Mavericks Defend MIAA Indoor Title This Weekend
Feb 25, 2010 | General, Track & Field
Weekly Release
The Week Ahead: The fourth-ranked University of Nebraska at Omaha track and field team defends its league indoor title this weekend at the 2010 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Indoor Championships. The meet will run from Friday, Feb. 26 to Sunday, Feb. 28 at Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, Mo. The meet begins with the multi events on Friday followed by preliminaries and finals on Saturday and Sunday.
The Coaches: Steve Smith is in his fourth season as the head coach of the University of Nebraska at Omaha track program after more than two decades of success as an assistant in Kansas, Nebraska and UNO. Smith was named the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Assocation Indoor Coach of the Year after guiding the Mavericks to a stunning win in the 2009 MIAA Indoor Championships in March. UNO finished the season fifth in the nation indoors. Smith is assisted by #Chris Richardson# (jumps and pentathlon/heptathlon), John Mulligan (distances) and Rich Emsick (throws).
Triple Play: #Nkeiruka Domike# reset her own school record and nation-leading mark in the triple jump for her third straight week of competition. Her jump of 41 feet, ten inches at the Nebraska Tune-Up on Feb. 19 bettered her own top mark by three inches. In her first attempt at the event indoors, the Nigerian native posted a jump of 41 feet, six inches at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invite on Feb. 6, breaking the old school mark of 40 feet, nine and three-quarter inches set in 2005. She has been named the MIAA's Field athlete of the week for three straight weeks.
Setting A High Standard: Like teammate Nkeiruka Domike, junior #Anja Puc# owns a top mark in the nation, Puc in the 800 meters. Puc ran the race in 2:07.89 at the Husky Classic at Washington on Feb. 13, nearly two seconds better than her first race just a week before. Along the way, she broke her own school record of 2:09.44. She had run 2:09.79 at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invite on Feb. 6. in her first race in the event this season. She is a three-time MIAA Track athlete of the week honoree. She earned it for her first run in the 800 and after she set a new school record in the 1,000 meters with a time of 2:54.57 at the Holiday Inn Invitational on Jan. 15. That broke the old record by more than two seconds.
Company Near The Top: Shot putter #Heather Minssen# is ranked third in the shot put with a mark of 49' 2 1/4”, set on Jan. 23 at the Iowa State Invitational. That's a personal best and a new school record. She has already automatically qualified for the NCAA Division II National Championship. She had been number one in the country since the start of the season until Kelly Ash of Ashland University threw 50' 1 3/4” on Feb. 13. Since that time, Rebecca Stier of Winona State has thrown 49' 4 1/4”.
Other Qualifiers: UNO has four other qualifiers for the NCAA Indoor Championships. Senior #Shannon Moore# has qualified for the pentathlon and the 60 meter hurdles. Sophomore #Maja Mihalinec# has already qualified in the 200 meters and in the 60 meters. Junior #Kayla Koepke# has qualified in the 400 meters along with Mihalinec and Puc. UNO's 4 x 400 meter relay team of Koepke, Mihalinec, Puc and Moore also has qualified for the national meet.
What's Next: The Mavericks will send their qualifiers to Albuquergue, N.M. for the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships on March 12 and 13.
The Week Ahead: The fourth-ranked University of Nebraska at Omaha track and field team defends its league indoor title this weekend at the 2010 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Indoor Championships. The meet will run from Friday, Feb. 26 to Sunday, Feb. 28 at Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, Mo. The meet begins with the multi events on Friday followed by preliminaries and finals on Saturday and Sunday.
The Coaches: Steve Smith is in his fourth season as the head coach of the University of Nebraska at Omaha track program after more than two decades of success as an assistant in Kansas, Nebraska and UNO. Smith was named the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Assocation Indoor Coach of the Year after guiding the Mavericks to a stunning win in the 2009 MIAA Indoor Championships in March. UNO finished the season fifth in the nation indoors. Smith is assisted by #Chris Richardson# (jumps and pentathlon/heptathlon), John Mulligan (distances) and Rich Emsick (throws).
Triple Play: #Nkeiruka Domike# reset her own school record and nation-leading mark in the triple jump for her third straight week of competition. Her jump of 41 feet, ten inches at the Nebraska Tune-Up on Feb. 19 bettered her own top mark by three inches. In her first attempt at the event indoors, the Nigerian native posted a jump of 41 feet, six inches at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invite on Feb. 6, breaking the old school mark of 40 feet, nine and three-quarter inches set in 2005. She has been named the MIAA's Field athlete of the week for three straight weeks.
Setting A High Standard: Like teammate Nkeiruka Domike, junior #Anja Puc# owns a top mark in the nation, Puc in the 800 meters. Puc ran the race in 2:07.89 at the Husky Classic at Washington on Feb. 13, nearly two seconds better than her first race just a week before. Along the way, she broke her own school record of 2:09.44. She had run 2:09.79 at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invite on Feb. 6. in her first race in the event this season. She is a three-time MIAA Track athlete of the week honoree. She earned it for her first run in the 800 and after she set a new school record in the 1,000 meters with a time of 2:54.57 at the Holiday Inn Invitational on Jan. 15. That broke the old record by more than two seconds.
Company Near The Top: Shot putter #Heather Minssen# is ranked third in the shot put with a mark of 49' 2 1/4”, set on Jan. 23 at the Iowa State Invitational. That's a personal best and a new school record. She has already automatically qualified for the NCAA Division II National Championship. She had been number one in the country since the start of the season until Kelly Ash of Ashland University threw 50' 1 3/4” on Feb. 13. Since that time, Rebecca Stier of Winona State has thrown 49' 4 1/4”.
Other Qualifiers: UNO has four other qualifiers for the NCAA Indoor Championships. Senior #Shannon Moore# has qualified for the pentathlon and the 60 meter hurdles. Sophomore #Maja Mihalinec# has already qualified in the 200 meters and in the 60 meters. Junior #Kayla Koepke# has qualified in the 400 meters along with Mihalinec and Puc. UNO's 4 x 400 meter relay team of Koepke, Mihalinec, Puc and Moore also has qualified for the national meet.
What's Next: The Mavericks will send their qualifiers to Albuquergue, N.M. for the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships on March 12 and 13.
Players Mentioned
Jumps
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Sprints
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Sprints
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Throws
/ Track & Field
Multi-Events
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Sprints
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