2016 MIAC Outdoor Meet Preview

MIAC Championship Meet preview courtesy of Matt Higgins - MIAC Office

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. -- The 2016 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Outdoor Track and Field Championships will be co-hosted by the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University Friday and Saturday at SJU's Clemens Stadium. The University of St. Thomas enters the MIAC meet trying to extend and impressive championship streak, and the rest of the conference hoping to bring that run to an end.

A year ago, the Tommies captured their 11th-straight MIAC Championship, and Head Coach Joe Sweeney's club has won the conference title 31 times in the meet's 34-year history. The last time the league had a different champ, Concordia claimed the title in 2004. The Cobbers also won in 1999, and St. Olaf is the lone other team to win an outdoor title back in 1984.

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Those same three teams occupied the top three spots in the standings a year ago, as St. Thomas won with 148 points, with Concordia solidly in second with 129.5 points. The Oles (107.5) edged cross-town rival Carleton (104) for third place, and Saint Benedict scored 96.5 points to round out an extremely formidable top five. Hamline scored 61 points to edge both Gustavus (57) and Bethel (54) for sixth place. St. Catherine was ninth with 46 and Macalester grabbed the final spot in the top 10 with 32 points, and Saint Mary's (11.5) clipped Augsburg (11) by a half-point at the bottom of the standings.

The returning star power will be almost unmatched at the 2016 Championships, starting with the return of all four of last season's major award winners. St. Catherine's Shakeela Wells-Johnson is back after winning the 100-meter dash and Outstanding Track Athlete honors last season. Carleton's Ruth Steinke also returns to try to win a remarkable fourth-straight MIAC title in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, which was also voted the 2015 Outstanding Performance-of-the-Meet. Fellow Knight Amelia Campbell is the two-time defending Outstanding Field Athlete, and she won her third-straight pentathlon title at last week's MIAC multi-event championship with the nation's top score in 2016. Coach-of-the-Year Marv Roeske also returns after winning last season's honor in recognition of the Cobbers' outstanding performance and second-place finish.

That list doesn't even include Emily Gapinski, the St. Thomas star who is seeking her third-straight MIAC title in the 1,500 and is fresh off Outstanding Track Athlete honors at the 2016 MIAC Indoor Championships, as well as two national titles at the Division III Indoor Championships in March. Hamline star Carolyn Saulsberry is also back with a pair of titles to defend in the 110-meter hurdles and the triple jump. Bethel's Mollie Gillberg returns with an eye on a repeat in the 10,000-meter run, St. Catherine's Alyssa Besch is the MIAC's defending javelin champion, and Saint Benedict's London Stelten hopes to give the home crowd something to cheer about as she aims for a second-straight MIAC pole vault title.

Augsburg has a pair of standout juniors back with Callie Jones leading the Auggies in the sprints and jumps, and Taybri Irving looking to compete for the distance race titles. Beyond Gillberg, Bethel has high hopes in the spring events with junior Jill Krier back to team up with first-year runner AddieKay Johnson.  In addition to Steinke and Campbell, Carleton has senior Reilly Simon back in the sprinting events, and junior Trish Hare eyeing All-MIAC honors or a title in the javelin. Concordia also has a javelin standout in Mikayla Forness, and senior Olivia Johnson - a three-time NCAA participant - gives the Cobbers another outstanding thrower.

Gustavus will be led by a trio of talented seniors - Marit Sonnesyn in the distance events, sprinter Kaitlin Bembenek and Marta Agre in the steeplechase. Hamline's highest hopes rest with Saulsberry, but junior Gabby Koel will lead the Piper throwers, and Gabrielle Brown gives the team another talent in the hurdles. Macalester is excited about the MIAC meet prospects of distance runners Sara Johnathan and Kimber Meyer, and sprinter Hannah Sonsalla also has All-MIAC aspirations in the 200 and 400. The host Blazers will again be led by Stelten in the pole vault, senior Kiley Green in the distance races, and talented junior Allison Kosobud in the middle-distance events.

St. Catherine is poised for continued success in the sprints and hurdles with Wells-Johnson and Brittany Moore both back, and Besch leads a strong group of throwers as well. Saint Mary's hopes pole vaulter Maria Missurelli soars to new heights, and Becca Dup and Madeline Eichers give the Cardinals two other talents in the field. St. Olaf will be led by versatile senior Madison Van Wylen, distance runner Morghen Philippi and sophomore sprinter Abby Stets. The Tommies hopes for another title are bolstered by Gapinski's brilliant senior campaign, as well as fellow middle-distance runners Aimee Junget and Summer Ellefson and versatile field athlete Bailey Cook.

The 2016 MIAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships begin Friday at 2 p.m. The meet will conclude Saturday, with field events beginning 2 p.m. and track to follow at 3 p.m. Saturday's final event begins at 6:30 p.m., and there will be a short awards ceremony following the conclusion of the meet to honor both team champions.

The top three individuals in each event and the first-place relay team will automatically earn All-Conference honors, and the 4th-through-6th place finishers in each open event and 2nd-through-6th place relay teams will all be named All-Conference Honorable Mention.

Admission for the event is $8 for adults and $3 for students per day, with children ages 5 and under admitted free. MIAC passes will be honored. The MIAC would like to thank Saint John's University and the College of Saint Benedict and their coaches and staff for their efforts to host the event.

CONCORDIA
A Year Ago
• 2nd place | 129.50 pts

In the 2015 NCAA Championships
• 19th at 2015 NCAA National Outdoor Meet
• Cherae Reeves won the national championship in the shot put at the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Meet 

Athletes to Watch
• Mikayla Forness (Jr. | Runner-up in the javelin at the 2015 MIAC Outdoor Meet; currently ranked 1st in the MIAC and 6th in the nation in the javelin; finished second in the heptathlon at last week's multi-even competition)
• Olivia Johnson (Sr. |  3-time NCAA Meet participant; currently ranked 9th in the shot put and 17th in the javelin in Division III and first in the MIAC in the shot put)  
• Hannah Lundstrom (So. | Won the 200 and 400 meters at the 2016 MIAC Indoor Meet; currently ranked 1st in the MIAC in the 200 meters and 4th in both the 100 and 400 meters)
• Emma Peterson (Jr. | Set the school record in the high jump; won the high jump at the 2016 MIAC Indoor Meet; currently ranked first in the MIAC in the high jump and tied for 2nd in the nation)
• Ashley Thompson (Sr. | All-MIAC Honorable Mention in the shot put at the 2016 MIAC Indoor Meet; currently ranked 2nd in the MIAC in the discus and 7th in the shot put)

By the Numbers
• 13: The Cobbers have had at least one NCAA Outdoor Track and Field All-American for 13 straight seasons.
• 26: Concordia has placed in the top 6 at the MIAC Outdoor Championship Meet for 26 consecutive years.
• 129.50: The 129.50 points scored by Concordia at the 205 MIAC Outdoor Meet were the most since the 2001 season.

Did You Know?
• Concordia assistant coach Dave Reuter, who helped Cherae Reeves become a two-time national champion last year, is coaching his little sister – Tresa – who is a freshman thrower on this year's team.