UMAC announces 2017 Women's Outdoor Track and Field awards
ST. PAUL, Minn.---The 2017 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championship saw the College of St. Scholastica return to the top of the team standings, while Bethany Lutheran College catapulted all the way to second place.
Following an exciting two days of action, athletes were recognized with all-conference accolades as well as the UMAC Women's Outdoor Track and Field top honors were given out. Bethany Lutheran Head Coach Michael Dunn was voted Coach of the Year by his peers for leading the Vikings to a remarkable finish, while Valerie Rowe of the University of Wisconsin-Superior was selected the Track Athlete of the Meet and Hannah Russert of St. Scholastica claimed the Field Athlete of the Meet award announced Wednesday.
Under Dunn's direction, the Vikings had a dramatic turnaround this season finishing second with 156 points – narrowly pushing out Wisconsin-Superior by 1.5 points. A season ago, the Vikings placed fourth with just 97 points. Collectively, Bethany Lutheran recorded four all-conference performances and won two events.
After the first day of competition, the Vikings trailed Wisconsin-Superior by 12 points before tallying 95 points on the second day to finish as runner-up – the best finish in program history for Bethany Lutheran.
On the track, multi-event specialist Rowe helped keep Wisconsin-Superior in contention throughout the meet. The sophomore earned first place finishes in two events and set a new record in the 400-meter hurdles by nearly two seconds. Her time of 1:04.50 was nearly two seconds faster than the runner-up finisher and reigning champion Emily Ciesynski of Minnesota Morris. Rowe won the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.88 and also ran the fastest qualifying time of 12.68 in the prelims.
Rowe's outstanding individual contributions on the track continued with a fifth-place finish in the 400-meter dash clocking a time of 1:00.49 that was less than a second from the second-place time of 59.86. She also ran the anchor leg of the 4 x 400-meter relay squad for the Yellowjackets that finished second with a time of 4:05.67. Rowe also helped the Yellowjackets to a third-place finish in the 4 x 100-meter relay that finished in 51.28. Additionally, Rowe added an all-conference finish in the pole vault.
In the field events, Russert was just as dominant and contributed a significant amount of points to the Saints' team victory. On the first day of competition, Russert upset event favorite Svenja Ruehl in the long jump with a mark of 5.20 meters (17-0.75) for her first individual win of the weekend. The senior went on to take second in the javelin with a toss of 28.36 meters (93) that earned her all-conference recognition.
Russert's outstanding meet continued with a third-place finish in the high jump. She cleared 1.51 meters (4-11.50) which was the same height as the event winner, but was third based on attempts. On the track, Russert set a new meet record in winning the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 15.06 and placed third in the 400-meter hurdles.
Rowe and Russetr were two of five individuals who won multiple events last weekend. Taylor Gibson of St. Scholatica placed first in both the 400-meter dash and 800-meter run and contributed to the 4 x 400-meter relay victory. Sammi Argir of St. Scholastica won the 200-meter dash and was on the 4 x 400-meter squad, while Hannah Goemann of the University of Minnesota Morris finished first in the 1,500-meter run and helped the Cougars' 4 x 800-meter relay set a new meet record.
All-conference honors were also awarded to athletes who collected a first- or second-place finish in any individual event and to individual members of a first-place relay team. Minnesota Morris won two relays to lead the field with 10 honorees, while champion St. Scholastica had nine individuals recognized. Bethany Lutheran and Wisconsin-Superior each had four honrees and Martin Luther College had a pair.
Each year the UMAC recognizes the team sportsmanship award, an accolade that is selected by the UMAC coaches and awarded to the team that best represented sportsmanship throughout the entire season. Martin Luther earned the team honor. Each team also had one representative on the individual sportsmanship award list.
Track Athlete of the Meet Award – Valerie Rowe, So., Wisconsin-Superior
Field Athlete of the Meet Award – Hannah Russert, Sr., St. Scholastica
Coach of the Year Award – Michael Dunn, Bethany Lutheran
UMAC All-Conference
| Name |
School |
Year |
Hometown/High School |
| Elisabeth Anderson |
Minnesota Morris |
Jr. |
Bloomer, Wis./Bloomer |
| Sammi Argir |
St. Scholastica |
Jr. |
Chisolm, Minn./Hibbing |
| Melina Avinon |
St. Scholastica |
So. |
San Martin de los Andes, Argentina/Ontario Hockey Academy |
| Tanna Boyle |
Minnesota Morris |
Sr. |
Simla, Colo./Simla |
| Emily Ciesynski |
Minnesota Morris |
