May 21, 2008

View Division III Men's Regional Honorees

NEW ORLEANS - Caitlin Schetter of Wisconsin-La Crosse and Natalie Calderon of Redlands will be battling for the same honor at this week's NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Oshkosh, Wisc.

Today, they share similar honors. Schetter and Calderon are among the 32 coaches and athletes receiving regional honors today from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

In addition to having the nation's top two marks in the long jump, Schetter and Calderon could contend for top honors in the triple jump at the upcoming NCAA Championships.

The USTFCCCA honors the top women's track and field performers as well as the top coaches in eight Division III regions across the country. Schetter, the reigning NCAA indoor champion in the long jump, is the Midwest Region Women's Field Athlete of the Year. Calderon, the defending NCAA outdoor champion in the long jump, is the West Region Women's Field Athlete of the Year.

This year's regional award winners for Division III women's outdoor track and field:

ATLANTIC REGION

Women's Track Athlete: Toni Wiszowaty, SUNY Plattsburgh
Wiszowaty set a SUNYAC record in winning the 10,000 meters at the Penn Relays in April, clocking a national-leading 33:57.46. She will also run the 5,000 at the NCAA Championships. Wiszowaty, a senior from Shirley, N.Y., has twice finished second in the 10,000 at the national outdoor meet.

Women's Field Athlete: Shannon O'Keeffe, SUNY Brockport
O'Keeffe shares the national lead in the triple jump at 39-6½ with Natalie Calderon of Redlands. O'Keeffe finished third in her specialty at the ECAC Championships and was first at the New York State Track Conference meet. She is a junior from Boston, N.Y.

Women's Head Coach: Mark Krueger, SUNY Brockport
Krueger's men and women captured team titles at the New York State Track Conference meet in Rochester. The Golden Eagles qualified six women for the NCAA Championships, including Shannon O'Keeffe, the national co-leader in the triple jump. Kreueger is in his sixth season as Brockport's head coach.

Women's Assistant Coach: Matt Kuenzel, St. Lawrence University
Kuenzel's athletes dominated the Liberty League Championships, winning all four throwing events. Alyssa Pirinelli won the shot put and discus at the Liberty and NYSTC meets and qualified for the NCAA Championships in the shot put. This is Kuenzel's first season as St. Lawrence's assistant coach.

CENTRAL REGION

Women's Track Athlete: Hannah Baker, Wartburg College
Baker won the 400 meters at the Iowa Conference Championships and anchored Wartburg to victory in the 4 x 100 relay. She has the fifth-fastest time in the 400 meters (55.92) entering the NCAA Championships. Baker is a sophomore from Keota, Iowa.

Women's Field Athlete: Ellen Thys, Loras College
The Duhawks' captain has the second-longest discus throw in the country (159-7). Thys finished third in the NCAA discus as a sophomore and second as a junior. She also qualified for this year's national outdoor meet in the hammer. Thys is a senior from Victor, Iowa.

Women's Head Coach: Joe Sweeney, University of St. Thomas (Minn.)
Sweeney won his 60th Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference women's championship when the Tommies claimed the outdoor track title this spring. St. Thomas won 14 of 22 events at the MIAC meet. Ten of Sweeney's athletes qualified for this week's NCAA Championships. He is in his 28th season as head coach.

Women's Assistant Coach: Ann Ringlein, Nebraska Wesleyan University
Ringlein's 14th season as Nebraska Wesleyan's distance coach was another successful one. Two of her runners won Great Plains Athletic Conference championships - Jackie Spelts in the 5,000 meters and Brittany Hubbard in the 10,000 meters.

MIDWEST REGION

Women's Track Athlete: Rachel Anderson, Illinois Wesleyan University
With victories in the 200 and 400 meters as well as both relays, Anderson was named the outstanding female performer at the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin Championships. Anderson has the nation's top times (24.14 and 55.62) heading into the NCAA Championships. She is a senior from Clinton, Ill.

