March 12, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format | NCAA Championships Central

 

 

THIS WEEK IN PANTHER TRACK & FIELD

 

NCAA Indoor Championships

March 14-15

Randal Tyson Track Center

Fayetteville, Ark.

 

The University of Northern Iowa track and field team will look to wrap up a successful indoor season on another high note this weekend, as the Panthers send eight athletes to the NCAA Indoor Championships. The UNI men will look to improve upon their ninth-place finish at last year's championships, while senior Raven Cepeda seeks to translate the nation's top mark in the men's heptathlon into his first-ever individual title. Complete coverage of the championships, including live video and live results, can be found at www.ladybacks.com.

 

 

Here is a look at the eight UNI athletes who have been selected to compete in the 2008 NCAA Indoor Championships:

           

Raven Cepeda (Heptathlon)

Cepeda heads into this weekend's championships as the nation's top-ranked athlete in the men's heptathlon. Cepeda's score of 5,906 points is a UNI and Missouri Valley Conference record, while the senior also made history by completing a career sweep and winning four consecutive MVC heptathlon championships. A three-time All-American, Cepeda finished third in the heptathlon at last year's national meet.

 

Julian Morris (High Jump)

The leap of 7 feet, 3 inches that propelled Morris to his first MVC championship in the high jump two weeks ago also has the sophomore ranked No. 5 in the country in the event heading into the national meet. Morris has twice cleared seven feet this season and is one of just six athletes in the nation to jump 7-3.

 

Tyler Mulder (800 Meters)

Mulder carries the nation's sixth-fastest 800 meters time this season into the NCAA Indoor Championships. Already a three-time All-American, Mulder won the 800 meters title at the MVC Indoor Championships while also leading UNI to a conference title in the 4x400 relay. Mulder finished 10th in the 800 meters at the 2007 championships.

 

Rachel Jansen (Shot Put)

Jansen has the opportunity to become UNI's most decorated female athlete this weekend, as she goes for the fourth All-America honor of her career. Jansen finished fourth at last year's championships to earn All-America status and is ranked seventh in the shot put entering this year's meet. Jansen is the only woman in MVC history to claim three indoor conference shot put titles.

 

Mat Clark (Heptathlon)

Clark makes his first trip to an NCAA championship meet as the nation's ninth-ranked athlete in the heptathlon. Runner-up at the MVC Indoor Championships for the third consecutive season, Clark seeks his first All-America performance.

 

Ehi Oamen (High Jump)

Oamen, who also qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships as a freshman in 2007, enters this weekend's national indoor meet as the country's No. 12-ranked athlete in the high jump. Runner-up at the MVC Indoor Championships two weeks ago, Oamen has cleared seven feet twice this season with a best of 7-1 3/4.

 

Olimpia Nowak (Pentathlon)

A freshman, Nowak makes her first appearance in NCAA national competition this weekend as the nation's 13th-ranked competitor in the women's pentathlon. Already an MVC champion after setting a UNI school record of 4,016 points at the MVC Indoor Championships two weeks ago, Nowak looks to become UNI's first female multi-event athlete to earn All-America distinction.

 

Dani Stipe (Pentathlon)

Stipe was added to the list of UNI qualifiers Tuesday after originally being left off the NCAA's list of declared entries. The sophomore finished runner-up to teammate Nowak in the pentathlon at the MVC Indoor Championships with a personal-best score of 3,957 points, the second-best score in UNI history. With the addition of Stipe, the Panthers are the only program in the nation to boast two NCAA qualifiers each in the men's heptathlon and women's pentathlon.

 

 

 

 

HOLDING RANK

The Panther men enter the NCAA Indoor Championships as a top-10 team, holding steady in the 10th spot for the second straight week in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association ratings, which were released Tuesday. UNI has been ranked as high as No. 8 this season.

 

MORE HARDWARE

UNI head coach Chris Bucknam has been named the Midwest Region Men's Coach of the Year for the fifth-consecutive season, while UNI senior Raven Cepeda has earned his second straight Midwest Region Men's Field Athlete of the Year honor, the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announced Monday. Bucknam, who is in his 25th season with the Panthers, received the nod as the Midwest Region's top indoor coach for the ninth time in his career. Cepeda, a three-time All-American and seven-time Missouri Valley Conference champion, also was honored as the region's top men's field athlete in 2007.

