Track and Field Articles By Cara Hawkins

“The time has come,” the walrus said, “to talk of many things.” With a few days left until November 22, 2008, the time has come to make final predictions for DII XC Nationals.  This year’s race is shaping up to have its share of drama. The weather in Slippery Rock, PA looks to be brutal, with a chance of snow the entire week and an estimated high temperature of 39 degrees on race day. The question is how these adverse conditions will affect those runners who are use to warmer weather? There will be other factors, besides the weather, that… more »

“Six miles…10,000 meters over hill and dale out in the middle of nowhere. Spit freezing on your godamn [sic] chin. Five hundred complete wild men in the mud, running up your heel with long spikes. Oh, I love cross country all right. I also like being flayed alive with a rusty straight razor” so proclaimed the famous fictional runner, Quenton Cassidy.  This love-hate relationship with the sport is familiar to many; as grueling as cross country races can be, many runners are reluctant to see the season come to an end.  For a handful of hard working individuals and teams,… more »

There is one last barrier for teams to successfully hurdle in order to make it to Slippery Rock, PA for the DII National 2008 Cross Country meet held on November 22. This last hurdle is the Regional meet. DII regionals work differently then DI; there are no at-large bids, but rather a straight qualification system.  Each region sends at least two automatically qualifying teams and two individuals to the national meet. The top five individuals who are not part of a qualifying team will also automatically advance. The number of team qualifying spots per region, however, depends on whether or… more »

  The season for most runners leads up to conference weekend. Conference is where bragging rights are won and where post season dreams are realized. Conference does not determine rather a team or individual moves on to the Regional meet. The Conference meet can give a confidence boost or a reality check before the Regional meet. As usual, I encourage readers to supplement my article by contributing their knowledge about various individuals, teams, and conferences. CCAA - The Chico State men’s and women’s both captured the conference team title at the Glen Helen Regional Park on Saturday. The men’s cross country… more »

The post season is now upon us, with most conference races being run this upcoming weekend. While conference races do not determine if a team or individual moves on to regional or national races, rivalries between conference teams is often fierce; winning these races give teams conference bragging rights. There will be many hard fought races and exciting action this upcoming weekend. As usual, I encourage readers to supplement my article by contributing their knowledge about various individuals, teams, and conferences.   California Collegiate Athletic Association- Last year, Chico State’s men captured the California Collegiate Athletic Association team title with… more »

For many teams, this past weekend was the last regular season meet, with conference races only two weeks away.  Most teams ended the weekend with a good sense of their strengths and weakness going into the championship phase of the season.  There were many meets last weekend and I have highlighted a few. I encourage to you to add any results you might have. And, get your conference predictions ready for next week’s preview. Michigan Intercollegiate- In the women’s 5k, Grand Valley’s Megan MacEratini won the race covering the course in 18:33 and leading her team to a first place… more »

            Neely Spence has a long list of running accomplishments including: Nike Outdoor National two-mile champion, 4th at XC Footlocker, and many Pennsylvania state titles.  Neely is adding to these many accomplishments as a standout freshman at Shippensburg University. Last weekend, she finished 2nd at the prestigious Brooks Paul Short Run covering the 6k in 19:57.  Such a high level of achievement in running is par for the course for the Spence family: Neely’s father, Steve Spence, was a world-class marathoner, participating in the 1992 Olympics and winning a bronze medal at the 1991 World Championships.  Her mother holds the… more »

            Conference meets are about a month away, and this weekend’s races gave teams a good indication of their strengths, and what they will need to work on in the upcoming weeks. There were a wide variety of races nationwide, and I am highlighting but a few of them.  As always, I urge you to contribute additional results and comments below. Flotrack can only be made better with your respectful and courteous feedback. Stanford Invitational- In the women’s 6k race, Seattle Pacific’s Jessica Pixler was the top DII finisher. She placed 6th in a time of 21:22. Pixler led her… more »

