For Immediate Release
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
NSIC Media Relations
Full PDF Release

NSIC Men’s Field Athlete of the Week:
Michael Sandle
So., Eden Prairie, Minn.
Minnesota State

Sandel won the triple jump at the MSU Chuck Petersen Open on Saturday with a mark of 49’11.25”.  Sandle met the provisional qualifying standard for the NCAA Division II Indoor Championship with that effort, which was the longest jump in NCAA Division II so far this season.

NSIC Men’s Track Athlete of the Week:
Myles Hunter
So., Conyers Ga.
Minnesota State

Hunter broke the 2004 MSU school record in the 60m hurdles on Saturday at the MSU Chuck Petersen Open setting the new mark at 7.76.  With that effort, Hunter met the automatic qualifying standard to participate in the NCAA DII National Championships.  His mark is not only the best time in the NSIC, but also across all divisions nationally this season.  

NSIC Women’s Field Athlete of the Week:
Sara Wells
Sr., Albion, Neb.
Wayne State

Wells opened her season with a bang at the MSU Chuck Petersen Open winning the shot put with an NCAA automatic qualifying mark of 51’ 9 1/4”, which is also a new WSC school record, breaking her old mark set last year of 50’ 2 1/2”.  Her mark is currently the best mark in NCAA Division II so far in the first week of indoor competition.  She also placed third in the weight throw with a mark of 55’ 5 1/2”.

NSIC Women’s Track Athlete of the Week:
Alissa Mears
Jr., West Fargo, N.D.
MSU Moorhead

Mears had a strong season debut in the 800m run at the Dakota Duals in Fargo, N.D. She ran an NCAA provisional qualifying and personal best time of 2:13.79 in the 800 meters to finish as the top division II athlete in the race.  Her time is the fastest run in NCAA Division II so far this season.  


NSIC Team Notes
Augustana
Women’s Track: In the 600-meter dash, Kayla Mescher posted a new school record (1:32.89) to claim first-place at the SDSU Preseason Open, after beating her record set in 2013 of 1:35.42
Women’s Field: On Friday at the SDSU Preseason Open, Bree Woelber, a transfer from Iowa State took second-place in the pentathlon recording a personal-best 3665 points, which is a new school record for Augustana. Woelber also provisionally qualifies in the pentathlon.
Men’s Track: In the 600-meter dash Khor Kong took second-place recording a time of 1:22.47 at the SDSU Preseason Open.

Bemidji State
Nicole Crummy and Jolynne Denman each claimed the top spot in their respective events to lead the Bemidji State University women’s indoor track and field team Saturday at the College of St. Scholastica’s Opener. Bemidji State had eighth individual finishes among the top four including a sweep of the top four spot in the mile run. Crummy bettered her 2013 mark in the 600-meter run by seven seconds, clocking a 1:41.67 to win the event, while Denman turned in a 6:11.10 in the mile run to place first.
Women Track:  Nicole Crummy bettered her 2013 season-best in the 600-meter run by seven seconds, clocking a 1:41.67 to win the event, Saturday at The Opener hosted by the College of St. Scholastica. Her time currently places her fifth in the NSIC.
Women’s Field: Ciara Brewster took third place in The Opener’s shot put event logging a career-best distance of 39-feet, 9-inches. Brewster currently ranks 15th in the NSIC.
The Bemidji State indoor track team continues its 2015 season Jan. 16 and 17 when the team hosts the BSU Multi and Super 8 at the Gillett Recreation/Fitness Center.

Concordia-St. Paul
Women’s Field: Esther Jandrich (Pole Vault, 5’6”, Sr., Forest Lake, Minn. / HS) cleared 11’11.25” in the pole vault at the Chuck Petersen Open hitting an NCAA provision qualifying mark.
Men’s Field: Josh Johanson (Jumps, 6-1, Fr., East Chain, Minn / G-H-EC HS) made his collegiate debut with a second place finish in the high jump at Peterson Open.  He cleared 6’6.75” and was eliminated at a height that would have matched a school record.  He also ran the 4x400m relay.

