May 26, 2012
Contact:
Steve Marovich, Sports Information Director (262) 551-5740
E-Mail: stevemarovich@tds.net or carthagesid@carthage.edu
Carthage Web Page: http://athletics.carthage.edu/index.aspx
Carthage 24-Hour Sports Hotline (262) 551-5388
Sarah Thompson Finishes Seventh at NCAA Outdoor Heptathlon;
Patti Laufenberg Misses Out on 400-Meter Dash Finals
2012 NCAA Outdoor Championship: The Carthage College women's track and field team had two qualifiers for the Thursday-Saturday, May 24-26 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championship at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps College's Burns Stadium in Claremont, Calif. Sarah Thompson (Sr., Byron, Ill.) finished seventh in the heptathlon (4,698 points) and broke Kim Deaton's 1999 Carthage record of 4,696 points by two points. Thompson, who earned U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-America honors with the seventh-place finish, finished 19th in the event last year in Delaware, Ohio. Patti Laufenberg (So., Waunakee, Wis.) qualified in the 400-meter dash but did not reach the finals. She finished 15th in the preliminaries, with only the top-nine moving on to the final round. The Lady Reds tied for 68th place in the 80-team championship.
2012 CCIW Outdoor Championship: Carthage (29-20 outdoor record) finished third at the Friday-Saturday, May 4-5 for the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Outdoor Track and Field Championship at Illinois Wesleyan University's Tucci Stadium in Bloomington, Ill. Illinois Wesleyan University won its third CCIW title and its third in the last four years with 204 points, followed by North Central College second at 185, Carthage third at 113, Wheaton College (Ill.) fourth at 106, Millikin University fifth at 100, Augustana College (Ill.) sixth at 81, Elmhurst College seventh at 16 and North Park University eighth with 13 points.
2012 CCIW Indoor Championship: Carthage finished third at the Friday-Saturday, Feb. 24-25 CCIW Indoor Track and Field Championship at North Central College’s Al B. Carious Track in Naperville, Ill. Illinois Wesleyan University won its fourth indoor championship with 163 points, two points ahead of second-place North Central (Ill.) at 161. Carthage was third at 105.50, followed by Millikin University fourth at 96.50, Wheaton College (Ill.) fifth at 72, Augustana College (Ill.) sixth at 54, Elmhurst College seventh with seven points and North Park University eighth with three points.
New Qualification System for the 2012 NCAA Track and Field Championships: Beginning with the 2012 indoor season, the NCAA is changing its long-standing method of selecting participants to the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championship and the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championship. Instead of using both automatic and provisional qualification standards, both championships will use its national rankings in each individual event to select automatic qualifiers. For the 2012 indoor championship, the top-15 women in each event and the top-10 relay teams will qualify, with the top-22 women and the top-16 relays qualifying for the outdoor championship.
The Coach: Stephanie Ulicny is in her ninth year as head coach in 2012 (484-126-2 indoor record, 9 years/342-108-1 outdoor record, 9 years) after serving three years as associate head coach and three years as an assistant.
The Outdoor Poll: Wartburg College was ranked first in the May 9 U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches of America NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field poll, followed by Wisconsin-Oshkosh second, Washington University (Mo.) third, Methodist College fourth, Wisconsin-La Crosse fifth, Middlebury College sixth, CCIW-member Illinois Wesleyan University seventh, Wisconsin-Eau Claire eighth, Williams College ninth and McMurry University ranked 10th. Wisconsin-Oshkosh was ranked first in the May 9 USTFCCCA Midwest Regional poll, followed by Wisconsin-La Crosse second, Washington (Mo.) third, Wisconsin-Eau Claire fourth, Illinois Wesleyan fifth, Monmouth College sixth, Wisconsin-River Falls seventh, CCIW-member North Central College eighth, Wisconsin-Whitewater ninth and Wisconsin-Stevens Point ranked 10th.
The Indoor Poll: Wartburg College was ranked first in the final, regular-season U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches of America NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field poll, followed by Wisconsin-Oshkosh second, CCIW-member Illinois Wesleyan University third, Methodist College fourth, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology fifth, Washington University (Mo.) sixth, Ramapo College seventh, Buffalo State College eighth, Illinois College ninth and Williams College ranked 10th. Wisconsin-Oshkosh was ranked first in the final, regular-season USTFCCA Midwest Region poll, followed by Washington (Mo.) second, CCIW-member Illinois Wesleyan third, Wisconsin-Eau Claire fourth, Wisconsin-La Crosse fifth, conference-member North Central College sixth, Monmouth College seventh, Wisconsin-Whitewater eighth, Wisconsin-Stevens Point ninth and Illinois College ranked 10th.
