Women's Track breaks 3 NCAA school records

March 3, 2003
The St. Thomas women's indoor track and field team recorded three more NCAA provisional qualifying marks -- all establishing school indoor records -- at Friday's Ole Open at St. Olaf.

Crystal Baloun took second in the weight throw in 47-6 1-4, which surpassed the provisional qualifying standard for the national indoor meet. That mark also broke her old school record of 45-9 3-4 set in 2002.

The Toms' distance-medley relay team of Tish Dusich, Mollie Hupp, Brigid Power and Teresa Smock was first in a provisional qualifying time of 12:06.06 -- also breaking the Tommie school record. UST's 4x400 relay unit of Hupp, Smock, Heidi Vogel and Jill Ylonen was second in a provisional time of 3:57.2, just off the NCAA automatic time of 3:56. That broke a school record by .30 of a second.

UST also won the 4x200 relay in an MIAC season-best 1:46.74.

Other Tommie winners were Nicole Gurgel in the 3,000 meters (10:44.8) and Karolien Bastiaens in the pole vault (11-9 3-4).

Vogel tied for third in the 55 (7.20) and was sixth in the triple jump (34-11 1-2); Ylonen was sixth in the long jump (16-9 3-4); Christie Thames was fifth in the pole vault in a season-best 10-4; Mary McKee was fourth in the 400 in a season-best 62.02; Kristal Grigsby was sixth in the 200 (27.0); and UST went 2-3-6 in the 1,000 with Jenny Borofka (3:14.8), Alana Lucio (3:15.3) and Ronni Hamilton (3:19.1).

St. Thomas will try to repeat as conference team champion at this Friday and Saturday when St. Olaf hosts the MIAC Championships.