May 23, 2009

MARIETTA, OHIO . . . With a victory in the final race of the Championships - the 4x400-meter relay - Wartburg College captured the women's team title at the 2009 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships hosted by Marietta College.

The quartet of Nevada Morrison, Chelsey Jacobs, Jenny Kordick, and Hannah Baker crossed the line with a Division III season-best time of 3 minutes, 43.48 seconds, allowing the Knights to complete a sweep of NCAA Division III women's track & field titles. Wartburg captured the NCAA Division III women's indoor title in March.

Buena Vista's Eric Bertelsen (long jump) and Wartburg's Akeya Aimable (triple jump), women's 4x100-meter relay team and women's 4x400-meter relay team each won national titles in their respective events. It was the third consecutive national title for the Knights in the 4x400. Bertelsen, Aimable, and the Wartburg 4x400 relay team each completed indoor/outdoor sweeps in their events.

Wartburg's Faith Burt and Nevada Morrison each captured All-America honors in three events, while Bertelsen, Central's Rachel Boeke, Simpson's Lauren Bucklin, and Wartburg's Brian Chenoweth, Hannah Baker, and Jenny Kordick were All-Americans in two events.

Burt was third in the 200, fourth in the 100, and ran on the Knights' championship 4x100-meter relay team. Kordick and Morrison ran on both Wartburg championship relays, with Morrison adding a fourth-place finish in the 400. Baker placed fifth in the 400 prior closing out the Championships by anchoring Wartburg's 4x400-meter relay.

Boeke placed sixth in the shot put and eighth in the discus throw and Bucklin took third in the 100 hurdles and eighth in the 400 hurdles.

In addition to winning the long jump, Bertelsen also took fourth in the 100, while Chenoweth took third in both the 5,000 and 10,000.

Wartburg captured the women's team title with 52 points--all scored on the final day of the Championships--to edge Wisconsin-Oshkosh (50 points) and Wisconsin-La Crosse (48 points). Simpson tied for 24th place with 11 points, Coe tied for 41st place with six points, Central tied for 58th place with four points, and Loras tied for 73rd place with one point.

In the men's team race, Buena Vista was the top-finishing Iowa Conference school, placing eighth with 21 points. Wartburg tied for 21st place with 13 points, and Central tied for 36th place with nine points.

IOWA CONFERENCE ALL-AMERICANS (TOP-8 FINISHERS)

Men
• Buena Vista's Eric Bertelsen - National Champion in long jump (24-2 1/2; 7.38 meters), second consecutive All-America honor; 4th in 100-meter dash (10.81 seconds)
• Buena Vista's Shawn Olorundami - 3rd in 110-meter hurdles (14.48 seconds), second consecutive All-America honor
• Central's Ethan Miller - 4th in high jump (6-9; 2.06 meters)
• Central's Kurtis Brondyke - 5th in decathlon (6,809 points)
• Wartburg's Brian Chenoweth - 3rd in 5,000-meter run (14:42.62), second consecutive All-America honor; 3rd in 10,000-meter run (30:58.62)
• Wartburg's Russell Harris - 8th in 110-meter hurdles (14.81 seconds)

Women
• Central's Rachel Boeke - 6th in shot put (43-6 1/2; 13.27 meters); 8th in discus throw (137-3; 41.84 meters)
• Coe's Ashley Schnell - 3rd in 1,500-meter run (4:28.59)
• Loras' Barb Kremer - 8th in 100-meter hurdles (15.66 seconds)
• Simpson's Catie Ellingson - 5th in 1,500-meter run (4:30.90)
• Simpson's Lauren Bucklin - 3rd in 100-meter hurdles (14.27 seconds), second consecutive All-America honor; 8th in 400-meter hurdles (65.36 seconds)
• Wartburg's Nevada Morrison - 4th in 400-meter dash (55.05 seconds)
• Wartburg's Hannah Baker - 5th in 400-meter dash (55.17 seconds), third consecutive All-America honor
• Wartburg's Faith Burt - 4th in 100-meter dash (12.22 seconds); 3rd in 200-meter dash (24.80 seconds)
• Wartburg's Akeya Aimable - National Champion in triple jump (39-10 3/4; 12.16 meters)
• Wartburg's 4x100-meter relay (Faith Burt, Nevada Morrison, Jenny Kordick, Kelsey Steffens) - National Champion (46.21 seconds), fourth consecutive All-America honor (Steffens member of all four relays, Kordick also a member of 2007 & 2008 relays)
• Wartburg's Anna Kraayenbrink - 7th in 5,000-meter run (17:27.85), second consecutive All-America honor
• Wartburg's 4x400-meter relay (Nevada Morrison, Chelsey Jacobs, Jenny Kordick, Hannah Baker) - National Champion (3:43.48), third consecutive national title, sixth consecutive All-America honor (Baker and Jacobs members of 2007-09 relays; Kordick a member of 2008 & 2009 relays)

