For Immediate Release
Tuesday, February 8, 2022
NSIC Media Relations

NSIC Women's Track Athlete of the Week
Patty Jo English (Distance, Jr., Elko, Minn. / Lakeville South HS) - Augustana
Ella Heinitz (Distance, Fr., Dell Rapids, S.D. / Saint Mary Catholic HS) - Augustana
Cami Streff (Distance R-So., Madison, S.D. / Lincoln HS) - Augustana
Nicolette Schmidt (Distance, Sr., Redfield, S.D. / Redfield HS) - Augustana
- The relay team placed first at the Mines Winter Classic in the Distance Medley Relay
- The relay time of 11:55.96 broke the Steinhauer fieldhouse record
- Converted for altitude and track size the time ranks first in the nation at 11:32.29

NSIC Women's Field Athlete of the Week
Makayla Jackson (Sprints/Jumps, So., Milwaukee, Wis. / Milwaukee King HS) - Minnesota State
- Won the long jump at the Ted Nelson Classic with a leap of 19-10.25 (6.05m)
- The jump is an NCAA Provisional mark that ranks fourth in the nation this season
- Won the 60m dash at the Ted Nelson Classic in a time of 7.38
- Her time is a provisional time that ranks second in the nation

Other Top Track Performances
Maryse Mbenoun (BSU) broke BSU’s 18-year-old record in the 500m dash at the NDSU Open. She ran 1:17.83 to take first in the 500m dash. She also took fifth in the 400m dash with a time of 1:00.28 and was part of BSU’s 4x400m relay that took third with a time of 4:05.79. 
Elizabeth Acheson (UMary) won the 800 meter run at the NDSU Bison Open as she posted an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 2:13.71 to win the event by over two seconds. She ranks first in the NSIC and 12th in the nation. 
Makayla Jackson (MSU) took home first in the 60m dash with a time of 7.38 seconds which is a NCAA Provisional mark and moved her up to second in D2 in the 60m dash.
Robynn Curry (MSUM) won the 400 meter dash at Bison Open with a time of 58.18, which was best in NSIC this season. It was her third win this indoor season. 
Emily Hansen (MINOT) shaved four seconds off her season-best time in the 800 meters and finished 17th in the event at the North Dakota State Bison Open in a time of 2:27.56.
Shanice Burrell (NSU) ran a national provisional mark of 8.83 in the 60m hurdles at the Bison Open. She took second in the event as the top Division II placer and ranks 22nd in the nation. She added a third place finish in the 200m with a time of 26.47. 
Morgan Gehl (USF) was fourth the women's mile run at 5:09.31 at the Northwest Missouri Bearcat Open. The time ranks third all-time at USF and ninth in the NSIC. She was also 11th in the 3,000-meters with a 10:22.20, another mark which is third all-time at USF and 13th in the NSIC.
Maddie Stevens (UIU) set a new program and Luther Invitational meet record with her run in the 400 meters. Her time of 58.72 won the event. Stevens also ran the second leg of the 4x400m relay; UIU won the relay event in a time of 4:17.24.
Lindsay Cunningham (WSU) captured a championship finish in the 3000 meters competing at the Bearcat Invitational. She earned first place at 9:43.53 in an extremely close race, finishing just ahead of Emporia State’s Jenna Ramsey who came in second at 9:43.86. Cunningham’s time is a NCAA Division II provisional qualifying mark. Cunningham shaved over 10 seconds of her WSU all-time best in the 3000-meters, with her 9:43.53 time replacing her 9:54.61 mark set earlier this year. 

