Friday, April 18
Crete, Neb.
12:00 PM
Omaha
at
Doane Relays (Day 1)
Mavericks Head To Doane, Mt. SAC Relays
Apr 16, 2014 | Track & Field
This Week
The Omaha track & field team will compete in two relay meets this weekend. Some athletes will travel to Walnut, Calif. for the 56th installment of the Mt. SAC Relays April 18-19 while other athletes will stay closer to home to compete in the Doane Relays April 18-19.
The Coaches
Chris Richardson is in his eighth season with the Omaha track & field program, his first as its 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.
Previous Action
The Maverick multi-event athletes competed at the ESU Combined Multis April on 10-11 in
which multiple PR's were set. Macy Woitzel set new personal records in the shot put and high jump with marks of 32' 9 3/4”and 4' 9 1/2”, respectively. Sami Spenner set a new PR in the javelin throw with a toss of 130' 1/4” to best the 22-person field while Woitzel (2:40.47) and Amanda Alexander (2:39.85) set new PR's in the 800 meters.
Omaha also competed in the KT Woodman Classic April 11-12 where Spenner was able to break her own school record in the triple jump. The Columbus, Neb. native recorded a wind-legal leap of 41' 10 1/2” to finish runner-up while also finishing ninth in the javelin throw with a toss of 124'.
Katarina Zarudnaya finished second in the 1,500 meters with a season-best time of 4:35.84 andAshley Kildow finished ninth in the 81-person field with a time of 4:45.91. Kathie-Lee Laidley (19 4”) and Denneil Shaw (18' 11 1/4”) finished second and third, respectively, in the long jump while Liz Thompson finished third in the shot put with a toss of 44' 7” to set a new personal record.
Where Maverick Athletes Rank in the Summit League
In meets through April 12, many Maverick athletes are tops in the Summit League for individual events. Ashley Kildow ranks first in the 10,000 meter run while Sami Spenner ranks second in 200 meters and third in the 100 meters. Katarina Zarudnaya ranks third in the 1,500 meters and Terri Armstrong ranks eighth in both the 100 and 200 meters.
The Maverick 4x100 meter relay team ranks second and the 4x400 meter relay team ranks fifth. Lindsey Bruns is third in the 10,000 meter run and Kathie-Lee Laidley is fifth in the 100 meter hurdles.
In field events, Omaha has three athletes ranked in the top 10 of the long jump as Sami Spenner (1), Laidley (4) and Denneil Shaw (5) all rank in the top 10. The Mavericks also have three of the top 10 triple jump athletes in Spenner (1), Shaw (4) and Jessica Ripp (5). Liz Thompson is sixth in the shot put and seventh in the discus. Omaha has two athletes ranked in the top 10 in the javelin throw as Spenner is ranked fifth and Amanda Alexander is ranked eighth.
Pre-Season Picks
The Mavericks were picked to finish third in this year's Summit League Outdoor Championship in the annual pre-season poll of the league's coaches. The Mavericks earned 24 points in the voting, ranking behind six-time defending champion North Dakota State (35 points/five first-place votes) and South Dakota (32/2). South Dakota State (23), Western Illinois (16), Fort Wayne (11) and IUPUI (6) rounded out the poll.
Up Next For The Mavericks
Omaha will head east to compete in the the Drake Relays April 23-26 and the Kip Janvrin
Invitational April 24-25. The Drake Relays will get underway at 12:30 p.m. on April 23rd in Des Moines, Iowa while the Kip Janvrin Invitational start at 2 p.m. on April 24 in Indianola, Iowa.
The Omaha track & field team will compete in two relay meets this weekend. Some athletes will travel to Walnut, Calif. for the 56th installment of the Mt. SAC Relays April 18-19 while other athletes will stay closer to home to compete in the Doane Relays April 18-19.
The Coaches
Chris Richardson is in his eighth season with the Omaha track & field program, his first as its 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.
Previous Action
The Maverick multi-event athletes competed at the ESU Combined Multis April on 10-11 in
which multiple PR's were set. Macy Woitzel set new personal records in the shot put and high jump with marks of 32' 9 3/4”and 4' 9 1/2”, respectively. Sami Spenner set a new PR in the javelin throw with a toss of 130' 1/4” to best the 22-person field while Woitzel (2:40.47) and Amanda Alexander (2:39.85) set new PR's in the 800 meters.
Omaha also competed in the KT Woodman Classic April 11-12 where Spenner was able to break her own school record in the triple jump. The Columbus, Neb. native recorded a wind-legal leap of 41' 10 1/2” to finish runner-up while also finishing ninth in the javelin throw with a toss of 124'.
Katarina Zarudnaya finished second in the 1,500 meters with a season-best time of 4:35.84 andAshley Kildow finished ninth in the 81-person field with a time of 4:45.91. Kathie-Lee Laidley (19 4”) and Denneil Shaw (18' 11 1/4”) finished second and third, respectively, in the long jump while Liz Thompson finished third in the shot put with a toss of 44' 7” to set a new personal record.
Where Maverick Athletes Rank in the Summit League
In meets through April 12, many Maverick athletes are tops in the Summit League for individual events. Ashley Kildow ranks first in the 10,000 meter run while Sami Spenner ranks second in 200 meters and third in the 100 meters. Katarina Zarudnaya ranks third in the 1,500 meters and Terri Armstrong ranks eighth in both the 100 and 200 meters.
The Maverick 4x100 meter relay team ranks second and the 4x400 meter relay team ranks fifth. Lindsey Bruns is third in the 10,000 meter run and Kathie-Lee Laidley is fifth in the 100 meter hurdles.
In field events, Omaha has three athletes ranked in the top 10 of the long jump as Sami Spenner (1), Laidley (4) and Denneil Shaw (5) all rank in the top 10. The Mavericks also have three of the top 10 triple jump athletes in Spenner (1), Shaw (4) and Jessica Ripp (5). Liz Thompson is sixth in the shot put and seventh in the discus. Omaha has two athletes ranked in the top 10 in the javelin throw as Spenner is ranked fifth and Amanda Alexander is ranked eighth.
Pre-Season Picks
The Mavericks were picked to finish third in this year's Summit League Outdoor Championship in the annual pre-season poll of the league's coaches. The Mavericks earned 24 points in the voting, ranking behind six-time defending champion North Dakota State (35 points/five first-place votes) and South Dakota (32/2). South Dakota State (23), Western Illinois (16), Fort Wayne (11) and IUPUI (6) rounded out the poll.
Up Next For The Mavericks
Omaha will head east to compete in the the Drake Relays April 23-26 and the Kip Janvrin
Invitational April 24-25. The Drake Relays will get underway at 12:30 p.m. on April 23rd in Des Moines, Iowa while the Kip Janvrin Invitational start at 2 p.m. on April 24 in Indianola, Iowa.
Players Mentioned
Jumps/Multi-Even
/ Track & Field
ATH
/ Cross Country
Distance
/ Track & Field
Jumps
/ Track & Field
Multi-Events
/ Track & Field
Jumps
/ Track & Field
Jumps/Multi-Even
/ Track & Field
Throws
/ Track & Field
Multi-Events
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & FieldTuesday, September 01
Wednesday, August 26
Friday, August 21
Tuesday, April 21