            While the first day of fall officially arrived on September 22nd, in many locations across the country fall weather arrived a week early.  With the crisper air came some fast times and exciting races. The results of last weekend’s meets will change the national and regional rankings. As usual, I urge readers to comment for there are many meets every weekend and I sometimes miss results.  Help me out for Flotrack is a community! Coyotes Cross Country Invitational- UC San Diego runners captured the team titles in the women’s 6k and the men’s 8k.  The women took the title… more »

The 2008 cross country season is in full stride. During the third weekend of competition, there were numerous meets across the nation in which DII teams contributed to the competiveness of the fields. The results of these meets will change the national and regional rankings. As usual, I encourage readers to comment.  After all, Flotrack is a community! Memphis Twilight Classic- This late night race (women at 8:40pm and men at 9:20pm) was a test for the southeast teams. (You can watch coverage of the race here on Flotrack.)  In the women’s 5k, the first DII finisher was Harding’s Ryspher… more »

One could say that last week the 2008 cross country season came in like a slight breeze. This week, the season was more like a thundering storm. Despite meet cancellations due to hurricanes Gustav and Hannah, including the Campbell and the Bob Gravett invitationals, there were a wide variety of meets all over the country.  As usual, readers are encouraged to comment on and contribute to this week’s article. Joe I Vigil Open - The Adams State College men’s and women’s cross country teams  opened their  2008  season with teams wins at their home meet on Saturday. The women’s team… more »

The first races of 2008 cross country season were run this past weekend. Though many teams will wait until next week for their first major race, these preliminary races allow athletes to test their legs and to see if their summer training has paid off.  The time has come to see if various teams can live up to the preseason rankings. Usually, on this opening weekend the meets are small and local, but there is still plenty of competition. Readers are free to add to any results they have to the comment section. Wooster Invite: In the women’s 4k race,… more »

The leaves have yet to change but fall sports are beginning. This weekend, collegiate athletes across the nation are attending preseason camps or moving back onto campus. With the unofficial start of the fall cross-country season, it is time to preview what is to come and to speculate the outcome. There are sure to be new names, faster times, and plenty of excitement in this upcoming season. (Readers are encouraged to post constructive and respectful comments).   The Division II National Cross Country championship will take place on November 22 and will be held by Slippery Rock University at Coopers… more »

As with all good things, the DII 2007-2008 running year has come to a close. What a year it was. The cross-country season began remarkably with Adams State’s men scoring a perfect 15 at the Colorado Classic on September 15.  The season’s finale was no less exciting, as Abilene Christan’s Nicodemus Naimadu won his fourth DII NCAA XC Championship.  Naimadu is the first NCAA runner to win four individual national titles in cross-country.  This is no small feat. To put it in perspective, only four athletes, including University of Oregon’s legendary Steve Prefontaine, have won three individual national titles in… more »

A rare May storm welcomed in the NCAA Division II Track and Field Championships on May 22 in Walnut, CA. The storm caused a two plus hour delay for many events, and resulted in the rescheduling of the hammer throw, which had to be contested the next day. With this delay, the 10,000 meters did not began until 10:50 pm for the women, and 11:30 pm for the men. Abilene Christian’s Winrose Karunde won the women’s 10,000 meters in a time of 35:29.68, creating a five second gap between her and her next competitor, Emporia State’s Jonel Rossbach (35:35.02), in… more »

This upcoming weekend, May 22-24, will end the 2008 DII outdoor season. There have been many memorable performances this season, which will culminate this weekend at the DII Outdoor Nationals held at Hilmer Lodge Stadium at Mount San Antonio College in Walnut, CA and hosted by Cal Poly Pomona. I am going to make my predictions for individual champions in some of the races. You, the reader, can fill me on who should be the top pick in the races I skipped. In the spirit of Flotrack’s interactive community, I want you, the reader, to make predictions as well. These… more »

This past weekend was the last chance for athletes to qualify for the 2008 NCAA DII National championships, which will be held in Walnut, California, the weekend of May 24. This past week wrapped up the conference meets and there were many spectacular performances. You all (just to let you know I almost just typed y’all) know that I like to hear your opinions, so if I missed anything let me know. Also, I would like to know your picks for the championships, and I will provide mine next week.

Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference RMAC conference… more »

The school year is drawing to a close and it seems that everybody is diving for the finish line. This weekend, bragging rights were up for grabs at the numerous conference races. As expected, there were many great performances and fast times. So, let’s get to the race highlights for last weekend. (I had some difficulties finding some of the results. As usual, I encourage readers to leave comments pointing out standout performances that I may have missed.)
California Collegiate Athletic Association In the women’s team competition, UC San Diego captured the title with 248 points. Chico State came… more »

North Dakota senior, Heidi Evans, had a spectacular weekend at the Mt. Sac relays. On Friday, she ran 2:10.71 in the 800 meters, a personal record. On Sunday, Evans ran a stellar 4:24.66 in the 1500 meters, bettering the time she ran at the 2007 Outdoor National Championships where she placed fourth. It is also the fastest time this year for Division II. This past weekend, Evans traveled to the prestigious Drake relays and ran 4:29.22 for 1500 meters. About her performance at the Mt. Sac Relays she explained, “We have been doing speed work the last couple of weeks.… more »

The DII National Outdoor Track and Field meet is about a month way, leaving plenty of time to gain the qualifying marks. Right around the corner, or should I say curve, are the conference meets. This past weekend, track and field delivered plenty of exciting action, and DII athletes were in the mix. (Readers are encouraged to post anything I may have left out.)

Mt. SAC relays There were a multitude of great performances at Mt. SAC this past weekend (you can watch all them here on Flotrack). I will highlight a few of the more spectacular… more »

Augustana Senior, Rachel Stangler, was recently named North Central Conference Athlete of the Week after finishing second in the steeplechase at the Arizona State Invitational held on March 29. Rachel finished fifth at last year’s NCAA Division II outdoor nationals in the 3k steeplechase with a time of 10:48.88. The four athletes ahead of her were all seniors, suggesting that she will likely be a frontrunner this year. Her talents as a runner extend beyond her abilities in the steeplechase; Rachel finished seventh overall at 2007's NCAA Division II cross country championships. Although she has accomplished a lot during her… more »

Track is back in full stride. Many meets have been contested, ranging from large meets like the Texas relays (which you can watch right here on Flotrack) to smaller ones. Needless to say, there was plenty of running action this past weekend in the NCAA Divisions and in NAIA. With so much action, it is easy to miss some of the great Division II performances. Below is a summary of some of the highlights.

2008 Oliver Nikoloff Invitational Ashland’s men’s and women’s women team placed second at this meet to the host school, University of Cincinnati,… more »

Jessica Selby-Tallman is the most decorated female track and field athlete in Missouri Southern’s history. Some of her most recent achievements include: 2008 and 2007 National Indoor runner-up in shot put, All-American Outdoor in hammer and shot in 2007, and 2007 Regional indoor and outdoor field athlete of the year. Despite all these achievements, she stated, “I think my greatest achievement is making 1st Team Academic All-American. It takes a lot of work to do well in the ring and in the classroom.”

Jessica Selby-Tallman began throwing in 7th grade. She already played volleyball and basketball and… more »

Is March Madness driving you mad? Are you yearning for some track and field action? Well, don’t fear, the outdoor season is here. With the indoor championships still burning in our recent memories, the outdoor season has begun. Most of us move gleefully to outdoor track, with its promises of warmer weather and, hopefully, faster times. Many of us are aiming for qualifying times that will deliver us to Walnut, California, where the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships will be hosted by Cal Poly Pomona at Mt. San Antonio College, May 22 through 24.

