For Immediate Release
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
NSIC Media Relations
 
NSIC Women’s Track Athlete of the Week
Brieanna Puckett
So., Brooklyn Park, Minn.
Osseo HS
Minnesota State


NSIC Women’s Field Athlete of the Week
Kimberly Peterson
Fr., Elizabeth, Colo.
Sioux Falls




NSIC Team Notes
Augustana
The Vikings did not compete last weekend.
Up next for Augustana is the Dordt Invitational on Jan. 17 in Sioux Center, Iowa.

Bemidji State
The Beavers were idle last week.
BSU returns to action for the first time since Dec. 6 when it hosts the BSU Multi and Super 8 Meet this weekend. The multi-event meet will begin at 7 p.m. Friday and wrap up Saturday morning, while the starting gun for the Super 8 will go off at 3 p.m. Saturday.
Nicole Crummy and Jolynne Denman led SBU at the College of St. Scholastica’s Opener Dec. 6. Both juniors claimed the top spot in their respective events. Crummy bettered her 2013 mark in the 600-meter run by seven seconds, clocking a 1:41.67 to win the event, while Denman turned in a 6:11.10 in the mile run to lead a BSU sweep of the top four spots. Jayne Austin took second (6:15.58), Emily Paquin was third (6:17.04) and Amanda Anderson rounded out the top four (6:37.52).

Concordia-St. Paul
Women’s Field: Martina Ware (Throws, 5’6”, Sr., Eagan, Minn., Eastview HS) set two school records at the Northwest Open at the U of M as she broke the shot put record by 1.25 inches with a distance of 44’4.00”.  She then broke the weight throw record by over an inch at 55’7.75” as she  finished first in both events against a field of athletes from SCSU and the U of M.  She hit NCAA provisional qualifying marks in each event as well.

University of Mary
The Marauders were idle last week.
The University of  Mary women’s track & field teams return to action this weekend when the Marauders compete in two meets hosted by NCAA Division I schools. U-Mary first travels to the the Montana State Open in Bozeman, Mont., on Friday, Jan. 16, before racing in the NDSU Invitational in Fargo, N.D., on Saturday, Jan. 17. The Marauders haven’t competed since Dec. 5 at the Dakota Duals Classic.
 
Minnesota Duluth
With University of Minnesota Duluth students still on semester break and school not set to resume for another 10 days, a small contingent of Bulldogs managed to make their way to Arden Hills, Minn., Saturday for the Bethel University Open and their first meet of the new year.
Women’s Track & Field: UMD captured seven individual titles at the Bethel Open with freshmen Erica Kesseh and Katherine Hawkinson leading the way. Kesseh posted first-place finishes in both the 60- and 200-meter dashes and Hawkinson reigned in the long and triple jump events. Freshman Faith Murphy (60-meter hurdles), junior Hannah Olson (1,000-meter run) and senior Lydia Kingsley (shot put).
The Bulldog will engage in their toughest test of the young 2014-15 indoor season next Sat., Jan. 17 when they compete in the University of Minnesota Open.

Minnesota State
The 15th-rated Mavericks hosted the MSU Alumni Open on Saturday and did so in impressive fashion.
Women’s Track: Sophomore Brieanna Puckett (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) finished the MSU Alumni Open with three first-place finishes to her name.  She won the 60-meter dash in a time of 7.61 and would follow suit in the 200-meters with a time of 25.35.  She would round out the day by defeating the rest of the field in the long jump a lunging 19’5.25”.  All three of those marks act as provisional qualifying standards.
Women’s Field: Anna Veroeven (North Mankato, Minn.) won the triple jump event at the MSU Alumni Open by jumping to a mark of 39’6”.  This is a provisional qualifying standard for the national meet and is also currently the second best mark across Division II.
Of note, freshman Stacy Smidt garnered a first place finish in the 400-meters and fellow freshman Megan Allen followed suit in the 800-meters.  Nicole Larson and Faryn Wirkus finished the pole vault in third and fourth, respectively, with both having set provisional qualifying marks already this season.  

