2 Tommies on NCAA Women's Track 25-year ballot

March 15, 2006
St. Thomas distance-running legends Kelly Copps and Debbie Thometz are among 44 ex student-athletes on the ballot for the 25-year anniversary honor team in Division III women's outdoor track and field.

Four other MIAC graduates are on the ballot -- Augsburg's Carolyn Ross, Macalester's Julia Kirtland, and Concordia-Moorhead's Kris Kuehl and Renee Erickson.

Thometz was the first UST female national champion as she won the 1981 AIAW cross country championship. After missing the 1982 season while studying in Europe, Thometz also won the 1983 NCAA track title at 10,000 meters in a record-setting time of 33:50.32 -- a mark that still stands as the best time at a D-III national meet and ranks among the elite performances in MIAC history. The 10K record was one of three school records by Thometz set in spring 1983 that are still in the books today. She also holds the 3,000 (9:29.43) and 5,000 (16:26.89) records.

Copps broke the St. Thomas record for individual NCAA individual championships by winning six (four outdoors). She won All-America honors 11 times, including nine in track and field. She won three outdoor 10,000-meter national titles (1993, 1994, 1995) and also won the 1994 outdoor 5,000 meters. She won the NCAA indoor 5,000 in both 1994 and 1995 and the 10,000 at nationals as a senior. Copps also won 11 events and placed second five times on her MIAC track and cross country career, and won the conference cross country title as a senior. The Tommies won all eight conference team championships in track and field and captured two MIAC team crowns in cross country. In 1995 she won the 10,000 finals at NCAA outdoor track and field championships. She was an Academic All-American and the recipient of a NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.



Click below to vote for 10:

see ballot, list of candidates here.