Men's Track gets 2nd in 4x400 at NCAA indoor

March 14, 2004
St. Thomas placed second in the men's 4x400 relay Saturday for the best MIAC finish at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships in Whitewater, Wis.

Five MIAC institutions scored points -- Augsburg, St. Olaf and St. Thomas scored in both men's and women's events; St. John's scored in the men; and Gustavus scored in the women.

The Tommies' quartet of Carson Glad, P.J. Theisen, Shaun Sharpe and Jason Schwietz ran 3:17.82, five seconds behind first-place UW-LaCrosse. The Toms edged Wartburg by .08 of a second and claimed eight team points. Sharpe, the lone senior in the group, earned his first All-America honor, as did freshman Thiesen.

Glad also placed fourth in the 400 meters (48.64) and the Tommie men placed 12th in the team scoring with 13 points.

The Tommie women tied for 20th place with nine points on two top-five finishes. Senior Teresa Smock repeated as an All-American in the 800 meters as she placed fourth (2:16.10), Soph Kristal Grigsby earned her first All-America honors as she leaped 38-1 1-4 for fifth place in the triple jump. Tommie senior Karolien Bastiaens just missed a top-eight finish in the pole vault as she cleared 11-5 1-4 but placed ninth on misses.

On Friday, UST junior Brigid Power failed to advance to the finals in the 1,500 meters, and Grigsby missed the finals in the long jump.

Three other MIAC women failed to make the finals -- Augsburg's Alanna Carter (7.32) and Tonnisha Bell (7.37) in the 55 meters and St. Ben's Jenna Wendorff in the shot put (43-3 3-4).

The Tommie men will compete next Saturday on spring break at the San Diego State Open.

The St. Thomas women will be idle until April 3.
 
NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships/Whitewater, Wis.

Final Men's Team Scoring 
1 UW-La Crosse 70; 2. (tie) UW-Whitewater, Lincoln (Pa.) 29; 4. Nebraska Wesleyan 28; 5. UW-Platteville 25. MIAC Teams: tie12. St. Thomas 13; tie 35. St. John's, Augsburg 4; tie 53 St. Olaf 1.

Men's Placewinners/MIAC
.800 Meters--5. Michael Marschel, St. John's, 1:54.76
.400 Meters--4. Carson Glad, St.. Thomas, 48.64; 5. Mathew Shannon, Augsburg, 48.67 
.4x400 Relay--2. St. Thomas (Carson Glad, P.J. Theisen, Shaun Sharpe, Jason Schwietz) 3:17.83
.Shot Put--8. Pete Cathcart, St. Olaf, 52-6
.Triple Jump--9. Paul Ferber, St. John's 46-4

Final Women's Team Scoring 
1 Wisconsin-Oshkosh 56.5; 2. Wheaton (Mass.) 28; tie 3. Bates (Me.), Wisconsin-Stevens Point 23; 5. Wisconsin-Stout 21; MIAC Teams: tie 20. St. Thomas 9; tie 29. Gustavus 6; tie 40. St. Olaf 4; tie 52. Augsburg 2
 
Women's Placewinners/MIAC:
.Distance Medley Relay--7. Augsburg (Ellen Waldow, Alanna Carter, Hannah Dietrich, Angela Bergeson) 12:08
 .55-Meter Hurdles--5. Rebecca Peterson, St, Olaf, 8.38
 .800 Meters--4. Teresa Smock, St. Thomas, 2:16.10
 .Shot Put--3. Jackie Luehmann, Gustavus, 47-2 1-2
 .Triple Jump--5. Kristal Grigsby, St. Thomas, 38-1 1-4
 .Pole Vault--9. Karolien Bastiaens, St. Thomas, 11-5 1-4

see link to meet results here