At the 2007… more »

In last week’s article, I made predictions for the DII Indoor National Championships hosted by Minnesota Mankato. It might be best if I skip the lotto, since my sixth sense is clearly defective. Last weekend was packed full of action and excitement, filled with close races and surprising upsets. For those who were not lucky enough to be there, or had a poor internet connection, I will recap many of the meet’s highlights, which included exciting finals and record breaking performance.

By scoring points in all but one running event, the Adams State College Grizzlies won… more »

Next weekend, March 14-15, the 2008 indoor track and field season will come to a close. This year’s indoor meet will be hosted by Minnesota State University-Mankato at Myers Field House. More than 500 participants are expected (student-athletes, coaches and administrators). This will be the first time that MSU has held an indoor track and field championship, and the first time in eight years that the meet has occurred outside the city of Boston. Perhaps, what is most exciting is that the meet will be streamed live, free of charge, on msumavericks.com. In keeping with the idea of March Madness,… more »

All of the Division II conferences wrapped up their indoor meets this past weekend. These meets were one of the last chances athletes had to tune and hone their skills before the Indoor National Championships on March 14, 2008. Below, I have highlighted some of the more note worthy match-ups. I have provided the link with complete results for every meet, which follow my recaps.

Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association The CIAA conference meet was held at Christopher Newport University in Virginia on February 10. The St. Augustine’s men and women teams won the team titles.
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The 23rd annual Division II National Championships, to be held at Minnesota-Mankato’s Myers Field house, is less than three weeks away. As excitement builds for this event, I thought I would take a break from my weekly interviews in order to highlight the teams and athletes to watch at the upcoming conference meets. (Three conferences have already finished their meets: Central intercollegiate Athletic association, Great Northwest Athletic Conferance, and Northwest 10.)

Great Lake Intercollegiate Athletic Conference -According to U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches association, Ashland should easily sweep this conference on the men’s side.… more »

I sat silently in the cafeteria, waiting to give a tour to potential students. These were not just any normal students; they were the future signees for our football program. The school had rolled out the red carpets for this forty-odd group of high school seniors. I was currently sitting in the back of the small cafeteria listening to the Clearinghouse rules. I was not paying much attention until the minimum ACT/SAT and GPA were mentioned. The numbers shocked me. To participate in Division II sports, all one needs is an ACT score of 17 or a SAT score of… more »

It is tough being a freshman runner. It is hard enough to adjust to harder classes, odd cafeteria food, a new campus, living in a dorm room and tons of new people, but as an athlete you add to this mix new coaches, harder practices, and faster teammates. For Stonehill College’s Kevin Gill, it is even tougher since his older brother, Keith Gill, castes a large shadow. As I reported last week, Keith is a senior at Stonehill and has been setting school records. In fact, this past weekend Keith ran an impressive 4:03 mile at Boston University’s Valentine’s Invitational.… more »

Stonehill College’s Keith Gill has set the bar high for his younger brother, Kevin Gill, who also runs for Stonehill. Two weekends ago, Kevin set a school record for the fastest mile ran by a freshman. Not to be outdone, Keith responded by setting a school record at the Terrier Classic, running a 4:06.73 mile. Not only did this time set the school record in the mile, but it is one of the fastest times this indoor season.

Running comes naturally to Keith. About his first experience with the sport, he recalls, “I was always one of… more »

Pittsburg State’s Venessa Lee has always had a love-hate relationship with running. Despite being the indoor and outdoor DII National Champion in the 800m, and qualifying for U.S. Outdoor Nationals, Venessa has not always loved running. About her first experience with the sport in junior high, she recalls, “I absolutely hated it. I was terrible. I competed in a few meets and decided I had had enough. I begged my parents to let me quit. I wrote, ‘I hate track’ over and over again and tacked it to their bedroom door. I finally convinced them [to let me quit] after… more »

Indiana University Pennsylvania’s Senior Sean Strauman might be the world’s fastest tuba player. Not that he necessarily runs and plays the tuba. Sean was the runner-up in the 800m at the Division II National Indoor Meet. Strauman ran a 1:50 about a second behind the winner Adams State’s Nick Lara who ran a 1:49. He is a four-time all American and has already qualified for this year’s National Indoor Meet to be held at Minnesota State University-Mankato.