 

CLOSE, BUT NO CIGAR

Along with its eight qualifiers for the meet, UNI saw several athletes left off the list of participants despite posting provisional qualifying marks this season. Rachel Jansen was not selected in the women's weight throw despite a provisional mark while, on the men's side, senior Jarrel Anderson (60-meter hurdles), senior Terrance Reid (400 meters) and sophomore Dorian Ulrey (800 meters and mile run) also saw their provisional marks fail to translate into berth in the meet. A five-time All-American, Reid now must wait until the NCAA Outdoor Championships for an opportunity to become UNI's first six-time All-American.

 

NO RELAY RELIEF

The Panthers also saw their entry in the men's distance medley relay fail to be selected for the NCAA Indoor Championships despite posting the nation's 12th-fastest time at the Alex Wilson Invitational over the weekend. UNI was the top performer in the distance medley to not be selected, as each of the 11 teams with faster times this season were tabbed for the meet. The Panthers' effort to qualify in the 4x400 relay for the NCAA championships also fell short when sophomore Cory Goos was forced to pull off the track with a calf injury midway through his leg at the Alex Wilson Invitational. UNI was leading the race at the time of Goos' injury.  Last season, UNI was the only men's program to qualify both a 4x400 and distance medley relay team for the NCAA Indoor Championships.

 

MORE RECORDS FALL

The Panthers pushed their total of school records broken this season to six over the weekend, with seniors Traci Hawley and Kara Yahn each setting new standards with performances at the Alex Wilson Invitational. Hawley won the 5,000 meters in a school-record time of 16:53.76, also the leading time by a Missouri Valley Conference athlete this season. Yahn, competing unattached but with outdoor eligibility remaining, lowered the UNI record in the 60-meter hurdles to 8.59 seconds.

 

NOBODY DOES IT BETTER

In winning its ninth-straight MVC indoor championship, UNI's men's team set a conference record for most consecutive titles won. Drake held the previous record of eight straight crowns, claiming the men's team championship each year between 1968 and 1975. With the 2008 title, the UNI men now have won 11 MVC indoor championships in their 17 seasons as members of The Valley. Only Southern Illinois, which has belonged to the MVC for 33 seasons, has more team championships, with 12.

 

LIVING UP TO THE HYPE

The Panthers swept the team titles at the State Farm MVC Indoor Championships, just as they were favored to do in the league's annual pre-championship coaches' poll. The UNI men were a unanimous pick to win their ninth-straight title, while the Panthers received seven of the eight possible first-place votes in the women's pre-championship poll.

 

REWRITING HISTORY

Senior Raven Cepeda continued his assault on the Missouri Valley Conference records book at the State Farm MVC Indoor Championships, as he became the first Valley athlete to win four indoor heptathlon titles. In completing his career sweep of the heptathlon, Cepeda also became just the eighth athlete in conference history to win four titles in the same event and did so in record fashion, setting a new MVC championship meet record with his score of 5,694 points. In addition, the score of 5,906 points he achieved at the UNI Invitational on Feb. 2 gave Cepeda the UNI school record, UNI-Dome record and all-time MVC record in the event. Easily the most successful multi-event athlete in league history, Cepeda also will look to become The Valley's first three-time winner of the decathlon at the State Farm MVC Outdoor Championships in May.

 

ONCE, TWICE, THREE TIMES A CHAMPION

By laying claim to her third-consecutive title in the women's shot put at the State Farm MVC Championships, senior Rachel Jansen became The Valley's first three-time winner of the event. Jansen, who also set a new school record of 64-10 3/4 in the weight throw on her way to a runner-up finish in that event, owns the top shot put mark in the MVC this season at 55-7. That throw also has Jansen ranked No. 5 nationally in the event, as she seeks to defend last season's fourth-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships and become UNI's first four-time All-American. Jansen currently is tied with sprinter Shantel Twiggs, who tallied three All-America honors from 1993 to 1994, as the Panthers' most decorated female athlete.