University of Mary
Men’s Field: Brontee Liggins (Jumps, R-Fr., Bismarck, N.D. / Bismarck) captured the triple jump at the Dakota Duals in the 2014-15 indoor track & field season opener. The redshirt freshman travelled 13.93 meters to win the event. It was his first collegiate meet. The mark is currently third in the Northern Sun.
Men’s Track: Jay Cooper (Sprints/Hurdles, Soph., Rapid City, S.D.) had a solid opening weekend for the Marauders at the Dakota Duals. The sophomore placed third in the 60 meter hurdles with a time of 8.48 seconds and was seventh in the 200 meter dash (23.44 seconds). He ranks third in the NSIC in the 60 hurdles and 12th in the 200.
Women’s Field: Danylle Kurywchak (Jumps, Jr., Cameron Park, Calif.) opened the 2014-15 indoor track & field season in tremendous form, posting one NCAA provisional qualifying mark and just missing a second. The junior sailed 11.99 meters in the triple jump at the Dakota Duals to win the event. This is currently the second best mark in the nation. Kurywchak then posted a distance of 5.54 meters to place second in the long jump. She missed the provisional standard by .03 meters.
Women’s Track: Kathryn Stewart (Sprints, Sr., Kingston, Jamaica) was outstanding in her first meet of the 2014-15 indoor track & field season at the Dakota Duals. The six-time All-American posted NCAA Division II provisional qualifying marks in both the 60 meter and 200 meter dash while winning both events. Stewart posted a time of 7.71 seconds in the 60 and 24.43 (converted) in the 200. She is second in the nation in the 200 and 10th in the 60.
 
Minnesota Duluth
The University of Minnesota Duluth didn’t need to travel far to open its 2014-15 Indoor season at The Opener, hosted by the College of St. Scholastica.
Men’s Track: The Bulldogs went 1-2-3 to open the day in the 300 meter run with Connor Behm (36.13) taking first place and establishing a new UMD record in the race, followed closely by Phil d’Entremont (36.23), and Frank Deluca (36.38). Each surpassed the previous fieldhouse record, set in 2011 by UMD’s Daniel Badhwa (‘14). The winning continued in the 600-meter as Garrett Benz (1:24.01) edged out a first-place finish.
Men’s Field:  Jason Lilja claimed victory in the high jump (1.93m) and Nick Krouse in the triple jump (13.37m). In the shot put, Devin Sowers tossed 15.18 meters to edge out a hurler from the University of Wisconsin-Superior.
The Bulldog men will now be off until Jan. 10 when they head to Minneapolis for the Northwest Open hosted by the University of Minnesota.
Women’s Track: Maddison Sachs (3:06.28) picked up the Bulldogs’ first victory of the meet in the 1,000 meter run as UMD went 1-2-3 with Samantha Ekman (3:14.96) and Katerin Ocariz (3:17.75) behind her. Ford, Ekman, Sachs, and Avery Potthoff finished second in the 4x400-meter relay (4:19.42, -2.43).
Women’s Field:  Rachelle LeBlanc (3.20m) picked up a victory in the pole vault, while Chanel Miller (5.19m) won the long jump. Jennifer Hitchcock (16.10m) and Katherine Avers (15.87m) finished one-two in the weight throw.
The Bulldog women will be back in a week at the Northern Michigan University open on Sunday, Dec. 14 in Marquette, Michigan.

Minnesota State
The 15th-rated Mavericks hosted the Chuck Petersen Open on Saturday as they opened the new season.  Kyran Stewart and Richard Wilhite finished first and third in the 60-meter dash with times of 6.83 and 6.96 respectively.  Stewart also won the 200-meters running 21.82, which meets the provisional qualifying standard.  Javontee Brice and Justin McMurtry went one and two in the 400-meters with Brice setting the tone with a time of 51.24.  Michael Sandle and Khalil Jor’dan won the top spots in the triple jump as both met provisional qualifying standards with marks of 49’11.25” and 48’5.5”, respectively.
Men’s Track:  Myles Hunter (So., Conyers Ga.) broke the 2004 MSU school record in the 60m hurdles on Saturday at the Chuck Petersen Open setting the new mark at 7.76.  In that effort, Hunter has already met the NCAA automatic qualifying standard to participate in the national championships.  That mark is not only the best time in the NSIC, but also across all divisions nationally.
Men’s Field: Michael Sandle (So., Eden Prairie, Minn.) won the triple jump event at the Chuck Petersen Open on Saturday with a mark of 49’11.25”.  Sandle has already met the provisional qualifying standard for the Division II Indoor Championship after that effort.
Women Track: Sid’Reshia Floyd (Sr., New Hope, Minn.) won the 60-meter dash event at the Chuck Petersen Open in Mankato this past weekend.  Floyd led the pack of Mavericks across the top with a time of 7.84.  She currently sits in second among NSIC ranks.
Women Field: Brieanna Puckett (So., Brooklyn Park, Minn.) finished the long jump event in first place on Saturday with a mark of 18’9.75”.  With that effort, Puckett has met the provisional qualifying standard required for the national meet.
Zevin Carter and Jenni Vanttinen took home the top two spots in the 60-meter hurdles with time of 8.88 and 8.97, respectively.   Taylor Glover, Taylor Naatz and Stacy Smidt swept the 400-meters.  Senior Amanda Stangler kept the successful day rolling en route to winning the high jump.

