ranked third in the 800-dash with a time of 1:57.50. On the women’s side Lexie Schaffer ranked in the top-10 in both the 200- (seventh, 26.00) and 400-dashes (sixth, 59.77) with Nicole Zeman pacing the hurdles with the second-fastest time in the 400-hurdles (1:06.54) with Lydia Pomeroy challenging in the hammer throw (second, 163’01”).
St. Norbert was once again on the doorstep with a second (men) and third (women) place finish and aim to capture its first team championship since 1991 when the women won a championship. The Green Knight men return a pair of champions along with their 4x400 relay team. Taylor Pasterski won the 400-dash and enters with the second-fastest time (48.59) and also posted the runner-up time in the 200-dash (22.17). Joe McArdle also is back after winning the discus last season and threw a season-best 139’04” to rank 16th in the league. Brad Boockmeier contends in a pair of field events including the javelin (second, 161’05”) and long jump (fourth, 21’04”). Elvia Martinez looks for a championship in the distance events and has positioned herself as the favorite in the 5,000- (18:38.32) and 10,000-runs (38:37.06) with the top times in the league in both events. Nicole Vanderlin tops all performers in the high jump (5’06.25”) while Karsten Kaiser is fifth in the high jump (fourth, 5’05”).