Sean began running like many other runners by first being involved in soccer. He had success in his senior… more »

2007 was very good to Seattle Pacific’s Jessica Pixler. It began with the 2007 indoor track season where Jessica won the National title in the mile. In the 2007 outdoor track and field season, Jessica won the 1500m and came in second in the 800m. This past summer she came in second in the USA Junior games in the 1500m and this earned her a berth to the Pan American games in Brazil where she won a gold medal in the event. Then in this past Cross Country season, Jessica took ten seconds off her time from Division II National… more »

With the spring semester looming, I have had time to look back this past week at my coverage this past season. With any experience you learn some lessons. With my writing, I know I need to watch my grammar and my style could use improvement. I have actually gone to my Professors and have gotten help for my writing. I also learned that results should always be checked at least twice and always have people who can explain rules to you. Another important lesson, I have learned is always have a backup plan for every column. One never knows if… more »

I have problems with resolutions. It is not like that I cannot stick to them. I am very good at following thru with resolutions. As a runner, I tend to set goals. As soon as I run a PR, I try to find ways to set a new one. It is that there tends to be some problems with resolutions.

First of all, according to Merriam Webster Dictionary a resolution is something that is resolved or the act or process of resolving. So when one makes a resolution, one is promising that some sort of problem is… more »

There were no meets this weekend. So in the Christmas spirit, I attempted a bit of poetry. I wish you all a Happy Holidays and that you all have PRs in the upcoming year.

The Morning of Christmas
Adapted from Clement Clarke Moore’s The Night before Christmas.

Twas the morning of Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
With evidence that St Nicholas had been there.

The high school… more »

Katelin Rains is the defending NCAA Division II national champion in the pole vault. She has started off her indoor season with bang by erasing her own NCAA Division II indoor pole vaulting record of 14’0 and setting the new record at 14’1/2. Needless to say, she is very excited. “It was a really good feeling to know that I could pick up where I left off. I’ve been training harder. I still have a lot of learning to do. Jumping well in the first meet was great, but I have high expectations, and I need to jump this well… more »

Santa Claus is coming to town, and presents will soon be under many trees. If you are like me, either you are having problems buying gifts for your runner friends or all your relatives are asking you want you want. Santa Claus can not exactly deliver a PR. To help you with this struggle, I have a few suggestions.

A Flocaster's wish list:
Again to Carthage by John L. Parker Jr. It is like the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows of the running community. The novel picks up in the early 1970s where Once… more »

Often times as runners we are told to run thru the pain. Missouri Southern Junior, Dustin Dixon has taken this bit of advice to heart. During the Division II National Cross Country meet, Dustin’s fibula broke with about a mile left in the race. Dustin did not stop. Dustin finished the last three fourths of the race with a fibula that was in two pieces. Not only did he finish the race but he finished in 23rd place, losing four places in the last mile, and was named an All American. Dustin Dixon is the definition of tough.
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It had been a little over a week since the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships and already preparation for the next season has begun. It seems as if a runner’s work is never done. As the temperatures get colder and the precipitation turns white, Mother Nature pushes us rather forcefully inside for the indoor track season. Indoor we train our bodies for the outdoor season and dream of warm weather; unless you go to school in Florida then you do not dream as much. The NCAA Division II Indoor Championships will be held at Minnesota State University, Mankato on… more »

“They are crazy” I overheard one spectator say before the gun shot pieced the dry, warm Missouri air. I thought to myself, runners are crazy to an extent. Who else is willing to fly or drive half way across the country to torture their bodies by running thru a freshly cut thistly field? Loud chanting brought me out of my thoughts and I quickly realized who the spectator was referring to; it was not the runners but the freshly painted fans. Adam’s State had Thing 1 and Thing 2 but instead of their usual blue hair, they had green. Vikings… more »

A total of 378 participants (188 men and 190 women) will compete in the championships. All regions automatically qualified two teams of seven student-athletes each. Additional berths were awarded to the regions with the first eight team finishers at the 2006 NCAA Division II Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championships. Missouri Southern State University will host the championships, November 17, at the Missouri Southern State Cross Country Course in Joplin, Missouri. The women's race will begin at 10:30 a.m. Central time followed by the men’s race at 11:30 a.m. Central time.