Other Top Field Performances
Kylee Sallee (AUGIE) debuted in the pentathlon at the Bison Open last weekend where she placed second overall with 3,266 points. Her mark was an NCAA Provisional Qualifier that ranks her 28th in the nation and fourth in the NSIC.
Arika Robinson (CSP) took first place in the women’s pentathlon with a score of 3684 at Bearcat Invite. She took first place ranks in the high jump with a 1.75m mark (pent). She also took first in the long jump with a 5.60m jump (pent). She ranks fifth in the nation in the pentathlon this season. 
D’Andra Morris (UMary) won the triple jump at the Bison Open with her best mark of the season. The All-American exploded for a mark of 40-9.75 (12.44m). She also placed fourth in the long jump (5.65 meters). Morris leads the NSIC and is fourth nationally in the triple jump. She is 8th nationally and 3rd in the NSIC in the long jump.
Katie Taylor (MSU) took home the top spot in the shot put at the Ted Nelson Classic with a distance of 49-2.25 (14.99m). With this throw Taylor moves up to seventh in Division II.
Ashley Hokanson (MSUM) won the pole vault at Bison Open with a vault of 12-6, best in NSIC this season. He vault is a NCAA qualifying vault that is tied for 23rd nationally. 
Jenna Hardy (MINOT) led the Minot State throwers finishing fourth in the shot put with a distance of 44-2.75 at the North Dakota State Bison Open.
Tava Berg (NSU) took second in the high jump at the Bison Open with a national provisional mark of 1.69m. She moved up to 17th nationally in the event and third in the NSIC. 
Emma Hertz (USF)  won the weight throw with a toss of 63-5 (19.33m) at the Ted Nelson Classic, which is the second best of her career, a DII provisional mark. It would rank fourth best in the NSIC this year but of course she had a school record throw a week ago 64-7.75 which is second in the NSIC this year. 
Brooklynn Chipps (WSC) posted a NCAA provisional mark in the weight throw at the USD Alumni Meet. He placed fourth in a strong Division I field at 64-7. The mark ranks fourth in NCAA Division II in weight throw. He also finished seventh in shot put (42-8.25).
Ashlie Lockington (WSU) took fourth in the triple jump at 37-6.75 (11.45m) at the Northwest Missouri State Bearcat Invite.  She was the top field event finisher for WSU at the event as she moved into the Warrior top-10 at #10 all-time. 

 

Women's Indoor Track & Field Athletes of the Week
12/7/21
T: Ja'Cey Simmons  - Minnesota State
F: Arika Robinson  - Concordia-St. Paul
12/14/21
T: Elizabeth Acheson  - UMary
F: Arianna Passeri - UMary
1/18/22
T: Lindsay Cunningham - Winona State
F: Katie Taylor - Minnesota State
1/25/22
T: Rose Cramer - Minnesota State
F: Katie Taylor - Minnesota State (2)
1/31/22
T: Ja'Cey Simmons  - Minnesota State (2) 
F: Hannah Arason - St. Cloud State
2/8/22
T: Patty Jo English, Ella Heinitz, Cami Streff, Nicolette Schmidt - Augustana
F: Makayla Jackson- Minnesota State

About the NSIC
The NSIC is a 16-team, 18-sport, NCAA Division II conference with institutions located in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The NSIC is a model Division II conference that uses high-level athletics competition to develop champions in the classroom and community while empowering student-athletes to be impactful and positive leaders. Formed in 1992 by the merger of the Northern Intercollegiate Conference (men’s league) and the Northern Sun Conference (women’s league), the NSIC has flourished over the past quarter century, maturing into a 16-team union of Upper Midwest colleges and universities. The NSIC has won 24 team national championships and crowned 81 individual national champions. For additional information, visit NorthernSun.org.

About NCAA Division II
The NCAA, the national governing body for college athletics, is a volunteer association of more than 1,000 colleges and universities that classify their athletics programs in one of three membership divisions. The 300+ institutions in NCAA Division II support a balanced approach in which student-athletes can earn scholarships based on their athletic ability, pursue their desired academic degree, and participate in all the campus and surrounding community have to offer. Division II student-athletes annually graduate at rates higher than their student body peers, and they have access to the best championships-participant ratio among the NCAA’s three divisions. Division II gives student-athletes the unique opportunity to compete in the classroom, on the field, in their career, for their causes, and on their terms. For additional information, visit NCAA.org.