The Conference: Now in its 66th year as of 2011-12, the CCIW began sponsorship of women's outdoor track and field as a championship sport in the 1986-87 school year. Augustana (Ill.) has won 11 times, and North Central College has won seven league titles. Carthage has won three-straight titles from 2003 to 2005. Illinois Wesleyan has won three championships and Wheaton College (Ill.) one. Carthage has won five indoor titles, winning the league's inaugural indoor championship in 2001 and repeating from 2002 to 2005. Illinois Wesleyan University has won three times, all in a row from 2008 to 2010. North Central (Ill.) has also won three indoor titles, taking first place in 2006, 2007 and 2011.
CCIW Athletes of the Week: Illinois Wesleyan University's 4x400-meter relay team and Millikin University thrower Leann Spesard (Jr., Paris, Ill.) were named CCIW “Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Athletes of the Week” on May 1. The Titan relay team of Jessica Christy (Springfield, Ill./Sacred Heart Griffin), Lauren Alpert (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South), Tara Clemens (Bloomington, Ill.) and Lauren Rock (Madison, Wis./Madison Memorial) placed fourth at the April 28-29 Drake Relays with a time of 3:45.75, which is currently second in the nation. Spesard won the shot put at the rain-shortened Illinois College "True Blue Open" on April 28 with a school-record throw of 14.25 meters, which currently ranks first in both the CCIW and in the nation.
2012 CCIW Indoor Championship Notes: Carthage’s Sarah Thompson (Sr., Byron, Ill.), who was named the meet’s “most valuable field athlete,” won the pentathlon (3,346 points) while finishing second in the high jump (5-2 ½) and third in the 60-meter high hurdles (9.41). Kristin LeClair (So., Manitowoc, Wis./Lutheran) finished second in the long jump (17-3 ¼), as did Samantha Nelson (So., Oshkosh, Wis./West) in the 60-meter high hurdles (9.39). Morgan Wiechmann (Sr., Sleepy Hollow, Ill./Carpentersville—Dundee Crown) was third in the 3,000-meter run (10:33.01). Courtney Conrad (Jr., Lake in the Hills, Ill./Crystal Lake-South) was fourth in the pentathlon (2,952 points), as was Cindy Cavanagh (Sr., Naperville, Ill./Aurora-Waubonsie Valley) in the shot put (40-4 ¼). Joslyn Drew (Sr., Aurora, Ill./Waubonsie Valley) finished fifth in both in the long jump (16-7 ¾) and the triple jump (35-10). Katie Kummerer (So., Willowbrook, Ill./Hinsdale-Central) was fifth in the both the mile run (5:07.91) and the 3,000-meter run (10:36.89). Molly Chlum (Sr., Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew) took fifth place in the 60-meter dash (8.01).
2012 Wisconsin Private College Championship Notes: Carthage's Cindy Cavanagh (Sr., Naperville, Ill./Aurora-Waubonsie Valley) won the shot put (40-11 ¾) and finished second in the javelin (106-8). Kendra Koeppen (Jr., Mason City, Ill./Illini Central) finished second in the hammer throw (148-8) and third in the discus (116-8). Becca McMullin (Fr., Round Lake, Ill./Fox Lake-Grant Community) was fourth in the discus (115-3), the shot put (37-8 ¾) and the hammer throw (134-6). Mary Doupis (Fr., Lindenhurst, Ill./Lake Villa-Lakes Community) was fourth in the javelin (89-4).
2012 CCIW Outdoor Championship Notes: Carthage's Sarah Thompson (Sr., Byron, Ill.) was named the "field athlete of the meet" for taking first place in the heptathlon (4,428 points), second place in the long jump (17-4 ¼) and third in the high jump (5-1 ¼). Samantha Nelson (So., Oshkosh, Wis./West) was second in the 100-meter hurdles (15.45). Patti Laufenberg (So., Waunakee, Wis.) was third in the 400-meter dash (56.91), as was Kristin LeClair (So., Manitowoc, Wis./Lutheran) in the long jump (17-0 ¾), Kendra Koeppen (Jr., Mason City, Ill./Illini Central) in the hammer throw (147-3) and Cindy Cavanagh (Sr., Naperville, Ill./Aurora-Waubonsie Valley) in the shot put (42-6).