OTHER IOWA CONFERENCE QUALIFIERS’ PERFORMANCES

Men
• Buena Vista's Eric Bertelsen - 4th in heat of 200-meter dash (21.78 seconds)
• Buena Vista's 4x100-meter relay (Justin Bauer, Eric Bertelsen, Kenneth Nichols, Shawn Olorundami) - 3rd in heat (42.05 seconds)
• Central's Tyler Crouse - 8th in flight of discus throw (142-9; 43.51 meters)
• Central's Ethan Miller - 13th in decathlon (6,414 points)
• Dubuque's Jean Metezier - 3rd in heat of 100-meter dash (10.95 seconds)
• Dubuque's Davivorn Dowe - 7th in heat of 100-meter dash (11.12 seconds); 4th in heat of 200-meter dash (21.94 seconds)
• Loras' Brian Westemeier - 9th in flight of hammer throw (146-10; 44.75 meters)
• Wartburg's Jordan Sathoff - 17th in high jump (6-4; 1.93 meters)

Women
• Buena Vista's Natalie Olorundami - 5th in heat of 100-meter hurdles (14.97 seconds)
• Central's Carissa Bentz - 15th in heptathlon (4,244 points)
• Central's Jill Ziskovsky - 16th in heptathlon (4,243 points)
• Coe's Keelie Finnel - 2nd in heat of 400-meter dash (56.93 seconds)
• Coe's Ashley Schnell - DNF in 1,500-meter run
• Coe's Holly Rader - 6th in flight of hammer throw (161-9; 49.31 meters)
• Coe's Sarah Anciaux - 9th in flight of discus throw (134-0; 40.84 meters)
• Loras' Danielle McNally - 10th in flight of discus throw (128-2; 39.06 meters)
• Loras' Heidi Tobin - 5th in flight of discus throw (133-7; 40.72 meters)
• Luther's Dani Meirick - 5th in heat of 800-meter run (2:13.83)
• Luther's Janet Dobyns - 13th in 3,000-meter steeplechase (10:58.36)
• Luther's Katie Dolan - 14th in 3,000-meter steeplechase (10:59.84)
• Luther's Lauren Boleen - 9th in flight of javelin throw (109-6; 33.39 meters)
• Simpson's Kinsey Bak - 22nd in high jump (5-2 1/2; 1.59 meters)
• Simpson's Catie Ellingson - 5th in heat of 800-meter run (2:13.32)
• Simpson's Chelsey Degen - 9th in discus throw, made finals (136-2; 41.50 meters)
• Wartburg's Chelsey Jacobs - 3rd in heat of 400-meter dash (57.09 seconds)
• Wartburg's Jenny Kordick - 6th in heat of 400-meter dash (57.57 seconds)
• Wartburg's Sarah Hoffman - 9th in flight of shot put (41-8; 12.70 meters); 8th in flight of discus throw (131-6; 40.09 meters)
• Wartburg's Brittany Thomas - 4th in heat of 100-meter hurdles (14.81 seconds)
• Wartburg's Kelsey Steffens - 4th in heat of 100-meter hurdles (14.88 seconds); 5th in heat of 400-meter hurdles (63.29 seconds)

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

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