Mavs Travel to Lincoln, K-State this weekend
Jan 22, 2014 | Track & Field
This Week
The Omaha track & field team returns to Lincoln for the second straight week at the Prairie Wolf Indoor Invitational on Friday, Jan. 24. The meet begins at 11:30 a.m. at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. Saturday, the Mavs are in Manhattan, Kan. for the K-State Invitational starting at 11 a.m . from the Ahearn Fieldhouse.
The Coaches
Chris Richardson is in his eighth season with the Omaha track & field program, his first as head coach after seven seasons as an assistant. Richardson helped guide the Mavericks through some of their most successful years including three conference championships and three top-five NCAA finishes. The highlight of that stretch included a fourth-place finish at the 2010 indoor championship prior to the Mavericks' reclassification to Division I. In 2011, he was named the USTFCCCA South Central Regional Assistant Coach of the Year.
Richardson is assisted by Marc Bierbaum and Ryan Finley. Bierbaum is in his fourth season coaching the distance events in addition to coaching the cross country team. Finley is in his first season, coaching both sprints and jumps.
Pre-Season Picks
The Mavericks were picked to finish third in this year's Summit League Indoor Championship in the annual pre-season poll of the league's coaches. The Mavericks earned 26 points in the voting, ranking behind six-time defending champion North Dakota State (35 points/five first-place votes) and South Dakota (32/2), the team they edged by four points for last year's runner up finish. South Dakota State (21), Western Illinois (16), Fort Wayne (9) and IUPUI (8) rounded out the poll.
Last Week's Action
At the Holiday Inn Invitational last weekend, Sami Spenner took runner up in the long jump with a jump of 19 feet four inches while also placing fourth in the 60 meter hurdles with a time of 8.76. Spenner's time was just one tenth of a second shy of tying her personal record set last year at the Varsity Apartments Invitational in Wichita, Kan.
Katarina Zarudnaya finished second in the mile run with a time of 5:02.59 while teammate Ashley Kildow set a new personal record running a time of 5:09.14 to finish fifth. Liz Thompson set a new personal record in the weight throw with a toss of 50 feet four inches, placing 11th, while Amanda Conlin fell just two and one half inches short of setting a new personal record in the shot put with a throw of 40 feet five and one half inches.
The Maverick Distance Medley Relay team finished fourth with a time of 12:05.65. The race, which features legs of 1,200, 400, 800, and 1,600 meters was run by Ashley Kildow, Sami Spenner, Alyssa Thavanet and Katarina Zarudyna.
Other notable performances included: Lindsey Bruns recording a new personal record in the 5,000 meter run with a time of 18:55.72, finishing sixth, and Denneil Shaw coming in 11th in the triple jump with a jump of 36 feet 11.75 inches.
Where Maverick Athletes Rank In The Summit League.
In meets through 1/18/14, many Maverick athletes are tops in the Summit League for individual events. Payton Horacek ranks eighth in the 60 meter dash while Katarina Zarudnaya ranks third in the mile run behind two North Dakota State runners.
The Mavericks hold the top two spots in the 60 meter hurdles with seniors Sami Spenner and Kathie-Lee Laidley along with the top two spots in the 5000 meter run being held by Kristin Rogers and Lindsey Bruns.
In field events Sami Spenner ranks first in both long jump and triple jump with Kathie-Lee Laidley tied for third in the long jump. Maverick triple jumpers hold four of the top eight spots in the conference as Sami Spenner, Denneil Shaw, Nicole Liske and Jessica Ripp all rank in the top eight standings.
Up Next For The Mavericks
Next weekend, the Mavericks travel to the Jack Jennett Invitational at Northern Iowa on Jan. 31-Feb. 1. Start time on Friday is 1:30 p.m with action getting underway on Saturday at 10 a.m.
The Omaha track & field team returns to Lincoln for the second straight week at the Prairie Wolf Indoor Invitational on Friday, Jan. 24. The meet begins at 11:30 a.m. at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. Saturday, the Mavs are in Manhattan, Kan. for the K-State Invitational starting at 11 a.m . from the Ahearn Fieldhouse.
The Coaches
Chris Richardson is in his eighth season with the Omaha track & field program, his first as head coach after seven seasons as an assistant. Richardson helped guide the Mavericks through some of their most successful years including three conference championships and three top-five NCAA finishes. The highlight of that stretch included a fourth-place finish at the 2010 indoor championship prior to the Mavericks' reclassification to Division I. In 2011, he was named the USTFCCCA South Central Regional Assistant Coach of the Year.
Richardson is assisted by Marc Bierbaum and Ryan Finley. Bierbaum is in his fourth season coaching the distance events in addition to coaching the cross country team. Finley is in his first season, coaching both sprints and jumps.
Pre-Season Picks
The Mavericks were picked to finish third in this year's Summit League Indoor Championship in the annual pre-season poll of the league's coaches. The Mavericks earned 26 points in the voting, ranking behind six-time defending champion North Dakota State (35 points/five first-place votes) and South Dakota (32/2), the team they edged by four points for last year's runner up finish. South Dakota State (21), Western Illinois (16), Fort Wayne (9) and IUPUI (8) rounded out the poll.
Last Week's Action
At the Holiday Inn Invitational last weekend, Sami Spenner took runner up in the long jump with a jump of 19 feet four inches while also placing fourth in the 60 meter hurdles with a time of 8.76. Spenner's time was just one tenth of a second shy of tying her personal record set last year at the Varsity Apartments Invitational in Wichita, Kan.
Katarina Zarudnaya finished second in the mile run with a time of 5:02.59 while teammate Ashley Kildow set a new personal record running a time of 5:09.14 to finish fifth. Liz Thompson set a new personal record in the weight throw with a toss of 50 feet four inches, placing 11th, while Amanda Conlin fell just two and one half inches short of setting a new personal record in the shot put with a throw of 40 feet five and one half inches.
The Maverick Distance Medley Relay team finished fourth with a time of 12:05.65. The race, which features legs of 1,200, 400, 800, and 1,600 meters was run by Ashley Kildow, Sami Spenner, Alyssa Thavanet and Katarina Zarudyna.
Other notable performances included: Lindsey Bruns recording a new personal record in the 5,000 meter run with a time of 18:55.72, finishing sixth, and Denneil Shaw coming in 11th in the triple jump with a jump of 36 feet 11.75 inches.
Where Maverick Athletes Rank In The Summit League.
In meets through 1/18/14, many Maverick athletes are tops in the Summit League for individual events. Payton Horacek ranks eighth in the 60 meter dash while Katarina Zarudnaya ranks third in the mile run behind two North Dakota State runners.
The Mavericks hold the top two spots in the 60 meter hurdles with seniors Sami Spenner and Kathie-Lee Laidley along with the top two spots in the 5000 meter run being held by Kristin Rogers and Lindsey Bruns.
In field events Sami Spenner ranks first in both long jump and triple jump with Kathie-Lee Laidley tied for third in the long jump. Maverick triple jumpers hold four of the top eight spots in the conference as Sami Spenner, Denneil Shaw, Nicole Liske and Jessica Ripp all rank in the top eight standings.
Up Next For The Mavericks
Next weekend, the Mavericks travel to the Jack Jennett Invitational at Northern Iowa on Jan. 31-Feb. 1. Start time on Friday is 1:30 p.m with action getting underway on Saturday at 10 a.m.
Players Mentioned
Distance
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Throws
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Sprints/Jumps
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Distance
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Sprints/Jumps
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Sprints/Jumps
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Sprints/Jumps
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & Field
Jumps
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Jumps/Multi-Even
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Throws
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Distance
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