Women's Field Athlete: Caitlin Schetter, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
The 2008 national indoor champion recently tuned up for the NCAA Championships by breaking her school record in the long jump with a 19-6¼ leap, the best Division III mark in the country. She won the long jump and finished second in the triple jump at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference meet. A junior from Kiel, Wisc. Schetter will also compete in the triple jump at the NCAA Championships.

Women's Head Coach: Paul Thornton, Washington University in St. Louis
Thornton coached the Bears to their eighth consecutive University Athletic Association women's championship in 2008. Washington is sending five women to the NCAA Championships, including hurdler/jumper Danielle Washington. Thornton is in his fifth season at the school.

Women's Assistant Coach: Brenda Thiel, University of Wisconsin-River Falls
Thiel's throwers were outstanding this spring. Vicki Cooper qualified for the NCAA Championships in three events (shot put, discus and javelin), and three other Falcons will be joining Thiel at nationals. Thiel is in her fourth season as a UW-River Falls assistant.

NEW ENGLAND REGION

Women's Track Athlete: Jennifer Adams, Keene State College
An eight-time All-American who won the 5,000 meters at the 2008 NCAA Indoor Championships, Adams won the All-New England title this spring with a Division III best of 16:39.47. She will also compete in the 10,000 at this week's NCAA meet. Adams is a senior from Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Women's Field Athlete: Nikki Hay, Springfield College
Hay will attempt to improve on her sixth-place performance of a year ago when she competes this week in the triple jump at the NCAA Championships. She won the Eastern College Athletic Conference title earlier this month and has a best of 38-4¾. Hay is a sophomore from Norwalk, Conn.

Women's Head Coach: Pete Farwell, Williams College
Williams won the New England Division III championship and claimed an eighth straight New England Small College Athletic Conference title in 2008. The Ephs qualified four athletes for the NCAA Championships. Farwell has won a pair of NCAA women's cross country team titles at Williams.

Women's Assistant Coach: Marc Mangiacotti, Wheaton (Mass.) College
Mangiacotti's sprinters and hurdlers shined this spring. Chizoba Ezeigwe qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 100, 200 and 4 x 400 relay, and Renee Thompson qualified in the 400 meters. Wheaton has the second-fastest time in the nation in the 4 x 400 relay (3:47.27Z). Mangiacotti is in his fourth season as an assistant under head coach Paul Souza.

SOUTH/SOUTHEAST REGION

Women's Track Athlete: Kristin Forbes, Rhodes College
Forbes was the outstanding performer at the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, winning three individual events (100, 200 and 400 meters) and contributing to a pair of relay victories as Rhodes won the women's team title. She is seeded fourth in both the 200 (24.61) and 400 (55.91) entering the NCAA Championships. Forbes is sophomore from Nashville.

Women's Field Athlete: Stacy Doornbos, Washington and Lee University
At the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Championships, Doornbos won the high jump, finished second in the long jump and 100 hurdles, placed third in the 400 meters, and finished sixth in the triple jump. She is seeded fifth in the heptathlon at the NCAA Championships with a best score of 4,562 points. Doornbos is junior from Roswell, Ga.

Women's Head Coach: Patrick Zarate, Texas Lutheran University
Texas Lutheran qualified 12 athletes in eight events for this week's NCAA Championships in Oshkosh, Wisc. The Bulldogs finished second at the American Southwest Conference meet. Zarate is in his second season as head coach.

Women's Assistant Coach: Shelli Sayers, Roanoke College
Sayers did an excellent job with Roanoke's sprinters and hurdlers, contributing greatly to the team's third straight Old Dominion Athletic Conference championship. Robin Yerkes has the sixth-fastest time in the 200 meters entering the NCAA Championships, and Roanoke's sprint relay team is seeded first at 46.84.

