March 2, 2008

Men's Heptathlon: Raven Cepeda (UNI)
On becoming the first athlete to win the heptathlon all four years:
"It's a great honor to win the heptathlon all four years, but more importantly to continue the great multi-tradition at UNI."

On his performance:
"I felt I did alright today, but I was just using this meet as a tune-up for the national meet. I basically just tried to do enough to get the victory to get the team points, which is what is most important right now"

Women's 800 meter run: Leander Ernest (Missouri State)
On winning her first 800 indoor title:
"My goal was to come out here and just win. I just wanted to go out and feel comfortable and set the pace."

Men's 800 meter run: Tyler Mulder (UNI)
On winning the indoor 800 after finishing runner-up last year:
"It feels good to win the title after finishing runner-up last year. In last year's race it was a close and I knew I was going to get pushed. This year I didn't think anyone wanted to set the pace so I wanted to go out really hard. I really wanted to break 1:50 and I'm glad I was able to do that."

Women's 60 meter and 200 meter champ: Devon Williams (Illinois State)
On winning both the 60 and 200 meter titles:
"It feels good to defend my titles as a senior and to go out on top. I was really happy with my personal best in the 200 and to win the 60 meter title for the third time in my career."

Men's 400 meter dash: Sammy Biggs (Southern Illinois)
On winning the 400 after not running for two weeks:
"This is the best time I have ever run and I'm extremely excited to get the win. I thought I could win this race, but I really didn't know what to expect coming off an injury. My goal was just to come out and help my team get points."

Men's 200 meter dash: Brandon Deloney (Southern Illinois)
On how he felt about the race:
"I felt I should be the favorite for this race, but I was really nervous because I saw what UNI's Terrance Reid ran yesterday in the prelims. I felt I had a really good finish and was able to out-kick Reid at the end."

Women's Shot Put: Rachel Jansen (UNI)
On winning her third shot put indoor title in a row, a first for an MVC athlete:
"I was actually pretty disappointed in my throws today because I really wanted to break the MVC record, but I can't be too bummed because I was able to still win and get my team points.

Men's 60 meter hurdles: Jarrel Anderson (UNI)
On his goal for the race:
"I was just trying to qualify for the national meet. I was happy to get the win, but I am thinking about the bigger picture of becoming an All-American."

On how he felt the race went:
"My block start felt great, but I want to be quicker coming off the hurdles."

Men's High Jump: Julian Morris (UNI)
On jumping a personal best to win the title:
"It was a relief to win today because at the last meet I jumped 7-2 and that didn't count. I've just been hungry all week."

On nationals and next season:
"I'm a very competitive individual, so I hope to do even better. I'm never satisfied and always want to do my best."

Women's 3,000: Traci Hawley (UNI)
On winning the race for her first Valley championship:
"Every since I was a freshman I never imagined winning any MVC titles. It's a great way to close the indoor season and head into outdoor."

On her race strategy:
"I thought the race would go slow, and it did. I wanted to sit behind the girls in front and wait until after the first mile to make my move. I knew girls were tired from the mile, so I wanted to run to win."

Men's 3,000: Jeff Schirmer (Southern Illinois)
On winning both titles:
"It felt really good, especially since I wanted to win both. But, it would have been more exciting if we had won the meet."

On going into this race:
"After winning yesterday, it was definitely a momentum swing. I just rested as much as I could."

On his team:
"I think our team did a great job. We were leading at the end of the first day, and we kept fighting, but it just wasn't enough."

Pole Vault: Kylie Hutson (Indiana State)
On winning her second MVC indoor vault title:
"It feels great to win for the team, especially since we scored 22 points in this event. I've been having trouble with my hamstring, so it's too bad to be able to clear 15 feet."

On next season:
"I want to just keep repeating as MVC champion."

High Jump: Crystal Hanson (UNI)
On winning her second indoor title:
"I'm really excited because I've worked so hard. It's really rewarding."

On just missing the MVC meet record:
"I've attempted it a few times and keep barely missing it. I'm just looking at getting my personal best and provisional time at the last chance meet next weekend."

Women 4x400 Relay: Samantha McClendon (Indiana State)
On their race strategy:
"We were very motivated to win and went out aggressive."

On feelings of anchor leg:
"Once Erica got the baton, we knew we had it."

Women's 4x400 Relay: Erica Moore (Indiana State)
On how she wanted to run her leg:
"I just wanted to run behind and play it smart, especially since Lauren had finished second to me in the 400."

Men's 4x400 Relay: Tyler Mulder (UNI's anchor leg)
On just missing the MVC meet record:
"I got a bad hand-off, otherwise I think we would have set the MVC meet record. We'll get it next year."

On heading into nationals:
"We're going to try and get our time down next week. We really want to be in the fast heat at nationals with Baylor and all the other top schools."

Women's 400: Erica Moore (Indiana State)
On winning the title:
"Physically, I didn't think I did too great, but I'm happy to win and get points. I think my time could have been better."

Men's Triple Jump: Alex Straughn (Illinois State)
On his performance:
"I was pleased and consistent with my performance. I'm glad I hit my pr for the season, but could have probably eclipsed it if I wouldn't have collapsed in the last phase of my final jump.

On how he felt before the finals:
"I always get nervous before I jump. I just don't want to let anyone down."

Men's and Women's Coach of the Year: Chris Bucknam (UNI)
On sweeping the men's and women's titles for the first time since 2002:
"There's nothing better than having two teams win at the same time. They're such a tight-knit group, so it's great when they can celebrate together."

On taking coach of the year honors:
"It's very satisfying for our coaching staff to win. It's a reflection of our whole coaching staff. I couldn't do it by myself."

On what this weekend's performances mean for the rest of the season:
"The meet was loaded with individual talent, and there were so many outstanding performances these past two days. This gives us a lot of momentum going into the national meet. It's a great team victory."

On practice:
"We're going to continue to train and sharpen ourselves to do well at nationals."