Toms sweep men's, women's MIAC team track championships

May 11, 2002
St. Thomas continued its domination of MIAC track and field Saturday as it captured the men's and women's team outdoor championships for the third year in a row. The two-day competition concluded Saturday in rainy, windy conditions at Gustavus.

Led by sprinter-jumper Jill Ylonen, who had a hand in 42 points, Coach Joe Sweeney's women tallied 99 points on Saturday and posted a 19-point victory over runner-up Concordia-Moorhead. The Tommie women had five firsts and scored in 17 of 22 events and finished with 146 points to the Cobbers' 127. Carleton was third at 104.5 and Gustavus scored 102. It was the Tommies' 17th team championship in the last 18 seasons. The Toms got no points in the two hurdle races, but scored 27 points in the long and triple jump and 33 more in the 1,500, 5,000, 10,000 and 3K steeplechase.

On the men's side, Coach Steve Mathre's team made it 18 team crowns in the last 20 seasons. Junior All-American Andrew Hilliard had a hand in three firsts as St. Thomas totalled 197 points to outscore runner-up Gustavus (133). St. John's (111), St. Olaf (103.5) and Hamline (93) rounded out the top five.

The Tommie men had only four first-place finishes -- the 110 and 400 hurdles, and the 4x100 and 4x400 relays -- but they had seven runner-up placings and scored in 20 of 22 events. St. Thomas didn't win any of the seven track races, the 100 through 10,000 meters, but still scored 97 points in those events with excellent depth.

Junior All-American Craig Benson won the 110 hurdles (14.91) and Hilliard repeated as the 400 hurdles champion (53.98). The Toms won the 4x100 with Hilliard, Roman Cress, Tom Hart and freshman anchor Carson Glad (41.93), and won the 4x400 relay with Hilliard, freshman Jason Schwietz, Glad and Justin Hall (3:15.73). The 4x100 team ran an NCAA automatic qualifying time in the prelims of 41.23.

The Tommies also got 17 points from senior Joe McCarney with runner-up placings in the pole vault (14-11) and the decathlon, and an eighth place in the long jump (20-8 1-2); and nine points from senior Aaron Johnson, who took fourth in the hammer (145-10), sixth in the discus (131-8), and seventh in the shot put (46-1 1-2).

Other MIAC runners-up were Schwietz in the 400 (NCAA provisional qualifying time of 48.61); Cress in the 200 (22.44); Tore Evenson in the javelin (172-2); Brian Preus in the 10,000 (31:23); and the 4x800 relay team of Bryan Limmer, Pete Bernardy, Bryce Miller and Shawn Lohman (7:49.55).

Thirds for St. Thomas came from Cress in the 100 (11.02); Hall in the 400 (49.10); freshman Cory Fusco in the 800 (1:57.73); and Andy Kummer in the 1,500 (4:12.47).

Fourths were scored by Andrew Kisielius in the long jump (22-4 1-4) and the triple jump (44-8 3-4); freshman Sean Brenckman in the 10,000; Glad in the 100 (11.16); and freshman Jason Overson in the 1,500 (4:12.19).

Fifths were scored by Hart in the 200 (22.69); Bryce Beckman in the 800 (1:57.87); Levi Severson (15:49.96); Nick Maddox in the 10,000; and freshman Dave Diercks in the javelin (164-5).

Sixths were scored by Hilliard in the 100 (11.33); Steve Rajwesky in the 400 (50.41); freshman Brock Stepan in the 1,500 (4:14.58); Brenckman in the 5,000 (15:51.62); and freshman Ryan Hatteberg in the triple jump (44-1 1-2).

Sevenths were scored by Severson in the 10,000, and Shaun Sharpe in the 400 (50.75).

Eighths were scored by Glad in the 200 (22.81); Ben Garbe in the triple jump (43-4 1-2); and Nick Schleder in the 400 hurdles (58.13).

On the women's side, Ylonen had a hand in 42 points as she repeated as champion in the 100 (12.58); took second in both the long jump (17-8 1-4) and 200 (26.51); anchored the winning 4x100 relay with Karolien Bastiaens, Heidi Vogel and Erin Ranta (50.24); and ran on a third-place 4x400 relay with Teresa Smock, Tish Dusich and Mary McKee (4:06.15).

Vogel contributed to 37 points as she won the triple jump (36-6 1-4) and ran on the winning 4x100; took third in both the 200 (26.51) and 400 (59.07); and was fourth in the long jump (17-4).

Bastiaens also won Friday's pole vault in an NCAA provisional qualifying height of 11-6 1-4. The fifth Tommie victory came Friday in the 4x800 relay with Mary Pulling, Brigid Power, Cali Smith and Smock (9:26.41).

Freshman Nicole Gurgel added a gritty double and scored 11 crucial team points with a third in Friday's 10,000 (39:11) and a fourth in Saturday's 5,000 (18:55.63).

Also taking thirds for the Toms were Smock in the 800 (2:19.89); Dusich in the 1,500 (4:52.23); Pulling in the steeplechase (NCAA provisional time of 11:44.54); and Sara Diercks in the javelin (112-2).

Alano Lucio took fifth in the steeplechase (11:50.34). Sixths were scored by Crystal Baloun in both the discus (128-8) and shot put (36-4 3-4); Ranta in the long jump (16-8); and Power in the 1,500 (5:01.98) Sevenths were scored by Dusich in the 800 (2:22.78) and Natalie Stork in the 10,000 (40:34.14). Eights were scored by Viet Hanh Nguyen in the triple jump (33-3 1-4) and Becky Mooney in the steeplechase (12:08.77).

see complete results here