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Panthers Head South To Open Outdoor Slate
April 4, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format
THIS WEEK IN PANTHER TRACK & FIELD
April 5 ESU Relays The OUT OF THE BLOCKS • A total of 10 teams will take part in the ESU Relays this weekend, including the Panthers' Missouri Valley Conference rival, • The meet will be the first outdoor competition for most of UNI's athletes, as only the Panther throwers competed in the Missouri Relays last weekend. For athletes who did not compete in last-chance meets the weekend of March 7-8 or in the NCAA Indoor Championships the week of March 14-15, this weekend will serve as their first on-track competition in more than a month. Many on the Panthers' roster have not competed since the State Farm MVC Indoor Championships (March 1-2). • UNI's men, fresh off a ninth-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships, enter the weekend ranked No. 15 nationally, according to the preseason outdoor rankings released by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. • Senior Rachel Jansen is already off to a strong start to the outdoor season, having posted NCAA Midwest Regional qualifying marks in three events last weekend at the Missouri Relays. Jansen, who has earned MVC Women's Field Athlete of the Week honors for her weekend performance, set a Missouri Relays record in the shot put with a throw of 54 feet, 2 1/2 inches and also posted qualifying marks in the hammer throw and discus. • This weekend's meet also will mark the first competition of the 2008 season for senior Kara Yahn, who returns to the track for the Panthers for the first time since last year's outdoor campaign. Yahn, who exhausted her indoor eligibility in 2007, competed unattached during the 2008 indoor season and set a school record in the women's 60-meter hurdles in the process, at 8.59 seconds. • UNI will look to carry the momentum of another outstanding indoor season into the outdoor campaign. The Panthers saw their men's team finish ninth for the second-consecutive year at the NCAA Indoor Championships, matching the highest-ever finish by an MVC school, crowned their third-ever individual NCAA Division I champion with Tyler Mulder's win in the men's 800 meters and added four more All-America citations to their list of national honorees. • With Tyler Mulder, Ehi Oamen, Mat Clark and Raven Cepeda each earning All-America status at the NCAA Indoor Championships, the Panthers have now earned a total of 58 All-America honors since the beginning of the 2000 season. That total ranks as the highest among Missouri Valley Conference schools, with Southern Illinois' total of 16 and the 14 earned by INDOOR SEASON NOTES ON THE SHORT LIST In winning the men's 800 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships, junior Tyler Mulder placed himself in some elite company. In addition to becoming the third UNI athlete to claim an NCAA Division I national title, Mulder also became just the fifth athlete from a Missouri Valley Conference institution to earn an indoor national crown. The last to do so were UNI's Jacob Pauli in the pole vault and HIGHER AND HIGHER Sophomore Ehi Oamen's third-place performance at the NCAA Indoor Championships made the Hinton, REPEAT THE FEAT The UNI men earned a ninth-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships for the second-consecutive season, matching the highest-ever finish by a Missouri Valley Conference team. The Panthers scored 18 points as a team, finishing just one marker behind MULTI-EVENT U? With the addition of sophomore Dani Stipe to its list of NCAA Indoor Championships qualifiers, UNI is the only school in the country to qualify two athletes apiece for each of the multi-event competitions. Senior Raven Cepeda and junior Mat Clark each earned All-America honors in the men's heptathlon, while Stipe and freshman Olimpia Nowak both competed in the women's pentathlon. 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 Midwest Region's top men's field athlete in 2007. CLOSE, BUT NO CIGAR Along with its seven qualifiers for the NCAA Indoor Championships, UNI saw several athletes left off the list of participants despite posting provisional qualifying marks this season. Rachel Jansen in the women's weight throw and sophomore Dani Stipe in the women's pentathlon each were not selected despite provisional marks 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 the first UNI athlete to earn six All-America citations. 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 (March 8). 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 (March 8). 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 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 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 HE'S GOING TO NEED A BIGGER 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 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 THREE'S COMPANY Senior Terrance Reid earned State Farm 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 has 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 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 ( 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.
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