 

KEEPING THE STREAK ALIVE

In addition to his mastery of the multi-events, senior Raven Cepeda also extended UNI's streak of consecutive championships in the men's indoor pole vault to four by claiming the title at the State Farm MVC Indoor Championships. Cepeda set a new personal-best with his clearance of 16 feet, 10 3/4 inches, a mark also good for the best in the MVC this season. That winning effort eclipsed Cepeda's previous career-best of 16-9 3/4, which came just a day earlier in the heptathlon competition.

 

PLAYING DEFENSE

The Panthers successfully defended several of their 2007 MVC titles at this year's State Farm MVC Indoor Championships, as UNI racked up a total of 12 individual championships for the second-consecutive year.  Along with seniors Rachel Jansen in the women's shot put and Raven Cepeda in the men's heptathlon, senior Crystal Hanson won her second-consecutive women's high jump title, while Jarrel Anderson backed up his 2007 crown with another win in the men's 60-meter hurdles. UNI also won its third-consecutive MVC championship in the men's distance medley relay and repeated in the men's 4x400 relay, a race the Panthers have claimed in five of the last six seasons.

 

CAN YOU TAKE ME HIGHER?

The sophomore duo of Ehi Oamen and Julian Morris continue to literally raise the bar in the men's high jump with each passing week. The tandem put together another 1-2 finish at the State Farm MVC Indoor Championships, with each jumper improving his spot on the NCAA's descending order list in the process. Morris cleared a career-best and MVC season-high 7 feet, 3 inches to claim his first Valley title, with Oamen's career-best clearance of 7-1 3/4 good for the runner-up spot and All-MVC honors. Morris currently is ranked No. 5 nationally in the event, with Oamen owning the 12th-best mark among NCAA competitors.

 

A SECOND TIME AROUND

Sophomore Dorian Ulrey became just the second UNI athlete to claim an indoor conference title in the men's mile, taking the top spot at the State Farm MVC Indoor Championships over Wichita State's Girts Azis. Ulrey, who holds UNI's school record in the event at 4:01.66, is just the second Panther to win a Valley title in the event, and the first since three-time All-American Balazs Csillag did so in 2000.

 

NO LONGER NO. 2

Already one of the Missouri Valley Conference's top distance runners, senior Traci Hawley finally added a Valley title to her list of career accomplishments at the State Farm MVC Indoor Championships, winning the women's 3,000-meter run. Hawley took her first Valley title over rival Kellyn Johnson of Wichita State, to whom Hawley had twice finished runner-up in MVC championship competition. Johnson claimed the MVC cross country title with Hawley at her heels in October and then held off Hawley again to win the crown in the 5,000 meters on the first day of the MVC Indoor Championships. Just a day later, however, Hawley finally came out ahead. The senior, who owns the league's top 3,000 meter time at 9:42.88, relegated Johnson to a second-place finish on the final day of The Valley meet to secure her first title.

 

HE'S GOING TO NEED A BIGGER TROPHY CASE

UNI director of running programs Chris Bucknam moved into elite company at the State Farm MVC Indoor Championships, as the 25th-year head coach earned the 17th and 18th MVC Track & Field Coach of the Year honors of his career by sweeping both the men's and women's honors for the 2008 indoor season. The second-highest total of annual honors collected since the MVC began handing out awards in 1992 is the 12 earned by former Illinois State men's and women's coach John Coughlan. Bucknam also has been named MVC Cross Country Coach of the Year four times, giving him a total of 22 MVC coaching honors. Bucknam took over as UNI's men's head coach in 1984 and then took the reins of the Panther women in 1997. Including UNI's years of membership in the Mid-Continent Conference, Bucknam has earned 31 league coach of the year honors.

 

AND THEY'RE NOT DONE YET

After qualifying a school-record nine events for the NCAA Indoor Championships a season ago, the Panthers have posted national meet qualifying performances in 14 events so far this season. Three of those performances have automatically qualified UNI athletes for the NCAA meet, which will be held March 14-15 in Fayetteville, Ark.  Tyler Mulder, who is ranked fifth nationally in the 800 meters, has automatically qualified, as have senior Rachel Jansen, who ranks fifth nationally in the women's shot put, and senior Raven Cepeda, the national leader in the men's indoor heptathlon. The UNI men finished ninth at the 2007 NCAA Indoor Championships, equaling the highest-ever finish by a Missouri Valley Conference team.