MSU Moorhead
The Dragons were idle last week.
Up next for MSUM is the Bison Classic in Fargo, N.D. on Sat., Jan. 17.

Minot State
The Beavers open their season on Jan. 16 & 17 at the Bemidji State Multis and Super 8 Open.

Northern State
NSU was idle last week. The Wolves will host the NSU Open in Aberdeen, S.D. on Jan. 16-17.  

Southwest Minnesota State
Women’s Track: Freshman sprinter Kim Shabino (Spencer, Iowa) finished 11th in the 200-meter with a time of 27.05 and placed 11th  in the 60-meter prelims with a time of 8.13 at the Minnesota State Alumni Open last Saturday.
Women’s Field: Sophomore Rylee Armstrong (Peace River, Alberta, Canada) placed fourth in the triple jump with a mark of 10.81m and also finished fifth in the high jump with a mark of 1.55m at the Minnesota State Alumni Open.

Sioux Falls
In their first competition of the New Year, University of Sioux Falls won three events and had five different Cougars reach provisional qualifying marks at the MSU Alumni Open on Saturday. The Cougars finished 1-2-3 in the women’s pole vault with all three vaulters hitting a qualifying mark, including Kimberly Peterson and Courtney Crandall tying for the top mark in NCAA Division II this season. Sophie Harano was third with her qualifying mark and Jagger Gran earned a runner-up finish, first among attached competitors, and posted a qualifying mark as well. Marissa Whipple won the women’s weight throw and reached a provisional qualifying mark in the process.
Women’s Field: Kimberly Peterson (Pole Vault, Fr., Elizabeth, Colo.) won the women’s pole vault at the MSU Alumni Open as she recorded a collegiate-best 3.80 meter (12-5.5) clearance. Her height is tied for the second in NCAA Division II.
Women’s Track: Katlyn Sawtelle (Hurdles/Multis, Sr., Luverne, Minn./Luverne HS) placed fifth in the women’s 60-meter hurdles as she recorded a personal-best 8.99-second run in the prelims and then ran a 9.14 in the finals.

St. Cloud State
The Huskies opened the new year at the Northwest Open hosted by the University of Minnesota at the U of M Fieldhouse. Four athletes set NCAA Division II provisional qualifying marks in five events during the meet.
Women’s Track: Senior Becky Schmidt (White Bear Lake, Minn.) won the 200 meters in 26.18 and placed second in the long jump with a leap of 18-03.00.  Sophomore Jasmine Grant (Surrey, Canada) won the 60-meter dash in an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 8.13. Grant also placed second in the 200 meters in a time of 26.54.  
Women’s Field: Sophomore Patience Yalartai (Bloomington, Minn.) had a solid outing winning the long jump and triple jump, setting provisional qualifying marks in both events. She had a jump of 18-05.00 in the long jump and 38-00.75 in the triple jump.

Wayne State
Women’s Field: Michaela Dendinger (So., Hartington, Neb.) won the shot put and weight throw Saturday at the Doane College/Ward Haylett Invitational  Indoor Track and Field meet in Crete.  Dendinger won the shot put with an NCAA provisional mark of 44’ 6”, a personal best mark that now ranks #15 in NCAA Division II.  She also won the 20-pound weight throw with a heave of 53’ 10 1/2”.   She currently leads the NSIC with a best mark of 57’ 0”, which she threw in December at the Minnesota State Open.
Wayne State continues the 2015 indoor track and field season on Saturday, January 17 at the Scott Nisely/Doane College Classic in Crete, Neb.

Winona State
The Winona State track and field team was idle last week.
The Warriors next compete at the Saint Mary’s Early Birdinal on Saturday in Winona, Minn.

NSIC Women's Indoor Track & Field Athletes of the Week
Women’s Field
12/09/14    Sara Wells, Wayne State
1/13/15    Kimberly Peterson, Sioux Falls
Women’s Track
12/09/14    Alissa Mears, MSU Moorhead
1/13/15    Brieanna Puckett, Minnesota State