GREAT LAKES REGION

Women's Track Athlete: Sarah Wittingen, Calvin College
Wittingen is making her fourth straight trip to the NCAA Outdoor Championships. She has the nation's top time in the 400-meter hurdles (60.26) and is seeded 10th in the 100 hurdles (14.47). She will also compete in the 4 x 400 relay. Wittingen was named the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association's outstanding performer for the third straight year. The seven-time All-American is a senior from East Grand Rapids, Mich.

Women's Field Athlete: Christina Lis, Hope College
Lis won the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association title in the high jump. She is seeded second nationally at 5-7¼ heading into the NCAA Championships. Lis is a junior from Novi, Mich.

Women's Head Coach: Jong-il Kim, Calvin College
Calvin won the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship and will send nine women to this week's NCAA Championships. Calvin senior Sarah Wittingen is ranked first in the 400-meter hurdles. Kim was a two-time Olympian in the long jump for South Korea.

Women's Assistant Coach: Rick Otte, Calvin College
Otte works primarily with athletes in the 400 through 1,500 meters, and the results are impressive. Lauren Bergstrom qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 800 and 1,500. Three of her teammates also broke 2:20 in the 800 meters.

MIDEAST REGION

Women's Track Athlete: Sumer Rohrs, Frostburg State University
Rohrs is the nation's fastest Division III performer in the 100-meter hurdles at 14.03. She won her specialty at the Eastern College Athletic Conference meet and raced to three individual wins at the Mason-Dixon Athletic Conference Championships. A junior from Frostburg, Md., Rohrs also qualified for the national meet in the 400-meter hurdles.

Women's Field Athlete: Amy Reed, Messiah College
At the Middle Atlantic Conference Championships, Reed won the heptathlon with a nation-leading score of 4,689 points. She also won the long jump and javelin, placed third in the shot put and tied for third in the high jump. The heptathlon runner-up at last year's NCAA outdoor meet, Reed also has the nation's third longest throw in the javelin (146-4) this season. She is a senior from Wenatchee, Wash.

Women's Head Coach: Dale Fogelsanger, Messiah College
Messiah ran away with the women's team title at the Mid-American Conference Championship, scoring 274½ points to finish more than 140 points in front of the runner-up. Amy Reed is the national leader in the heptathlon and has the third-longest Division III throw in the javelin. Fogelsanger is in his 13th season as coach at his alma mater.

Women's Assistant Coach: Travis Gillespie, Allegheny College
Gillespie's throwers had a big part in Allegheny's victory at the North Coast Athletic Association Championships. Liz Earley (hammer) and Emily Preufer (javelin) won NCAC titles for the Gators. A third-year assistant on the staff of Allegheny head coach Bill Ross, Gillespie is also an assistant football coach.

WEST REGION

Women's Track Athlete: Jordyn Smith, Williamette University
Smith is seeded fifth in the 800 meters (2:11.38) on the eve of her fourth NCAA championship appearance. The Northwest Conference champion will also compete in the 4 x 400 relay. She earned All-America honors in 2005 in the 400 hurdles. Smith is a senior from Henderson, Nev.

Women's Field Athlete: Natalie Calderon, University of Redlands
Calderon won five individual events as Redlands edged Claremont-Mudd-Scripps by two points for the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference women's championship. She shares the national lead in the triple jump (39-6½) and is second in the long jump (19-4¾). She won the long jump at the 2007 NCAA Outdoor Championships and finished fourth in the triple jump. Calderon is a senior from Pasadena, Calif.

Women's Head Coach: Mike Schmidt, University of Redlands
In Schmidt's first season as head coach, Redlands won the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Association women's title by two points. Schmidt will accompany Natalie Calderon, the defending champion in the long jump, and javelin thrower Mackenzie Smith to the NCAA Championships.

Women's Assistant Coach: Andy Steben, Occidental College
Steben has been coaching vaulters at his alma mater for 29 years. At this year's Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Association Championships, Kera Bartlett led Occidental to a 1-5-8 finish. Bartlett is seeded third (12-8) in the NCAA Championships.