 

TWICE AS NICE

For the second straight year, the Panthers boast a pair of NCAA qualifiers in the men's 800 meters, at least provisionally. Sophomore Dorian Ulrey provisionally qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships in the event at the UNI-Dome Open (Feb. 23), clocking in at 1:50.77. Ulrey, who also have provisionally qualified in the mile, joins junior Tyler Mulder as the Panthers' 800-meter contingent. Last season, Mulder took home All-America honors with a 10th-place finish in the 800, while then-senior Kyle Smith took third in the same race.

 

MORE LOVE FOR THE PANTHERS

UNI added another pair of weekly conference awards for the week of Feb. 26, with sophomore Dorian Ulrey taking home State Farm MVC Men's Track Athlete of the Week honors and freshman Olimpia Nowak earning the nod as the State Farm MVC Women's Field Athlete of the Week.  The Valley's weekly men's track award has now gone to a UNI athlete in each of the last five weeks, including three honors for junior Tyler Mulder. All told, the Panthers have racked up 10 MVC weekly honors this season.

 

A MILE IN HIS SHOES

Sophomore Dorian Ulrey flirted with the elusive four-minute mark in the Meyo Mile competition at the Meyo Invitational (Feb. 16). Ulrey set a UNI school record with his run of 4:01.66, taking seventh place just over two seconds back of winner Jack Bolas in a highly-competitive field. Ulrey followed that performance with the second-fastest time in school history a week later at the Iowa State Classic (Feb. 23), turning in a 4:02.08.

 

LEADING THE PACK

Senior Traci Hawley vaulted to the top of the MVC best list in the women's 3,000 meters over the weekend, cutting 14 seconds off her previous personal best to clock in at 9:42.88 - the second-fastest time in school history. Hawley's run was good for seventh at the Iowa State Classic and is The Valley's fastest time of the year by 12 seconds. The effort also trimmed 28 seconds off the Panthers' previous season-best effort. Hawley also owns the MVC's best mark in the 5,000 meters, with her 17:18.49 nearly 40 seconds faster than the league's next-best time, and is ranked eighth in the mile. The Ames, Iowa, native finished as runner-up at the State Farm MVC Cross Country Championships in October.

 

THREE'S COMPANY

Senior Terrance Reid earned Missouri Valley Conference Men's Track Athlete of the Week honors for the week of Feb. 12 following his outstanding performance at the Meyo Invitational. Reid gave UNI its third consecutive MVC men's track weekly honor, with his award coming on the heels of back-to-back honors for junior Tyler Mulder. Reid owns The Valley's top time in the 400 meters and is part of UNI's league-leading 4x400 relay squad. A five-time All-American, Reid provisionally qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships in both events.

 

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS

On the men's side of The Valley's performance list, UNI boasts the league's top three times in both the 400 meters and 800 meters, as well as the two best marks in the 60 hurdles. The Panthers also own three of the top five marks in the high jump, three of the top five in the pole vault and the top two marks in the heptathlon. The Panthers also lead The Valley in the 4x400 and distance medley relays. On the women's list, the Panthers own two of the top-five times in the 5,000, the top two marks in the high jump, two of the top-five marks in the shot put and two of the top-five marks in both the weight throw and shot put. Three Panthers also are among the top five in the pentathlon.

 

MEANWHILE, IN LINCOLN...

While the 4x400 relay crew of Cory Goos, Ryan Grenko, Tyler Mulder and Terrance Reid posted an NCAA Indoor Championships qualifying mark at the Meyo Invitational, another quartet quietly posted UNI's third-fastest relay time of the season at the adidas Classic in Lincoln, Neb. Kevin Roberts, Dennis Hammel, Pete Larson and Greg Offerman combined to complete their 4x400 in 3:16.06 -- the fastest time of the year by any group other than the All-America foursome of Goos, Grenko, Mulder and Reid.

 

FOUR MORE FOR THE PANTHERS

The UNI track and field program has signed four additional athletes to National Letters of Intent, head coach and director of running programs Chris Bucknam announced Tuesday, Feb. 12.