So why pick Joplin, Missouri as… more »

Most people on the morning of November 3 where sleeping warmly in their beds. Most fans of distance running were glued to their television sets following the New York City Olympic Qualifying trial, and some were lucky enough to be New York to follow it live. I, along with many other Division II runners, was toeing the line of a Regional meet to attempt to gain a bid to NCAA national championships on November 17, 2007. The Regional meets answer many questions but leave some unanswered. Some of these questions are: What happened to Nicodemus Naimadu? Who is going to… more »

First of all, I want to state this article this week is not necessarily Division II centered. I felt very compelled to write this about a different subject. On November 3, my high school cross country coach is retiring. Mark Saltalamachia, Coach Salty to almost everybody else, did not start out as a cross country coach. Coach Salty started out as a wrestling coach at Oakland High School and started the cross country program so that his wrestlers would have a way to maintain weight during off-season. He has achieved much success. He coached a wrestling state champion at Oakland… more »

One by one the team line up each runner is edging the line like a greyhound waiting at the gate ready to chase the rabbit. This is one of their last challenges for the season. The conference race does not determine if one moves on or not to the regional meet. The conference race is to see where the team and individuals measure up this deep into the season. It is to see if there is anything left to tweak in the final weeks up to regional meet. The conference meet most of all is for bragging rights until the… more »

“You must believe it to achieve it, otherwise you are wasting your time.” are some of Craig McPhail’s favorite words of wisdom. He believes these words to especially apply to cross country as a sport “Why else do athletes get up early in the morning to put in miles, come back in the afternoon and run some more? Why do they miss out on parties and other social functions to get in extra rest for a big race or workout? They believe in themselves and have set goals to which they try to achieve” he further explains.

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A perfect score on the SAT is a 2400; on the ACT a 36 is perfection. In cross country a perfect score is 15, which means that the five scorers from a team finish first, second, third, fourth, and fifth. A perfect 15 is a rare event in college cross country meets. At the Colorado Classic on September 15, Adams State achieved perfection scoring a 15. The team was lead by sophomore Aaron Braun, RMAC freshman of the Year, 2007 NCAA Division II Outdoor Champion in the 1600m, and four-time RMAC runner of the week.

It… more »

Up until about two weeks ago, I had never watched a college cross country race. Due to injury, inflamed IT band, I was able to partake in being a spectator, although unwillingly. There are some major differences in being a spectator than an actual competitor. There are obvious differences of course; you don’t have to run and there is no need to dress in ridiculous short shorts unless you want to. There are more subtle differences, as well: less nerves and a lot of downtime.

The nerves that were usually present as I stepped onto the course… more »

Rachael Lanzel was like any normal seventh grader when she started running track. She was just looking to fit in with a group. “It was for fun and was something to do after school” she said. “It was in eleventh grade that I really started to have a passion for running.” This passion led Rachael to become a two-time All-American in cross country and to finish fourth a year ago at the NCAA Division II National Championships.

Rachael will be the highest returning finisher from the NCAA Division II National Championships as Esther Komen has transferred… more »

"I choose Division II" is the recent motto for NCAA Division II sports. The question is why would one choose Division II running? It is not for scholarship money; there are only one and half scholarships, or the free swag; my sweats have been in college longer than the seniors on the team, or for the chance to turn pro; though some still do. I did not intentionally choose Division II, Carson Newman College was a good fit for me. The honors program is excellent, the class sizes are small and campus is beautiful. Running was not a secondary thought;… more »