March 11, 2006

NORTHFIELD, MINN. . . . Seventeen of the 25 Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) national track and field qualifiers earned All-American honors highlighted by Loras College’s Andy Stoecken’s national title in the high jump at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field National Championship hosted by St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn. on March 10-11.

Loras brought eight qualifiers and all eight earned All-American honors. In addition to Stoecken’s title (with a jump of 2.11 meters), the Duhawks were led by Geoff Kaiser and Dana Klemm, who each garnered All-American honors in two events. Kaiser finished sixth in the triple jump (14.21 meters) and seventh in the long jump (7.10 meters), earning his second indoor All-American honor in the long jump. Klemm finished fifth in the weight throw (16.64 meters) and the shot put (13.77 meters), earning her second indoor All-American honor in the shot.

Loras’ men were the highest finishing of the Conference’s eight teams with national qualifiers, finishing seventh with 20 points, one point shy of the schools all-time best national showing (21 points in 1989). Central College and Wartburg College totaled six points to finished tied for 28th-place with DeSales and Carleton. The University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse won its sixth straight men’s Championship with a national meet record 78 points.

The Duhawk women were the top finishing Iowa Conference women’s squad, placing 15th with 13 points, narrowly edging Wartburg which placed 16th with 12 points. Simpson College was part of a six-way tie for 50th-place with one point. The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh won its third straight women’s Championship with 44 points.

Cornell College men, University of Dubuque men and Luther College women also sent representatives to the National Championship Meet but failed to score in the team standings.

IOWA CONFERENCE ALL-AMERICANS (top-8 finishers)

WOMEN
• Wartburg’s 4x400 relay (Akeye Aimable, Steph Arey, Bridget Burns, Amy Koester) – 3rd (3:54.14), fifth straight Wartburg 4x400 All-American honor (Burns a member of 2004 & 2005 relay team, Koester and Arey members of last year’s relay team)
• Loras’ Whitney Calvert – 4th in pole vault (3.75m), second straight All-American honor in pole vault
• Loras’ Dana Klemm – 5th in weight throw (16.64m); 5th in shot put (13.77m), second straight All-American honor in shot put
• Wartburg’s Bridget Burns – 6th in 400-meters (57.93), second straight All-American honor in the 400
• Wartburg’s Nicole Calabrese – 7th in mile (5:00.19)
• Simpson’s Caroline Capper – 8th in weight throw (15.92m)
• Wartburg’s distance medley relay (Rachel Brincks, Nicole Calabrese, Heidi Porter, Jill Wagaman) – 8th (12:16.25), second straight Wartburg DMR All-American honor (Porter & Wagaman were members of last year’s relay team)

MEN
• Loras’ Andy Stoecken – 1st in high jump (2.11m), third straight All-American honor in high jump
• Central’s distance medley relay (Teddy Clark, Bryan George, Brian Respeliers, Zach Zellweger) – 4th (10:08.54)
• Loras’ Victor Jones – 5th in long jump (7.11m)
• Wartburg’s distance medley relay (Scott Cross, Patrick Johnson, Brodie Overton, Noah Wendland) – 5th (10:11.30)
• Loras’ Geoff Kaiser – 6th in triple jump (14.21m); 7th in long jump (7.10m), second straight All-American honor in long jump
• Wartburg’s Josh Hauser – 7th in 400-meters (48.92)
• Loras’ Kyle Calvert – 8th in pole vault (4.77m)
• Central’s 4x400 relay (Ben Bollard, Guy Dierikx, Justin Koeppe, Kevin Pitz) – 8th (3:21.15)

OTHER IOWA CONFERENCE QUALIFIERS’ PERFORMANCES

WOMEN
• Wartburg’s Lucy Joseph – 5th in heat of 55-hurdles (8.40)
• Wartburg’s Heidi Porter – 5th in heat of 800-meters (2:15.99)
• Wartburg’s Jessica Bates – 5th in flight of weight throw (15.28m), 6th in flight of shot put (12.77m)
• Luther’s Jess Jewell – 7th in flight of shot put (12.68m)

MEN
• Cornell’s James Klobucar – 6th in heat of 55-hurdles (7.79)
• Dubuque’s Jean Metezier – 6th in heat of 55-meters (6.50)
• Wartburg’s 4x400 relay (Jason Crosser, Josh Hauser, Derek Stevens, Scott Tjeerdsma) – 9th (3:22.11)

Complete NCAA Championship results can be found on the Championship web site.

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