Mavs Gear Up For Summit Championship
May 8, 2013 | General, Track & Field
Weekly Release
Summit Track & Field Championship Page
This Week
The Omaha track & field team will close its 2012-13 season by competing in the Summit League Outdoor Championship on Thursday-Saturday, May 9-11 in Muncie, Ind. Competition begins each day at 11 a.m. from University Track on the Ball State campus.
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.
One Final Tune-Up
Ten athletes set new personal bests at the Nebraska Invitational last Sunday, the Mavericks' final meet before the Summit League Championship.
Maja Mihalinec took second in the 100 meters with a new personal best of 11.80. UNO also got a second-place finish in the 200 meters from Terri Armstrong who clocked a time of 25.36, also a PR.
Lauren Psota lowered her top time in the 800 meters with a time of 2:14.11, good for second. Jackie Mezick also had a PR in the event, running a time of 2:31.92 to put her in eighth.
In the 1,500 meters, Katarina Zarudnaya won with a time of 4:35.66, edging out teammate Amanda Vorthmann who finished second with a new personal best of 4:36.33. Ashley Kildow was fourth with another PR - 4:46.19. Nicole Behm also lowered her PR in the event with a time of 5:03.51, good for 10th.
Karo Garcia lowered her best time in the 5,000 meters with a time of 18:55.20 to finish second and lead a group of eight Mavericks.
Amanda Alexander had a new personal best in the 100 meter hurdles with a time of 17.39.
In the field events, Sami Spenner set a new PR in the javelin thrown with a mark of 122-00. Lianne McNaughton and Liz Thompson finished 5-6 in the hammer throw. McNaughton had a throw of 149-01 while Thompson threw for 139-07, a new personal best.
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. If included, Spenner would rank second in the heptathlon and 11th 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 sixth 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, fourth in the 1,500 meters, fifth in the 3,000 meter steeplechase 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 third in the 800 meters.
Spenner and Kathie-Lee Laidley rank fourth and sixth in the 100 meter hurdles respectively 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 sixth-best 4 x 400 meter relay time. Laidley is second in the high jump and 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.
Summit Track & Field Championship Page
This Week
The Omaha track & field team will close its 2012-13 season by competing in the Summit League Outdoor Championship on Thursday-Saturday, May 9-11 in Muncie, Ind. Competition begins each day at 11 a.m. from University Track on the Ball State campus.
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.
One Final Tune-Up
Ten athletes set new personal bests at the Nebraska Invitational last Sunday, the Mavericks' final meet before the Summit League Championship.
Maja Mihalinec took second in the 100 meters with a new personal best of 11.80. UNO also got a second-place finish in the 200 meters from Terri Armstrong who clocked a time of 25.36, also a PR.
Lauren Psota lowered her top time in the 800 meters with a time of 2:14.11, good for second. Jackie Mezick also had a PR in the event, running a time of 2:31.92 to put her in eighth.
In the 1,500 meters, Katarina Zarudnaya won with a time of 4:35.66, edging out teammate Amanda Vorthmann who finished second with a new personal best of 4:36.33. Ashley Kildow was fourth with another PR - 4:46.19. Nicole Behm also lowered her PR in the event with a time of 5:03.51, good for 10th.
Karo Garcia lowered her best time in the 5,000 meters with a time of 18:55.20 to finish second and lead a group of eight Mavericks.
Amanda Alexander had a new personal best in the 100 meter hurdles with a time of 17.39.
In the field events, Sami Spenner set a new PR in the javelin thrown with a mark of 122-00. Lianne McNaughton and Liz Thompson finished 5-6 in the hammer throw. McNaughton had a throw of 149-01 while Thompson threw for 139-07, a new personal best.
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. If included, Spenner would rank second in the heptathlon and 11th 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 sixth 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, fourth in the 1,500 meters, fifth in the 3,000 meter steeplechase 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 third in the 800 meters.
Spenner and Kathie-Lee Laidley rank fourth and sixth in the 100 meter hurdles respectively 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 sixth-best 4 x 400 meter relay time. Laidley is second in the high jump and 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.
Players Mentioned
Jumps/Multi-Even
/ Track & Field
Sprints
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & Field
Jumps
/ Track & Field
Throws
/ Track & Field
Sprints
/ Track & Field
Sprints
/ Track & Field
Jumps
/ Track & Field
Jumps/Multi-Even
/ Track & Field
Throws
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & Field
Distance
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