Mavs Wrap Up Season at Summit League Championship
Feb 25, 2015 | Track & Field
This Week
The Mavericks will be competing at the Summit League Indoor Championship on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 27-28. The meet is hosted by North Dakota State in Fargo, N.D. The event will begin at Noon on Friday and at 2 p.m. on Saturday at the Shelly Ellig Indoor Track & Field Facility.
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 Meets
The Omaha track & field team registered a number of personal best times and marks in a pair of tune-up meets heading into the Summit League Championship.
In the USD Twilight meet at South Dakota, Payton Horacek won the long jump with a personal best mark of 18-01. Noni Henderson took fourth in the event with a mark of 17-08 3/4 while Emily Everitt hit a new PR with a jump of 17-06 to tie for sixth.
Henderson picked up a PR in the triple jump with a leap of 36-11 1/2, good for a tie for third.
In the high jump, Stephanie Ahrens took seventh with a jump of 5-08 while Taryn Derickson took fourth with a personal best mark of 5-06. Everitt was sixth at 5-04 1/4 while Amanda Alexander took eight at 5-00 1/4.
In the shot put, Amanda Conlin posted her second-best throw ever with a toss of 42-09 while Macy Woitzel put up a PR of 35-02, good for 11th place.
At the Nebraska Tune-Up in Lincoln, the distance runners took center stage. Ashley Kildow was third in the mile with a personal best time of 4:58.49.
In the 5,000 meters, Kristin Rogers was fourth in a time of 18:37.85 while Alyssa Averhoff ran a personal best time of 18:45.65, good for seventh.
Alyssa Thavenet just missed equaling her personal best in the 800 meters with a time of 2:17.57
Mavericks Ranking in the Summit League
In meets through Feb. 21, the Mavericks are ranked in the top eight in seven different events.
In the 60 meters, senior Terri Armstrong holds eighth place (7.80).
Senior Ashley Kildow is sixth in the mile run (4:58.49) and seventh in the 3,000 meter run (9:55.57).
In the 60 meter hurdles, freshman Maddie Buller holds sixth place (9.31).
For the relays, the Maverick 4X400 team is sixth (3:58.84), and the distance medley is third (12:44.02).
The high jump has three Mavs in the rankings. Freshman Stephanie Ahrens holds the second-place spot (5-10 3/4) while sophomore Taryn Derickson is in third (5-6) and freshman Emily Everitt is in fourth place (5-5).
The “Last” Season
The Omaha track & field team is in its fourth and final year of reclassification from Division II to Division I. The Mavericks are eligible for NCAA competition beginning with the 2015-16 season.
Up Next For The Mavericks
The Mavericks will have some time off before starting their 2015 outdoor season. On Saturday, March 21, Omaha will compete in the Tulsa Duals in Tulsa, Okla. The time of the event has not yet been announced.
