Mavericks Visit Nebraska This Week
May 1, 2013 | General, Track & Field
Weekly Release
This Week
After competing in multiple meets in each of the last two weeks, the Omaha track & field team will stay close to home for a single event, the Nebraska Invitational, on Sunday, May 5 at 1 p.m. in Lincoln, Neb. The meet was moved from Saturday due to the threat of inclement weather.
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.
Nearing Another Record
Katarina Zarudnaya ran the third-fastest 1,500 meter time in school history at the Kip Janvrin Open at Simpson College last weekend, finishing second in a time of 4:31.06. She was less than two seconds off the school record set by Linda Elsasser in 1985.
Also at Simpson College, Sami Spenner won the 100 meter dash in a time of 11.91, the first time she had run the race. Maja Mihalinec was right behind with a time of 11.97.
Terri Armstrong was second in the 200 meters with a time of 25.42, edged out by Iowa State's Jessica Nichols at 25.16.
The Mavs' team of Terri Armstrong, Spenner, Kathie-Lee Laidley and Mihalinec won the 4 x 100 relay in a time of 46.30.
The Mavericks also had two athletes competing at the Drake Relays. Spenner took sixth in the triple jump with a mark of 40-07. The distance would have broken her own school record, but it was not wind legal.
Amanda Vorthmann ran the 3,000 meter steeplechase, finishing 20th in a time of 10:57.41, her first time under 11 minutes this year and just 13 seconds off her own school record.
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. As noted, if included, Spenner would rank second in the heptathlon and 10th in the long jump.
In the Summit League, several Mavericks rank in the top eight in the league. Spenner's long jump mark and heptathlon score lead the league while her triple jump distance ranks second and her high jump mark fourth. She's also third in the 100 meters, second in the 200 meters and fifth in the 800 meters. Zarudnaya leads the league in the 1,500 meters and is second in the 800. Vorthmann is second in the Summit in the 10,000 meters, fifth in the 3,000 meter steeplechase, sixth in the 1,500 and seventh in the 5,000. Mihalinec has the Summit's top time in the 100 meters and is third in the 200 meters. Lauren Psota is sixth in the 800 meters. Spenner and Kathie-Lee Laidley rank 4-5 in the 100 meter hurdles while Nicole Behm is sixth in the 3,000 meter steeplechase. UNO has the league's second-best 4 x 100 meter relay time and its fifth-best 4 x 400 meter relay time. Laidley is second in the high jump and third in the long jump while Denneil Shaw is sixth in the long jump and the triple jump. Amanda Alexander is sixth in the heptathlon. Links to the full NCAA and Summit League outdoor performance lists are available at OMavs.com.
Up Next For the Mavericks
The Mavericks will conclude the 2012-13 season at the Summit League Outdoor Championship on Thursday-Saturday, May 9-11, at Muncie, Ind.
This Week
After competing in multiple meets in each of the last two weeks, the Omaha track & field team will stay close to home for a single event, the Nebraska Invitational, on Sunday, May 5 at 1 p.m. in Lincoln, Neb. The meet was moved from Saturday due to the threat of inclement weather.
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.
Nearing Another Record
Katarina Zarudnaya ran the third-fastest 1,500 meter time in school history at the Kip Janvrin Open at Simpson College last weekend, finishing second in a time of 4:31.06. She was less than two seconds off the school record set by Linda Elsasser in 1985.
Also at Simpson College, Sami Spenner won the 100 meter dash in a time of 11.91, the first time she had run the race. Maja Mihalinec was right behind with a time of 11.97.
Terri Armstrong was second in the 200 meters with a time of 25.42, edged out by Iowa State's Jessica Nichols at 25.16.
The Mavs' team of Terri Armstrong, Spenner, Kathie-Lee Laidley and Mihalinec won the 4 x 100 relay in a time of 46.30.
The Mavericks also had two athletes competing at the Drake Relays. Spenner took sixth in the triple jump with a mark of 40-07. The distance would have broken her own school record, but it was not wind legal.
Amanda Vorthmann ran the 3,000 meter steeplechase, finishing 20th in a time of 10:57.41, her first time under 11 minutes this year and just 13 seconds off her own school record.
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. As noted, if included, Spenner would rank second in the heptathlon and 10th in the long jump.
In the Summit League, several Mavericks rank in the top eight in the league. Spenner's long jump mark and heptathlon score lead the league while her triple jump distance ranks second and her high jump mark fourth. She's also third in the 100 meters, second in the 200 meters and fifth in the 800 meters. Zarudnaya leads the league in the 1,500 meters and is second in the 800. Vorthmann is second in the Summit in the 10,000 meters, fifth in the 3,000 meter steeplechase, sixth in the 1,500 and seventh in the 5,000. Mihalinec has the Summit's top time in the 100 meters and is third in the 200 meters. Lauren Psota is sixth in the 800 meters. Spenner and Kathie-Lee Laidley rank 4-5 in the 100 meter hurdles while Nicole Behm is sixth in the 3,000 meter steeplechase. UNO has the league's second-best 4 x 100 meter relay time and its fifth-best 4 x 400 meter relay time. Laidley is second in the high jump and third in the long jump while Denneil Shaw is sixth in the long jump and the triple jump. Amanda Alexander is sixth in the heptathlon. Links to the full NCAA and Summit League outdoor performance lists are available at OMavs.com.
Up Next For the Mavericks
The Mavericks will conclude the 2012-13 season at the Summit League Outdoor Championship on Thursday-Saturday, May 9-11, at Muncie, Ind.
Players Mentioned
Jumps/Multi-Even
/ Track & Field
Sprints
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & Field
Jumps
/ Track & Field
Sprints
/ Track & Field
Sprints
/ Track & Field
Jumps
/ Track & Field
Jumps/Multi-Even
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & FieldWednesday, August 26
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