Mavs Open Indoor Season at Iowa State
Dec 5, 2012 | General, Track & Field
Weekly Release
This Week
The Omaha track & field team begins the 2012-13 indoor season on Friday, Dec. 7 when it takes part in the Iowa State Holiday Preview. The meet begins at 10 a.m. from ISU's Lied Recreational Center.
The Coaches
Steve Smith is in his seventh season as the head coach of the Omaha track & field program. He served as an assistant for one year prior to taking the head coach's position. Smith was named the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Indoor Coach of the Year in 2009 after guiding the Mavericks to a stunning win in the MIAA Indoor Championships. He earned the award the next winter, guiding the Mavs to a repeat as MIAA Indoor Champs. Overall, Smith has guided the Mavericks to three conference championships and three top-five finishes at the NCAA Division II Championship including a fourth-place finish indoors in 2010.
Smith is assisted by Chris Richardson (jumps and multi-events), who was named the USTFCCCA South Central Regional Assistant Coach of the Year in 2011. Marc Bierbaum is in his third season coaching the distance events in addition to coaching the Omaha cross country team.
The Returners
Several key athletes return for the Mavericks this season, and they cover a host of disciplines. Senior distance specialist Amanda Vorthmann returns following an outstanding cross country season in which she was named to the All-Summit League first team after a third-place overall finish at the league championship. Vorthmann set the school record in the 3,000 meters during the 2011-12 indoor season (9:50.04) and twice broke the school's 3,000 meter steeplechase record outdoors.
Like Vorthmann, junior multi-eventer Sami Spenner posted multiple personal bests last year including a score of 3,810 in the pentathlon that is the third-best score in the event in school history. Outdoors last year, she redshirted but came within seven points of qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Trials in the heptathlon while competing unattached.
Junior Kathie-Lee Laidley returns to lead Omaha's jumpers. She owns the school record in the indoor high jump (1.78/5'10”) and is the co-holder of the outdoor mark in the long jump (6.07/19' 11”).
The Mavericks will welcome back senior sprinter Maja Mihalinec who missed all of last season due to injury. Mihalinec is a three-time Division II indoor All-American and owns Omaha's school record in the 60 meters (7.49). Also back are fellow senior Lianne McNaugton and junior Liz Thompson who both redshirted last year. They will give Omaha presence in the throwing events for the first time since the 2010-11 season.
The Schedule
The Mavericks have seven meets on their schedule for the 2012-13 indoor season, all of them leading up to their first-ever Summit League Indoor Championship which will be hosted by South Dakota on Feb. 22 and 23 in Vermillion, S.D.
In addition to this week's meet at Iowa State, the Mavs also will take part in meets at Nebraska, Minnesota, Northern Iowa and Wichita State. They also will make return trips to Iowa State and Nebraska in the two weeks leading up the Summit League Championship.
NCAA Championship
Omaha is now in the second year of its four-year reclassification to Division I during which it is unable to compete in the NCAA Championships. The Mavericks will be eligible for Summit League conference and NCAA championships beginning with the 2015-16 season.
Up Next For the Mavericks
The Mavericks don't return to action until the New Year when they take part in the Holiday Inn Invitational at Nebraska on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 11 and 12, 2013.
This Week
The Omaha track & field team begins the 2012-13 indoor season on Friday, Dec. 7 when it takes part in the Iowa State Holiday Preview. The meet begins at 10 a.m. from ISU's Lied Recreational Center.
The Coaches
Steve Smith is in his seventh season as the head coach of the Omaha track & field program. He served as an assistant for one year prior to taking the head coach's position. Smith was named the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Indoor Coach of the Year in 2009 after guiding the Mavericks to a stunning win in the MIAA Indoor Championships. He earned the award the next winter, guiding the Mavs to a repeat as MIAA Indoor Champs. Overall, Smith has guided the Mavericks to three conference championships and three top-five finishes at the NCAA Division II Championship including a fourth-place finish indoors in 2010.
Smith is assisted by Chris Richardson (jumps and multi-events), who was named the USTFCCCA South Central Regional Assistant Coach of the Year in 2011. Marc Bierbaum is in his third season coaching the distance events in addition to coaching the Omaha cross country team.
The Returners
Several key athletes return for the Mavericks this season, and they cover a host of disciplines. Senior distance specialist Amanda Vorthmann returns following an outstanding cross country season in which she was named to the All-Summit League first team after a third-place overall finish at the league championship. Vorthmann set the school record in the 3,000 meters during the 2011-12 indoor season (9:50.04) and twice broke the school's 3,000 meter steeplechase record outdoors.
Like Vorthmann, junior multi-eventer Sami Spenner posted multiple personal bests last year including a score of 3,810 in the pentathlon that is the third-best score in the event in school history. Outdoors last year, she redshirted but came within seven points of qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Trials in the heptathlon while competing unattached.
Junior Kathie-Lee Laidley returns to lead Omaha's jumpers. She owns the school record in the indoor high jump (1.78/5'10”) and is the co-holder of the outdoor mark in the long jump (6.07/19' 11”).
The Mavericks will welcome back senior sprinter Maja Mihalinec who missed all of last season due to injury. Mihalinec is a three-time Division II indoor All-American and owns Omaha's school record in the 60 meters (7.49). Also back are fellow senior Lianne McNaugton and junior Liz Thompson who both redshirted last year. They will give Omaha presence in the throwing events for the first time since the 2010-11 season.
The Schedule
The Mavericks have seven meets on their schedule for the 2012-13 indoor season, all of them leading up to their first-ever Summit League Indoor Championship which will be hosted by South Dakota on Feb. 22 and 23 in Vermillion, S.D.
In addition to this week's meet at Iowa State, the Mavs also will take part in meets at Nebraska, Minnesota, Northern Iowa and Wichita State. They also will make return trips to Iowa State and Nebraska in the two weeks leading up the Summit League Championship.
NCAA Championship
Omaha is now in the second year of its four-year reclassification to Division I during which it is unable to compete in the NCAA Championships. The Mavericks will be eligible for Summit League conference and NCAA championships beginning with the 2015-16 season.
Up Next For the Mavericks
The Mavericks don't return to action until the New Year when they take part in the Holiday Inn Invitational at Nebraska on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 11 and 12, 2013.
Players Mentioned
Jumps
/ Track & Field
Sprints
/ Track & Field
Jumps/Multi-Even
/ Track & Field
Throws
/ Track & Field
Distance
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