 

The Panthers secured commitments from long sprinter Jordan Cornilsen (Miles, Iowa/Preston) and distance runners Jillian Lageschulte (Marshalltown, Iowa/Marshalltown), Danielle Nowasell (Grinnell, Iowa/Grinnell) and Alex Mark (Cedar Falls, Iowa/Cedar Falls), giving UNI a total of 10 signees for the 2008-09 season so far.

 

PANTHERS INK SIX ON FIRST DAY OF SIGNING PERIOD

The UNI track and field program signed six athletes to National Letters of Intent, UNI Director of Running Programs Chris Bucknam announced Feb. 7.

 

"We signed a national-caliber recruiting class today, and we're thrilled to bring so many athletes with top-level talent to campus," Bucknam said. "We have landed several of the nation's top-rated athletes in their individual events, athletes who will make an immediate impact on our team, as well as on the landscape of the Missouri Valley Conference and collegiate track and field."

 

The Panthers inked Andrew Perkins (Juneau, Wis./Watertown),  Daniel Gooris (Albuquerque, N.M./Cibola), Jarred Herring (Burlington, Iowa/Burlington), Carly Olsen (Missouri Valley, Iowa/Missouri Valley), Jenna Wexter (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln Way Central) and Shawn Shaddox (Waterloo, Iowa/Cedar Falls) on the first day of the signing period.

 

DISTANCE DUO

Much as they spent the fall chasing each other around the cross country course, junior Caedryn Schrunk and senior Traci Hawley were on each others' heels throughout the women's mile at the UNI Invitational. Schrunk won the event in a UNI season-best 5:05.76, followed by Hawley's 5:06.25.  Hawley, who owns the Panthers' cross country records in the 4K, 5K and 6K, also is UNI's leader in the 3,000 meters this season with a time of 10:10.85 and owns the MVC's best mark in the 5,000 meters at 17:18.49.

 

4x400 DOMINANCE

The UNI Invitational provided another opportunity for the Panthers' relay program to shine, as the men's and women's teams swept the 4x400 relay titles for the third time in as many weeks. The Panther men posted their best effort of the season in the 4x400, with the quartet of Terrance Reid, Ryan Grenko, Cory Goos and Tyler Mulder winning the event in 3:13.68. Mulder, coming off his win in the 600 meters earlier in the day, anchored the effort with a 47.90-second split. The Panthers' top entry in the women's race matched its best effort of the season with a winning time of 3:52.57. The team of Ellen Kindelsperger, Jamie Hutchinson, Amy Bagge and Lauren Carruthers also won three straight 4x400s through the UNI Invite.

 

NOT SO LONELY AT THE TOP

Sophomore Julian Morris owns the conference lead in the high jump at 7-3, while Ehi Oamen sits second with a best clearance of 7-1 3/4. Freshman Luke Thompson owns the league's No. 4 mark at 6-9 3/4. The Panthers lead the way on the women's side, as well, as freshman Rachel VanderHolt owns the MVC's best clearance at 5-8 1/2, with senior Crystal Hanson, a three-time conference champion, second at 5-8.

 

SHE'S GOING THE DISTANCE

Senior Traci Hawley looked strong in her first effort of the season in the 3,000 meters, winning the event at the Wisconsin Elite Invitational (Jan. 26) with a time of 10:10.05 seconds. That mark was the top time by any MVC athlete in the event that weekend. Hawley, runner-up at the MVC Cross Country Championships in October, also holds the conference's fastest time in the women's 3,000 meters at 9:42.88.

 

BACK IN A BIG WAY

Senior Jamie Hutchinson, who missed the entire 2007 outdoor season due to a knee injury, returned to the track with a win in the women's 1,000 meters at the Panther Open (Jan. 19), clocking in at 2:58.16.  Hutchinson also was part of the Panthers' winning effort in the 4x400 relay, turning a 57.34-second split in the second leg as UNI went on to win in 3:52.57.

 

SOARING TO OLD HEIGHTS

UNI senior Crystal Hanson began the 2008 season where she finished the previous campaign, atop The Valley's list of best marks in the high jump. Hanson, who swept the MVC indoor and outdoor high jump titles last season, took second in the event at the Panther Open (Jan. 19) with a 5-foot, 8-inch jump that ranks No. 1 among conference competitors this season. The performance matched her career-best indoor mark, which she set in claiming the conference meet a season ago.