MSU Moorhead
Women’s Track: Alissa Mears (Jr., Distance, West Fargo, N.D./West Fargo HS) had a strong season debut in the 800m at the Dakota Duals in Fargo, N.D., on Friday. She ran an NCAA provisional qualifying and personal best time of 2:13.79 to take second in the 800 meters, just .21 seconds behind NDSU’s Amy Adrushko.
Men’s Track:  Jonathan Demus (Sr., Sprints, San Diego, Calif./Horizon HS) won the 60-meter dash at 7.09 at the Dakota Duals on Friday in Fargo, N.D. He missed a personal-best by .13 seconds in event as he also placed third in the 200m at 22.88.
Men’s Field: Brian Huber (RFr., Jumps, Staples, Minn./Staples-Motley HS) won the long jump at the Dakota Duals Classic on Friday in Fargo, N.D.
with a  jump of 23-4. He also finished third in the high jump at 6-4 1/4.

Minot State
The Northern State men’s and women’s track and field squads opened the indoor season Saturday at the SDSU Open in Brookings. The Northern women recorded 13 top-10 finishes on the day while the NSU men registered seven.

Northern State
NSU competes for the first time this season at the NSU Open on Jan. 18 in Aberdeen, S.D.  
Men’s Track:  Andrew Johnson claimed a pair of top-five finishes Saturday as he took fourth in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.04 and placed fifth in the 300 dash with a time of 35.53. Brandon Krein also had a top-five finish at the meet as he took fourth in the 800, running a time of 1:59.89.
Men’s Field: Jake Olson took eighth in the discus with a throw of 128’-6” and Scott Finkelstein took ninth in the pole vault with a vault of 12’-7.5”. Lucas Osowski had a pair of top-10 finishes for the Wolves as an unattached athlete on Saturday. Osowski took eighth in the weight throw with a throw of 51’-5.75” and ninth in the shot with a heave of 45’-3”.
Women’s Track: Makenzie Hageman earned a pair of top-10 finishes for the Wolves in the track events at the meet. Hageman placed sixth in the 60-meter dash running a time of 7.92. Hageman took eighth in the 300 dash with a time of 42.33 Elizabeth Raecke placed 10th in the 300 as well with a time of 42.97.
Women’s Field: Gena Burley and Mariah Nelson each had the highest finish on the day for the Wolves women as each placed second in their events. Burley took second in the high jump with a leap of 5’-4.25” while Nelson placed second in the discus with a throw of 138’. Nelson also placed fourth in the shot put with a throw of 43’-4.5”. Breann Jackson also had a top-10 finish in the shot as she took eighth with a toss of 40’-2”. Jackson also placed seventh in the weight throw with a toss of 52’-1.25”.
Northern returns to action on Jan. 17 for the NSU Open. The open will be the Wolves’ lone indoor home meet of the season.

Southwest Minnesota State
The SMSU indoor track & field teams open the 2015 season at the Minnesota State Alumni Open on Jan. 10.

Sioux Falls
Sioux Falls opened the indoor track and field season on Friday and Saturday and registered six provisional qualifying marks by five athletes. Katlyn Sawtelle opened the season with a victory in the women’s pentathlon at the SDSU Invite on Friday with the top mark in Division II this season. Jordon Bents won both the men’s shot put and weight throw in decisive fashion, reaching provisional marks in each event at the Chuck Petersen Open on Saturday. Sioux Falls swept the men’s and women’s pole vault events at the MSU meet with Scott Greenman and Courtney Crandall each recording victories with provisional qualifying heights. Sophia Harano also reached a provisional mark in the women’s pole vault, tying her teammate, but losing out on misses.
Women’s Field: Katlyn Satelle (Multi-Events, Sr., Luverne, Minn./Luverne HS) won the women’s indoor pentathlon at the South Dakota State University Dual with a personal record and the top qualifying mark in Division II this season.  She placed in the top three in all five events, recording personal-bests in four of those events.  She totaled personal-best 3,733 points in event after winning the shot put (37-2.25) and high jump (5-4.5) with new personal bests.  She also placed second in 60-meter hurdles (8.99), second in long jump (17-10.25), and third in the 800-meter run (2:26.43).
Men’s Track: Taylor Wensmann (Mid-Distance, So., Aberdeen, S.D./Aberdeen Central HS) placed fourth in the men’s 800-meter run and 4x400-meter relay at the Chuck PetersenOpen in Mankato, Minn. He recorded a time of 2:00.86 in the 800-meter run and registered a 3:35.86 in the men’s 4x400-meter relay that placed fourth
Men’s Field: Jordon Bents (Throws, Sr., Worthington, Minn./Worthington HS) won both shot put and weight throw events at Chuck PetersenOpen in Mankato, Minn. He recorded provisional qualifying marks in both events and won by over 1.5 meters in the shot put with a 16.09-meter (52-9.50) throw.  He also took first in the weight throw with a personal-best 18.07-meter (59-3.50) toss.  The shot put mark ranks seventh and weight throw mark ranks 10th in Division II this season.

