Mavericks to Compete at South Dakota State
Jan 21, 2015 | Track & Field
This Week
The Omaha track & field team competes in the Jim Emmerich/Alumni Invitational meet at South Dakota State Universtiy on Saturday, Jan. 24 at the Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex in Brookings, S.D. The event begins at noon.
The Coaches
Chris Richardson is in his ninth season with the Omaha track & field program, his second 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 fifth season coaching the distance events in addition to coaching the cross country team. Finley is in his second season, coaching both sprints and jumps. Cliff Cisar and former UNO standout and multiple record holder Sami Spenner are volunteer assistant coaches.
The Previous Meet
The Mavericks competed in the Holiday Inn Invitational in Lincoln, Neb. on Jan. 16-17.
Freshman Stephanie Ahrens set the school record in the high jump on the second day of competition. She posted a leap of 5-10 3/4 to break the old mark of 5-10, a mark she tied in her first collegiate meet on Dec. 13.
The first day of the event was highlighted by two first-place finishes for Omaha. Ashley Kildow ran the 3,000 meter for the first time won with a time of 9:55.57, the second-best time at that distance in school history. Catherine Davison finished the run seventh (10:36.86).
Karo Garcia finished seventh in the 5,000 meters (18:59.10).
In the nseeded high jump, Taryn Derickson and Emily Everitt both posted a jump of 5-04 1/2 with Derickson winning the tie-breaker for first-place.
The Mavericks took seventh in the distance medley. The team of Davison, Alyssa Thavenet, Kildow and Kristen Rogers posted a time of 12:44.02.
Omaha finished seventh in the eight-school team standings with 23 points.
Mavericks Ranking in the Summit League
In meets through Jan. 18, 12 Mavericks are ranked in the top eight in eight different events.
In the 60 meters senior Terri Armstrong is ranked seventh (7.87) and is sixth in the 200 meters (26.01).
Ashley Kildow is second in the 3,000 meter run (9:55.57). In the 5,000 meter run, junior Karo Garcia ranks fifth (18:59.10) while junior Avery Schmidt ranks seventh (20:01.19).
For the relays, the Maverick 4X400 team is sixth (4:04.35) and the distance medley is second (12:44.02).
The high jump has three Mavs in the rankings. Stephanie Ahrens holds the second place spot (5'10 3/4'') while Taryn Derickson and Emily Everitt are tied for fourth place (5' 4 1/2'').
Ahrens is also ranked seventh in the triple jump (36' 2 1/4'').
The “Last” Season
This is the final season for Omaha track & field in its four-year reclassification from Division II to Division I. The Mavericks, who have never finished lower than fourth in the Summit League indoor or outdoor championships, are eligible for NCAA competition beginning with the 2015-16 season.
Up Next For The Mavericks
The Mavericks will compete in the Jack Jennett Invitational on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 30-31. The event is hosted by Northern Iowa in the UNI-Dome. The events begin at noon.
