Mavs Compete in First Summit Championship
Feb 20, 2013 | General, Track & Field
Weekly Release
Championship Web Page
This Week
The Omaha track & field team will take part its first Summit League Championship on Sunday and Monday, Feb. 24-25 in Vermillion, S.D. The meet will be hosted by South Dakota.
The Coaches
Steve Smith is in his seventh season as the head coach of the Omaha track & field program. Smith was named the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Indoor Coach of the Year in 2009 after guiding the Mavericks to the MIAA Indoor Championships and repeated the feat the following year. 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 cross country team.
Quite a Season
Junior Sami Spenner heads to the Summit League Indoor Championship with an impressive resume built during the last two months. The Columbus, Neb. native twice set the school's long jump mark and also set a new school record in the pentathlon this season. Her mark of 20-05 1/4 in the long jump and her score of 4,126 (adjusted) are also the top marks in those events in the Summit League. She also has the league's top mark in the triple jump, a personal best leap of 42-07 1/2.
Spenner is ranked in the top six in five other events with personal best marks. She is third in both the high jump (5-07 3/4) and the 60 meter hurdles (8.66), is fourth in the 60 meter dash (7.68) and the 200 meters (24.50) and is sixth in the 800 meters (2:14.87-adjusted).
She has been named the Summit League's Woman Athlete of the Week six times this season, a league record.
Other Summit Rankings
Spenner isn't the only Maverick to rank first in an event leading into the championship. Maja Mihalinec has the Summit's top time in the 60 meter dash (7.52) and ranks second in the 200 meters with a time of 24.45.
Katarina Zarudnaya is ranked third in the 800 meters with a time of 2:12.23.
Amanda Vorthmann owns the school record in the mile, 3,000 meters and 5,000 meters, times that were all run this season. She is ranked third in the league in the 5,000 meters (17:22.68-adjusted) and is fourth in the mile (4:56.57) and the 3,000 meters (9:47.90).
Kathie-Lee Laidley is ranked in the top eight in three events. She is sixth in the 60 meter hurdles with a time of 8.96; fourth in the high jump with a mark of 5-07; and third in the long jump with a leap of 19-02.
Other UNO athletes ranked in the top eight include Lauren Psota who is seventh in the 800 meters with a personal best time of 2:15.55; and Denneil Shaw who is fifth in the long jump with a mark of 18-11 3/4 and fifth in the triple jump with a mark of 38-04.
The team's performance list appears on pages 3-6 of this release.
High Marks
Because the Mavericks do not qualify for NCAA championships during their four-year reclassification to Division I, their marks do not appear on the national performance list. However if included, Spenner would rank fifth in the pentathlon with her school record score of 4,104. She'd also be eighth in the triple jump and tied for 11th in the long jump. The full NCAA and Summit League indoor performance lists are available at OMavs.com.
Up Next For the Mavericks
The Mavericks will open the outdoor season on Saturday, March 16 at the Tulsa Duals in Tulsa, Okla.
Championship Web Page
This Week
The Omaha track & field team will take part its first Summit League Championship on Sunday and Monday, Feb. 24-25 in Vermillion, S.D. The meet will be hosted by South Dakota.
The Coaches
Steve Smith is in his seventh season as the head coach of the Omaha track & field program. Smith was named the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Indoor Coach of the Year in 2009 after guiding the Mavericks to the MIAA Indoor Championships and repeated the feat the following year. 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 cross country team.
Quite a Season
Junior Sami Spenner heads to the Summit League Indoor Championship with an impressive resume built during the last two months. The Columbus, Neb. native twice set the school's long jump mark and also set a new school record in the pentathlon this season. Her mark of 20-05 1/4 in the long jump and her score of 4,126 (adjusted) are also the top marks in those events in the Summit League. She also has the league's top mark in the triple jump, a personal best leap of 42-07 1/2.
Spenner is ranked in the top six in five other events with personal best marks. She is third in both the high jump (5-07 3/4) and the 60 meter hurdles (8.66), is fourth in the 60 meter dash (7.68) and the 200 meters (24.50) and is sixth in the 800 meters (2:14.87-adjusted).
She has been named the Summit League's Woman Athlete of the Week six times this season, a league record.
Other Summit Rankings
Spenner isn't the only Maverick to rank first in an event leading into the championship. Maja Mihalinec has the Summit's top time in the 60 meter dash (7.52) and ranks second in the 200 meters with a time of 24.45.
Katarina Zarudnaya is ranked third in the 800 meters with a time of 2:12.23.
Amanda Vorthmann owns the school record in the mile, 3,000 meters and 5,000 meters, times that were all run this season. She is ranked third in the league in the 5,000 meters (17:22.68-adjusted) and is fourth in the mile (4:56.57) and the 3,000 meters (9:47.90).
Kathie-Lee Laidley is ranked in the top eight in three events. She is sixth in the 60 meter hurdles with a time of 8.96; fourth in the high jump with a mark of 5-07; and third in the long jump with a leap of 19-02.
Other UNO athletes ranked in the top eight include Lauren Psota who is seventh in the 800 meters with a personal best time of 2:15.55; and Denneil Shaw who is fifth in the long jump with a mark of 18-11 3/4 and fifth in the triple jump with a mark of 38-04.
The team's performance list appears on pages 3-6 of this release.
High Marks
Because the Mavericks do not qualify for NCAA championships during their four-year reclassification to Division I, their marks do not appear on the national performance list. However if included, Spenner would rank fifth in the pentathlon with her school record score of 4,104. She'd also be eighth in the triple jump and tied for 11th in the long jump. The full NCAA and Summit League indoor performance lists are available at OMavs.com.
Up Next For the Mavericks
The Mavericks will open the outdoor season on Saturday, March 16 at the Tulsa Duals in Tulsa, Okla.
Players Mentioned
Jumps
/ Track & Field
Sprints
/ Track & Field
Sprints
/ Track & Field
Jumps
/ Track & Field
Jumps/Multi-Even
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & FieldTuesday, September 01
Wednesday, August 26
Friday, August 21
Tuesday, April 21