St. Cloud State
Men’s Track: JoVonte Suber (Jr., St. Louis, Mo. / Parkway North HS) led the Huskies at the South Dakota State Open on Dec. 6, with a first place finish in the 400 meter dash.  He posted a time of 48.64 in the race, which was a personal best for Suber and also hit the national provisional qualifying time for the upcoming NCAA Division II indoor championships.   Of note, Suber bested a field that included five NCAA Division I athletes in the top six of the race.
Rashad Harris placed third for the Huskies in the mile run at 4:29.15 and Tom Bates placed fifth in the 300 meter hurdles with a time of 41.30.  SCSU’s 4x400 relay squad of Welk, Suber, Vernon and Bates placed fourth with a time of 3:25.01, while Jordan Yira placed ninth in the long jump at 6.23m.  In the shot put, SCSU’s Ryan Johnson added a third place finish at 15.21m for the Huskies and he also placed fourth in the weight throw at 16.98m.
Women’s Track: Jasmine Grant (So., Surrey, B.C. / Lord Tweedsmuir HS) placed sixth in the 400 meter dash at the 2014 South Dakota State Open on Dec. 6.  The SCSU sophomore posted a time of 59.35 in the race for the Huskies.  The top 10 finishers in the race included six NCAA Division I athletes.
Women’s Field: SCSU’s Laure Olson captured third place in the indoor pentathlon with a final point total of 3097, and teammate Natalie Gottschalk placed sixth with 3007 points.  SCSU’s Patience Yalartai also placed 11th in the event with 2695 points for the Huskies. .
SCSU will continue its indoor season on Jan. 10, 2015 with a trip to the Northwest Open at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

Wayne State
Men’s Track:  Zach Thomsen (Sr., Wayne, Neb.) raced to a personal best time of 2:34.77, which was just over a five second improvement from his previous personal best time of 2:39.94, to win the 1000 meter run at the Minnesota State -Chuck Petersen Open.  He also ran the lead-off leg on the 4 x 400 meter relay team which placed second.
Men’s Field: Bryan Dunn (Jr., Coleridge, Neb.) earned a second place finish in the men’s 35 pound weight throw at the Minnesota State Chuck Petersen Open with a throw of 53’ 7 3/4”, which was just over a foot better than what he started the season at last year.
Women’s Track: Megan Svitak  (Sr., Howells, Neb.) sped to a personal best time of 9.28 seconds in the 60 meter hurdles in the prelims and then recorded a 9.34 time in the finals, which was good for 6th place at the Minnesota State - Chuck Petersen Open.  She also jumped 16’ 4 1/2 “ in the long jump to place 8th.
Women’s Field: Sara Wells (Sr., Albion, Neb.) opened her season with a bang at the MSU Chuck Petersen Open winning the shot put with an NCAA Automatic Qualifying Mark of 51’ 9 1/4”, which is also a new WSC school record, breaking her old mark set last year of 50’ 2 1/2”.  Her mark is currently the best mark in NCAA DII so far in the first week of indoor competition.  She also placed third in the weight throw with a mark of 55’ 5 1/2”.

Winona State
Women’s Track:  Catherine Whitcomb (Sr., Shakopee, Minn.) won the 200 meters in a time of 25.95 and anchored the winning 4x400 meter relay to a time of 3:56.96 in the Chuck Petersen Open at Minnesota State.
Women’s Field: Alissa Rausch (Sr., Merrill, Wis.) placed 2nd in both the Shot Put (13.73m, 45’ ½”) and weight throw (17.15m 56’ 3 ¼”) in the Chuck Petersen Open at Minnesota State.  Both were NCAA II Provisional Qualifying throws.