March 15, 2008

ADA, OHIO . . . . The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) recorded 19 All-America performance and placed three teams in the top-15 at the 2008 NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships which concluded March 15 at Ohio Northern University. The Wartburg College women's team finished second, three points behind women's team champion Illinois Wesleyan, to rank as the best team finish by an IIAC squad. Five individuals came home with multiple All-American plaques (top-8 finish).

Wartburg College’s Hannah Baker, the Iowa Conference Most Valuable Performer, earned two All-American honors, placing sixth in the 400-meter dash and leading off the Knights' runner-up 4x400-meter relay. Baker earned All-America honors for the second consecutive year in each event.

Wartburg's Jenny Kordick joined Baker as members of the Knights' 4x400 relay team and also ran on Wartburg's fifth-place distance medley relay team. Jennifer Kuiken, also from Wartburg, placed sixth in the mile and also ran on the Knights' distance medley relay team.

Wartburg's Kevin Balster and Loras' Ben Grant and also earned two All-American honors. Balster took fourth in the 5,000-meter run and anchored the Knights' fourth-place distance medley relay team, while Grant placed fifth in the mile run and ran on the Duhawks' sixth-place DMR team.

In the team race, the Wartburg College men and Loras College men joined the runner-up Knight women in the top-15. the Loras College men and women, and the Wartburg College women all finished in the top-15. The Duhawk men finished in a three-school tie for 8th place with 13.0 points. The Knight men tied with host Ohio Northern for 12th place with 12 points. Central College finished in a three-school tie for 33rd-place on the men’s side with seven points. Wisconsin-LaCrosse won the men’s Championship with 44.0 points.

On the women's side, Simpson and Loras finished in an eight-way logjam in 38th place with 5.0 points, Coe tied for 51st with 3.0 points, and Central tied for 64th with 1.0 point.

The Buena Vista men and Luther women also send representatives to the National Championship Meet but failed to score in the team standings.

IOWA CONFERENCE ALL-AMERICANS (top-8 finishers)

WOMEN
• Wartburg’s 4x400 relay (Jenny Kordick, Kelsey Steffens, Christine Marchik, Hannah Baker) – 2nd (3:52.68), seventh straight Wartburg 4x400 All-American honor (Baker and Steffens members of 2007 relay team)
• Loras' Ellen Thys – 4th in weight throw (16.80 meters)
• Wartburg’s distance medley relay (Amanda Kuiken, Jenny Kordick, Emily VanOosbree, Jennifer Kuiken) – 5th (12:07.70)
• Wartburg’s Anna Kraayenbrink – 5th in 5,000-meters (17:22.80)
• Simpson’s Catie Ellingson – 5th in 800-meters (2:16.18)
• Wartburg’s Jennifer Kuiken – 6th in mile (5:04.62)
• Wartburg’s Hannah Baker – 6th in 400-meters (56.73), second consecutive All-American honor in 400-meters
• Coe’s Holly Rader – 6th in weight throw (16.47 meters)
• Wartburg’s Jessica Bates – 7th in weight throw (16.44 meters)
• Simpson’s Lauren Bucklin – 8th in 55-meter hurdles (8.38)
• Central’s 4x400 relay (Emily Teas, Kari Hutchinson, Jill Ziskovsky, Rachelle Tipton) – 8th (3:59.93)

MEN
• Loras’ Kyle Calvert – 3rd in pole vault (5.12 meters), third straight All-American honor in pole vault
• Central’s Guy Dierikx – 3rd in 400-meters (49.57), second straight All-American honor in 400-meters
• Wartburg’s Kevin Balster – 4th in 5,000-meters (14:35.26)
• Wartburg's distance medley relay (Andy Hodge, Derek Peth, Jacob Hommer, Kevin Balster) – 4th (10:05.94), third straight Wartburg DMR All-American honor (Hodge and Peth members of 2007 relay team)
• Loras’ Ben Grant – 5th in mile run (4:14.77)
• Loras’ distance medley relay (Cody Dreyer, Nate Gee, Ray Orris, Ben Grant) – 6th (10:07.40), second straight Loras DMR All-American honor (Orris and Grant members of 2007 relay team)
• Wartburg’s Brian Chenoweth – 7th in 5,000-meters (14:45.44)
• Central’s Jason Fisher – 7th in weight throw (17.61m)

OTHER IOWA CONFERENCE QUALIFIERS’ PERFORMANCES

WOMEN
• Luther’s Jess Jewell – 9th in shot put (13.28 meters), second consecutive ninth place finish
• Loras’ Liz Ulfert – 9th in weight throw (16.35 meters)
• Central's Kari Hutchinson – 4th in heat of 400-meters (58.78)
• Coe's Ashley Schnell – 5th in heat of 800-meters (2:15.36)
• Loras' Tara Kilburg – 10th in mile (5:10.18)
• Wartburg's Kelsey Steffens – 6th in heat of 55-meter hurdles (8.42)

MEN
• Buena Vista's Eric Bertelsen – 7th in flight in long jump (6.64 meters)
• Loras’ Nick McWilliams – 9th in finals of weight throw (17.22 meters)

Complete NCAA Championship results can be found here.

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