So. |
Blaine, Minn./Blaine |
| Carly Denler |
Minnesota Morris |
Sr. |
Champlin, Minn./Champlin Park |
| Taylor Gibson |
St. Scholastica |
Sr. |
La Crescent, Minn./La Crescent |
| Hannah Goemann |
Minnesota Morris |
Sr. |
Wells, Minn./United South Central |
| Lydia Hildebrandt |
Bethany Lutheran |
So. |
Mountain Lake, Minn./Mountain Lake |
| Brooke Hogan |
Minnesota Morris |
Fy. |
Cannon Falls, Minn./Cannon Falls |
| Charlotte Huebner |
Martin Luther |
Sr. |
Sun Prairie, Wis./Lakeside Lutheran |
| Anika Kling |
St. Scholastica |
Fy. |
Hudson, Wis./Hudson |
| Brittany Ludwig |
St. Scholastica |
Sr. |
Alexandria, Minn./Jefferson |
| Kari Marzinske |
Bethany Lutheran |
Jr. |
Sout St. Paul, Minn./St. croix Lutheran |
| Molly McGrath |
Minnesota Morris |
Jr. |
Ham Lake, Minn./Blaine |
| Melissa Neumann |
Martin Luther |
Fy. |
Merill, Wis./Northland Lutheran |
| Katherine Novak |
Minnesota Morris |
So. |
Champlin, Minn./Champlin Park |
| Sierra Paske |
Minnesota Morris |
So. |
Rochester, Minn./Century |
| Paige Pederson |
Minnesota Morris |
Fy. |
Warren, Minn./Stephen-Argyle Central |
| Taylor Phillips |
Wisconsin-Superior |
So. |
Superior, Wis./Superior |
| Elizabeth Poskie |
St. Scholastica |
Fy. |
Cotton, Minn./South Ridge |
| Kelli Praska |
Wisconsin-Superior |
So. |
Eagan, Minn./Eagan |
| Valerie Rowe |
Wisconsin-Superior |
So. |
Ironwood, Mich./A.D. Johnston |
| Svenja Ruehl |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Jr. |
Kirchuers, Germany/Gymnasium Philippinum Marburg |
| Hannah Russert |
St. Scholastica |
Sr. |
Caledonia, Minn./Caledonia |
| Megan Rutt |
Bethany Lutheran |
Fy. |
Le Center, Minn./Tri-City United |
| Megan Sauer |
Bethany Lutheran |
Sr. |
Lismore, Minn./Adrian |
| Breanna Shofner |
St. Scholastica |
Jr. |
International Falls, Minn./Falls |
| Natalie St. Marie |
St. Scholastica |
Fy. |
St. Francis, Minn./St. Francis |
UMAC Individual Event Champions
| Name |
Event(s) |
School |
Year |
Hometown/High School |
| Sammi Argir |
200-meter Dash, 4 x 400-meter Relay |
St. Scholastica |
Jr. |
Chisolm, Minn./Hibbing |
| Elisabeth Anderson |
4 x 800-meter Relay |
Minnesota Morris |
Jr. |
Bloomer, Wis./Bloomer |
| Melina Avinon |
4 x 400-meter Relay |
St. Scholastica |
So. |
San Martin de los Andes, Argentina/Ontario Hockey Academy |
| Tanna Boyle |
4 x 800-meter Relay |
Minnesota Morris |
Sr. |
Simla, Colo./Simla |
| Emily Ciesynski |
4 x 100-meter Relay |
Minnesota Morris |
So. |
Blaine, Minn./Blaine |
| Carly Denler |
Pole Vault |
Minnesota Morris |
Sr. |
Champlin, Minn./Champlin Park |
| Taylor Gibson |
400-meter Dash, 800-meter Run,
4 x 400-meter Relay |
St. Scholastica |
Sr. |
La Crescent, Minn./La Crescent |
| Hannah Goemann |
1,500-meter Run, 4 x 800-meter Relay |
Minnesota Morris |
Sr. |
Wells, Minn./United South Central |
| Brooke Hogan |
4 x 100-meter Relay |
Minnesota Morris |
Fy. |
Cannon Falls, Minn./Cannon Falls |
| Charlotte Huebner |
Javelin Throw |
Martin Luther |
Sr. |
Sun Prairie, Wis./Lakeside Lutheran |
| Molly McGrath |
4 x 100-meter Relay |
Minnesota Morris |
Jr. |
Ham Lake, Minn./Blaine |
| Melissa Neumann |
Discus Throw |
Martin Luther |
Fy. |
Merill, Wis./Northland Lutheran |
| Katherine Novak |
4 x 800-meter Relay |
Minnesota Morris |
So. |
Champlin, Minn./Champlin Park |
| Paige Pederson |
4 x 100-meter Relay |
Minnesota Morris |
Fy. |
Warren, Minn./Stephen-Argyle Central |
| Taylor Phillips |
Shot Put |
Wisconsin-Superior |
So. |
Superior, Wis./Superior |
| Elizabeth Poskie |
5,000-meter Run |
St. Scholastica |
Fy. |
Cotton, Minn./South Ridge |
| Valerie Rowe |
100-meter Dash, 400-meter Hurdles |
Wisconsin-Superior |
So. |
Ironwood, Mich./A.D. Johnston |
| Svenja Ruehl |
Triple Jump |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Jr. |
Kirchuers, Germany/Gymnasium Philippinum Marburg |
| Hannah Russert |
100-meter Hurdles, Long Jump |
St. Scholastica |
Sr. |
Caledonia, Minn./Caledonia |
| Megan Rutt |
High Jump |
Bethany Lutheran |
Fy. |
Le Center, Minn./Tri-City United |
| Megan Sauer |
3,000-meter Steeplechase |
Bethany Lutheran |
Sr. |
Lismore, Minn./Adrian |
| Breanna Shofner |
4 x 400-meter Relay |
St. Scholastica |
Jr. |
International Falls, Minn./Falls |
| Natalie St. Marie |
Hammer Throw |
St. Scholastica |
Fy. |
St. Francis, Minn./St. Francis |
UMAC Sportsmanship Awards
Team Award – Martin Luther
Bethany Lutheran – Lindsey Stewart, Sr., Albert Lea, Minn./Albert Lea
Crown – Patricia Gibson, Fy., Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata
Martin Luther – Charlotte Huebner, Sr., Sun Prairie, Wis./Lakeside Lutheran
Minnesota-Morris – Hannah Goemann, Sr., Wells, Minn./United South Central
North Central – Natasha George, Jr., Oakville, Wash./Croassroads Christian
Northwestern – Sarah Miller, Fy., Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview
St. Scholastica – Elizabeth Poskie, Fy., Cotton, Minn./South Ridge
Wisconsin-Superior – Taylor Phillips, So, Superior, Wis./Superior