Division 3 Weekly Recap (Feb 4-5, 2011)
Division 3 Weekly Recap (Feb 4-5, 2011)
D3 Weekly Recap (Feb 4-5)
As the conference and regional championship weeks approach, the action heats up as individuals across the country feel the pressure mounting to hit qualifiers. Some have already punched their ticket for the big dance, but for the vast majority of squads and individuals, the best weeks for qualifying are at hand. This past week was no exception.
The top distance results of the weekend come from the men’s and women’s meets hosted by UW-Whitewater: the Leonard “Squig” Converse Invitational and the Warhawk Classic. The Converse Invitational featured four of the five top-ranked D3 men’s programs, with top-ranked North Central falling to second-ranked UW-La Crosse 137-126, while host UW-Whitewater finished close behind with 122 points. The 5,000 meters and the 4x400 were the premier events, with four men breaking 14:40—led by Neal Klein of North Central in 14:31.36—and four relay teams hitting the provisional standard, again led by North Central with a division-leading time of 3:17.97. The meet also saw provisional distance qualifiers from Andrew Wells-Qu of the University of Chicago, who ran 1:53.15 in the 800, and Brian Shonat of UW-La Crosse, who ran 4:14.37 in the mile.
However, the top distance performance of the weekend came from the women’s Warhawk Classic, where last year’s 5k and 10k outdoor champion Liz Lawton of the University of Chicago ran a division-leading 17:01.12. Her performance was so impressive that despite winning by over 30 seconds, the runner-up in that race, Amanda Laesch of North Central, still hit a strong provisional mark in 17:32.75. The only other provisional distance qualifier in the meet came from the current division leader in the 800, Christy Cazzola, who clocked a 4:59.96 mile. In addition, her squad from UW-Oshkosh took home the women’s team title, winning by 17 points over Lawton and the University of Chicago.
However, the team victory from UW-Oshkosh was not enough to maintain their hold on the division’s top ranking, as last year’s indoor champion Wartburg turned in an impressive performance at the Wartburg Select meet. The distances saw only a pair of provisional marks from this meet, both in the 800, but the 400’s stole the show. Four women hit qualifying marks, including 3 from Wartburg, led by Nevada Morrison’s division-leading, automatic qualifier of 55.94. In the relays, Wartburg had not one, but two 4x400 relay teams hit national qualifying marks, and the Morrison-led squad shattered the automatic qualifier in a division-leading 3:50.65. For those counting, Wartburg now holds three of the nine qualifying marks in the 4x400 meter relay, slightly reminiscent of last outdoor season, where they held 7 of the top 12 4x400 marks, including the top 3.
Other results of note included a pair of automatic qualifiers in the 800. On the men’s side, Drew Clark of Principia rolled to 1:52.34, while Tara Clemens from Illinois Wesleyan clocked in at 2:12.82. The New Balance Collegiate Invitational at the Armory saw a pair of provisional times in both the DMR and the 5000, led by Haverford’s ‘A’ squad in 10:00.51 and Sebastian Schwelm of NYU in 14:33.97. Also of interest was the indoor debut of some of Middlebury’s cross-country championship squad at the Dartmouth Indoor Classic, though the only notable distance mark came from Margo Cramer, who hit the provisional standard in the mile with her 5:01.99.
Next week’s action will likely be highlighted by the Valentine Invitational at BU, the same track that held the Terrier Invitational that saw so many quality performances two weekends ago.
As the conference and regional championship weeks approach, the action heats up as individuals across the country feel the pressure mounting to hit qualifiers. Some have already punched their ticket for the big dance, but for the vast majority of squads and individuals, the best weeks for qualifying are at hand. This past week was no exception.
The top distance results of the weekend come from the men’s and women’s meets hosted by UW-Whitewater: the Leonard “Squig” Converse Invitational and the Warhawk Classic. The Converse Invitational featured four of the five top-ranked D3 men’s programs, with top-ranked North Central falling to second-ranked UW-La Crosse 137-126, while host UW-Whitewater finished close behind with 122 points. The 5,000 meters and the 4x400 were the premier events, with four men breaking 14:40—led by Neal Klein of North Central in 14:31.36—and four relay teams hitting the provisional standard, again led by North Central with a division-leading time of 3:17.97. The meet also saw provisional distance qualifiers from Andrew Wells-Qu of the University of Chicago, who ran 1:53.15 in the 800, and Brian Shonat of UW-La Crosse, who ran 4:14.37 in the mile.
However, the top distance performance of the weekend came from the women’s Warhawk Classic, where last year’s 5k and 10k outdoor champion Liz Lawton of the University of Chicago ran a division-leading 17:01.12. Her performance was so impressive that despite winning by over 30 seconds, the runner-up in that race, Amanda Laesch of North Central, still hit a strong provisional mark in 17:32.75. The only other provisional distance qualifier in the meet came from the current division leader in the 800, Christy Cazzola, who clocked a 4:59.96 mile. In addition, her squad from UW-Oshkosh took home the women’s team title, winning by 17 points over Lawton and the University of Chicago.
However, the team victory from UW-Oshkosh was not enough to maintain their hold on the division’s top ranking, as last year’s indoor champion Wartburg turned in an impressive performance at the Wartburg Select meet. The distances saw only a pair of provisional marks from this meet, both in the 800, but the 400’s stole the show. Four women hit qualifying marks, including 3 from Wartburg, led by Nevada Morrison’s division-leading, automatic qualifier of 55.94. In the relays, Wartburg had not one, but two 4x400 relay teams hit national qualifying marks, and the Morrison-led squad shattered the automatic qualifier in a division-leading 3:50.65. For those counting, Wartburg now holds three of the nine qualifying marks in the 4x400 meter relay, slightly reminiscent of last outdoor season, where they held 7 of the top 12 4x400 marks, including the top 3.
Other results of note included a pair of automatic qualifiers in the 800. On the men’s side, Drew Clark of Principia rolled to 1:52.34, while Tara Clemens from Illinois Wesleyan clocked in at 2:12.82. The New Balance Collegiate Invitational at the Armory saw a pair of provisional times in both the DMR and the 5000, led by Haverford’s ‘A’ squad in 10:00.51 and Sebastian Schwelm of NYU in 14:33.97. Also of interest was the indoor debut of some of Middlebury’s cross-country championship squad at the Dartmouth Indoor Classic, though the only notable distance mark came from Margo Cramer, who hit the provisional standard in the mile with her 5:01.99.
Next week’s action will likely be highlighted by the Valentine Invitational at BU, the same track that held the Terrier Invitational that saw so many quality performances two weekends ago.