Track and field ends WIAC season at Oshkosh, prep for NCAA meet
May 7, 2009
Nearing the end of long season for the UW-River Falls track and field team, the WIAC outdoor track and field championship was held May 1 and 2 at UW-Oshkosh.
The men’s team finished eighth, while the women finished fifth in the meet. This being one of the first events that scores were actually kept, Head Coach Martha Brennan said she was happy with the way the athletes performed.
“The meet went great, we had several kids do their personal best this time around,” Brennan said in a telephone interview. “Everyone seemed to try a little harder, since this one was scored.”
The men’s team scored 34 points on the second day of the meet, giving them a total of 38. The women scored 57 on Saturday, giving them a total of 78 points.
The one struggle for the Falcons was the throwing events, aside from Colleen Kopel, who won the javelin throw with a 102-5 toss.
Throws coach Peter Miller discussed the throwing events in an e-mail interview.
“We only scored points in two of the eight throwing events, which are frustrating, but since we are in the toughest conference in the country for Div. III it is tough to pick up points in many of the events,” Miller said. “At the same time if you look at where the athletes were seeded coming in and where they finished you will find most of them moved up and threw well beyond their seeded mark which is what one hopes for at a conference meet.”
Kopel was the best performer of the weekend, singlehandedly winning three events for the Falcons. She won the javelin throw, the 200-meter dash and the heptathlon, and finished second in the high jump.
The Falcons also did well within the 100-meter hurdles. Jessica Reed won the event with her time of 14.82 seconds.
Kopel and Reed each earned All-WIAC first team, while Kopel and Maranda Dohrn earned All-WIAC second team recognitions.
The only thing left before the National meet is the Last Chance meet May 14 and 15 at UW-La Crosse.
Brennan said that it would be ideal for UWRF to get 7 to 10 kids to go to Nationals.
With so little time left before the summer, Miller said that those people who qualify for Nationals are looking forward to it.
“Many of the athletes who are getting close to Nationals are seniors, so the idea of extending their final track season is something to hope for and look forward to,” he said. “Before they can get too excited we have to get each of them a better mark then we can get really excited about going to Ohio.”
The National meet will be held May 21 to 23 at Marietta College in Marietta, Ohio.