Tommie Sports -
Women's Track wins MIAC as Grigsby, Power shine
May 14, 2005see final meet results here
St. Thomas got six firsts from All-Americans Kristal Grigsby and Brigid Power to pull away to a 51-point win over runner-up Gustavus in the 2005 MIAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Macalester. The two-day competition conlcuded Saturday night.
The Tommies won the outdoor team title for the fifth time in six years as they scored 171 points to move past closest pursuers Gustavus (120), St. Ben's (102), Concordia (88), Macalester (85.5), St. Olaf (61) and St. Mary's (58). UST had eight firsts and six seconds and scored in 18 of 22 events.
It marked the 52nd all-time team MIAC victory for St. Thomas' 25-year head coach Joe Sweeney in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track.
It also was St. Thomas' sixth team championship of 2004-05. The Toms previously won titles in baseball and softball this spring; swept indoor men's and women's track; and captured first in women's golf. The Tommies had top-three conference placings in 17 of 22 sports with runner-up finishes in men's golf, football, men's basketball, men's outdoor track and men's and women's hockey; and third-place finishes in volleyball, men's and women's cross country and men's and women's tennis.
Grigsby had a hand in four victories and now has 11 MIAC championship in her last two seasons (indoors and outdoors). Her Saturday triple jump victory in a meet-record distance of 38-0 1-4 let her sweep the long, high and triple jumps. She also anchored the winning 4x400 relay in 3:57.36 joining Molly Bauman, Christina Chapman and Alicia Wolff. Grigsby also scored with an eighth in the 100 (13.28) and a sixth in the 200 (26.52).
Power won her seventh and eighth career MIAC championships as she swept the 800 (2:17.79) and 1,500 (4:42.2).
Bauman also won the 400 hurdles (62.26), was second in the 100 hurdles (15.49) and fourth in the 100 meters (12.90). Freshman Shara Guidry won the discus (124-8) and sophomore Shannon Kane was second in the hammer (137-0). Andretta Colley was second in the triple jump (36-9 1-2) to go with her runner-up long jump on Friday. Chapman was second in the 400 (58.55) and fourth in the 200 (26.10). Nkechi Alaike was seventh in the 100 (13.08). Wolff was eighth in the 400 (60.87). Chelsea Guettinger capped a grueling 10K-5K weekend and took eighth in the 5,000 (18:49.62). Carol Comp was sixth in the discus (116-0), and Selina Dehn was fifth in the triple jump.
Friday highlights
The Tommies' Kristal Grigsby won the long jump and high jump Friday to help offset a UST 4x100 relay disqualification that bounced the Toms from the finals and a likely eight to 10 points.
Grigsby went 5-5 3/4 to win a jump off in the high jump, and broke a 20-year-old stadium record with a 19-5 1/4 leap in the long jump -- best in Division III this season. Teammate Andretta Colley was second in the long jump at 18-4 1-2.
Erika Wetzel was second in the javelin (127-1). In the 10,000, the Toms picked up nine points as Jenny Olin (38:56.26) and Chelsea Guettinger (39:01.01) took 4-5. Nikki Mammen scored three points with an eighth in three events -- the high jump (5-0 1-2), the long jump (16-5 1-4) and last week's heptathlon (3,562 points). Carol Comp was eighth in the shot put (36-6 3-4).
