Wartburg Women Win NCAA Indoor Track & Field Title; IIAC Earns 23 All-America Honors

GRINNELL, Iowa --- The Wartburg College women's program won four individual national titles and had 15 of 16 championship entries score points and earn all-America honors en route to demolishing the field and winning the title at the 2012 NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships at Grinnell College.

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Final Results
OFFICIAL NCAA Meet Program

The Knights amassed a championship-record 99 points to win their third title in four seasons. Wisconsin-Oshkosh, the 2011 champion, was second with 48 points, while Washington University in St. Louis took third with 30 points. The Coe women tied for 13th place with 11 points and Central College tied for 32nd place with 5 points.

On the men's side, Wartburg tied for 14th place with 14 points and Central and Dubuque tied for 57th place with 1 point apiece.

The Knights powered their way to the title by capturing multiple all-America honors in five events --- the 60-meter dash, 60 hurdles, 400, 5000 and shot put.

Freshman Briana Bivins placed third in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.64 seconds. Teammate Faith Burt was fifth in 7.68. Burt earned her fourth all-America honor in the short sprint. Prior to this season, however, the distance was NCAA-standard distance was 55 meters.

The Knights scored three in the quarter-mile, led by Nevada Morrison's championship-winning time of 55.80. Skye Morrison was third in 56.70 while Kendra Kregel took seventh in 57.58. It was the third all-America honor in the 400 for Morrison, who took fourth in 2009 and third in 2011. In the 60 hurdles, Camesha Goods finished second (8.61) followed by Tashina McAllister in sixth (8.85). It was Goods' second straight sprint hurdle all-America honor. Like Burt, Goods' honor last year came at the 55-meter distance.

Skye Morrison, who won her second long jump title in three years Friday night, returned Saturday to take fourth in the triple jump in 40 feet, 2 1/4 inches. She now has three consecutive all-America honors in each of the broad jumps. Sarah Hoffmann and Britlyn Sieck finished second and sixth, respectively, in the shot put. Hoffmann and Salisbury's Chelsea Tavik both recorded throws of 46-10 3/4, but Tavik was awarded the title based on having a better No. 2 throw (14.24m vs. 13.93m). Sieck recorded a throw of 45-9. It ws Hoffmann's third all-America honor overall and second in a row.

Wartburg maxed out its point potential in the championship's final two events, as Laura Sigmund (17:01.82) and Alana Enabnit (17:12.98) went 1-2 in the 5,000 and the team of Skye Morrison, Burt, Kregel and Nevada Morrison won the 4x400 relay in 3:45.66. It was Wartburg's fourth consecutive title and 11th straight all-America honor in the 4x400 relay. Nevada Morrison was a member of all four championship-winning relays, Burt ran on the 2010, 2011 and 2012 relays, Kregel competed on the 2011 and 2012 relays and Skye Morrison was a member of the squad for the first time.

Coe also picked up a pair of all-America honors Saturday. Defending NCAA 800-meter champion Keelie Finnel led the 800 heading into the final turn but was edged at the line by Christy Cazzola of Wisconsin-Oshkosh by three one-thousandths of a second. Cazzola was clocked in 2:13.40, Finnel in 2:13.43. Finnel also paced Coe's 4x400 relay to a sixth-place finish (3:53.79). Sara Heizer, Kelli Springer and Stefani Wright made up the first three legs of the Kohawk relay. It was the second consecutive all-America honor for both Kohawk events.

Wartburg's Jonas Elsume, who won the high jump title Friday, added all-America honors in the high jump Saturday with a leap of 6-8 3/4. Elusme earned all-America honors in both events last season. Dubuque's Davivorn Dowe took eighth in the 60 dash with a time of 6.94, and Luther's Dalen Dirth and Central's Eric Larson finished fifth and eighth, respectively, in the heptathlon. Dirth scored 4,829 points, Larson 4,749. Dowe was also an all-American in 2010 in the 55 dash.

Event Athlete School NCAA Championship Mark
60-Meter Dash Davivorn Dowe Dubuque 6.94 (8th, All-American)
400-Meter Dash Kyle Wood Central 49.62 (4th in heat; DNQ for final)
High Jump Jonas Elusme Wartburg 2.05 meters / 6-8 3/4 (5th, All-American)
Long Jump Jonas Elusme Wartburg 7.28 meters / 23-10 3/4 (National Champion)
Heptathlon Eric Larson Central 4,749 pts. (8th, All-American)
Heptathlon Dalen Dirth Luther 4,829 pts. (5th, All-American)
       
Event Athlete School NCAA Championship Mark
60-Meter Dash Faith Burt Wartburg 7.68 (5th, All-American)
60-Meter Dash Briana Bivins Wartburg 7.64 (3rd, All-American)
400-Meter Dash Nevada Morrison Wartburg 55.80 (National Champion)
400-Meter Dash Skye Morrison Wartburg 56.70 (3rd, All-American)
400-Meter Dash Kendra Kregel Wartburg 57.58 (7th, All-American)
800-Meter Run Keelie Finnel Coe 2:13.43 (2nd, All-American)
5,000-Meter Run Laura Sigmund Wartburg 17:01.82 (National Champion)
5,000-Meter Run Alana Enabnit Wartburg 17:12.98 (2nd, All-American)
60-Meter Hurdles Camesha Goods Wartburg 8.61 (2nd, All-American)
60-Meter Hurdles Tashina McAllister Wartburg 8.85 (6th, All-American)
4x400-Meter Relay Skye Morrison
Faith Burt
Kendra Kregel
Nevada Morrison
Wartburg 3:45.66 (National Champion)
4x400-Meter Relay Sara Heizer
Stefani Wright
Kelli Springer
Keelie Finnel
Coe 3:53.79 (6th, All-American)
Distance Medley Relay Emily Eimers
Faith Burt
Nevada Morrison
Laura Sigmund
Wartburg 11:49.48 (3rd, All-American)
High Jump Kinsey Bak Simpson 1.60 meters / 5-3 (12th)
Long Jump Skye Morrison Wartburg 6.17 meters / 20-3 (National Champion)
Triple Jump Skye Morrison Wartburg 12.25 meters / 40-2 1/4 (4th, All-American)
Shot Put Britlyn Sieck Wartburg 13.94 meters / 45-9 (6th, All-American)
Shot Put Sarah Hoffmann Wartburg 14.29 meters / 46-10 3/4 (2nd, All-American)
Pentathlon Camesha Goods Wartburg 3,217 points (12th)
Pentathlon Caitlin Wilson Central 3,352 points (4th, All-American)

 

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