A Silver Lining Finish At The MIAC Outdoor Meet

NORTHFIELD, Minn. (5/10/14)—Although Concordia finished in third-place finish at the MIAC Outdoor Championship Meet their final result had the look and feel of silver as it marked the 25^th consecutive season that the Cobbers have finished in the top 5 at the conference outdoor meet.

Concordia finished with 105.3 total team points which marks the third straight season they have bettered the 100-point barrier as a team. The Cobbers placed second in 2013 and 2012.

Concordia's top tier athletes once again stepped to the top of the conference at the MIAC Meet at St. Olaf but it was several surprise performances that helped the Cobbers climb into the top 3.

Cherae Reeves and Hilary Thompson continued their dominance over the shot put and triple jump as both athletes won their "go-to" events. Reeves claimed her second straight conference shot put title by posting a distance 46-08.00. She also won the shot put at the conference indoor meet in March.

Thompson set a new Cobber school record and bested the St. Olaf stadium record in the triple jump. She continues to amaze in her senior season and flew to a distance of 38-09.00. That mark is .50 inches farther than the previous school record of 38-8.50 set by Kris DeBoer set back in 1989. Thompson's distance is also the 13th farthest in Division III this season and almost assures Thompson of gaining a spot at the NCAA Championship Meet.

Thompson also finished second in the long jump with a career best mark of 18-01.75.

The surprise conference champion for the Cobbers came in the javelin where sophomore Olivia Johnson continued Concordia's excellence in the event with a winning distance of 136-09.00. That mark is a career best for Johnson and the fourth farthest in school history. It is also the 21st farthest in the country this season and has her just inside the national qualifying spot of 22 as the top 22 athletes in each event earn a spot at the national meet.

Johnson also had a top 3 finish in the shot put. She made a toss of 43-09.75 in the finals and placed third in the event.

The javelin was the top event at the meet for Concordia with three athletes finishing in the top 5. Besides the event win from Johnson, freshman Mikayla Forness was third with a distance of 124-11 and Reeves earned a fifth-place finish at 123-06.00.

The biggest surprise of the meet for the Cobbers came from the shoes of senior Samantha Risan. Risan, who had never earned all-conference honors in her three previous seasons, placed third in the long jump, helped the CC 4x100-meter team place third and ran a career best time in the 100 meters.

Risan's story in the long jump is straight out a television melodrama. She only qualified for the finals in the event because St. Olaf has a rare nine-lane track which means nine competitors qualify for track events. Since nine athletes qualify for track events, nine athletes also make the finals of all field events. Risan snuck into the finals of the long jump in ninth place and then unleashed a personal best jump of 17-02.25 and finished in third place. It was the first time in her career that she had gone past the 17-foot mark.

Risan wasn't finished as she teamed with Hannah Fordahl, Ruth Peterson and Rochelle Hickerson to run a 49.08 in the finals of the 4x100-meter relay and finished in third place. Their time at the tape is the second fastest in school history.

The other two Cobber relay teams also scored points at the MIAC Meet. The 4x800-meter relay quartet composed of Callie Christianson, Forness, Paige Rygg, Morgan Christian ran a 9:37.92 and was fifth while the 4x400-meter relay team of Christianson, Forness, Katie Rosenfeldt and Christian claimed seventh place in a time of 4:04.38.

The other Cobber athlete to claim MIAC All-Conference honors was senior Hillary Birchem. Birchem was second in the discus with a distance of 137-09.00. It is the second straight season she has finished in the top 3 at the conference outdoor meet.

Concordia will now have their top athletes try and improve on their national qualifying marks by competing at the UW-La Crosse Last Chance Meet on Thursday, May 15. The NCAA Division III National Meet will be held on May 22-24 at Ohio Wesleyan.


COBBER NOTABLES

MIAC CHAMPION
Triple Jump – Hilary Thompson – 38-9 (11.81m)
Shot Put – Cherae Reeves – 46-8 (14.22m)
Javelin Throw – Olivia Johnson – 136-9 (41.69m)

MIAC ALL-CONFERENCE (places 1-3 + 1st place relays only)
1st - Triple Jump – Hilary Thompson – 38-9 (11.81m)
1st - Shot Put – Cherae Reeves – 46-8 (14.22m)
1st - Javelin Throw – Olivia Johnson – 136-9 (41.69m)
2nd – Long Jump – Hilary Thompson - 18-1.75 (5.53m)
2nd – Discus Throw – Hillary Birchem – 137-9 (41.99m)
3rd – Long Jump – Samantha Risan – 17-2.25 (5.24m)
3rd – Shot Put – Olivia Johnson – 43-9.75 (13.35m)
3rd – Javelin Throw – Mikayla Forness – 124-11 (38.08m)
3rd – Heptathlon – Mikayla Forness – 3918 points

MIAC ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION (places 4-6 & relay places 2-6)
3rd – 4x100 Relay – Hannah Fordahl, Ruth Peterson, Samantha Risan, Rochelle Hickerson – 49.08
4th – 800 Meters – Morgan Christian – 2:15.20
5th – 400 Hurdles – Emma Peterson – 66.33 (65.83 prelim)
5th – 4x800 Relay - Callie Christianson, Mikayla Forness, Paige Rygg, Morgan Christian – 9:37.92
5th – Javelin Throw – Cherae Reeves – 123-6 (37.65m)
6th – Heptathlon – Anna Skow-Anderson – 3697 points

OTHER SCORERS (places 7-8)
7th – 200 Meters - Rochelle Hickerson – 26.35
7th – 4x400 Relay – Callie Christianson, Mikayla Forness, Katie Rosenfeldt, Morgan Christian – 4:04.38
7th – High Jump – Anna Skow-Anderson – 5-1 (1.55m)
7th – Shot Put – Mandy Mercil – 41-4.5 (12.61m)
8th – Long Jump – Ruth Peterson – 16-8 (5.08m)
8th tie – High Jump – Emma Peterson – 5-1 (1.55m)

COBBER ALL-TIME LIST PERFORMERS
800 - Morgan Christian – 2:15.20 – ALL-TIME #4
800 (heptathlon) – Mikayla Forness – 2:18.46 – ALL-TIME #11
400 Hurdles – Emma Peterson – 65.83 – ALL-TIME #10
4x100 Relay – Hannah Fordahl, Ruth Peterson, Samantha Risan, Rochelle Hickerson – 49.08 – ALL-TIME #2
4x800 Relay - Callie Christianson, Mikayla Forness, Paige Rygg, Morgan Christian – 9:37.92 - ALL-TIME #13
Triple Jump – Hilary Thompson - 38-09 (11.81m) – ALL-TIME #1
Long Jump – Hilary Thompson - 18-1.75 (5.53m) – ALL-TIME #6 tie
Shot Put – Mandy Mercil – 41-4.5 (12.61m) – ALL-TIME #9
Javelin Throw – Olivia Johnson – 136-9 (41.69m) – ALL-TIME #4

PERSONAL RECORDS:
100- Samantha Risan;
200- Rochelle Hickerson (prelims), Rochelle Hickerson (finals), Mikayla Forness (heptathlon);
800- Morgan Christian, Mikayla Forness (heptathlon), Anna Skow-Anderson (heptathlon);
1500- Paige Rygg;
400 hurdles- Emma Peterson (prelims);
long jump- Hilary Thompson (tie), Samantha Risan, Mikayla Forness (heptathlon);
triple jump- Hilary Thompson, Ruth Peterson;
shot put- Mandy Mercil, Hillary Birchem, Mikayla Forness (heptathlon);
javelin throw- Olivia Johnson, Abby Grove;
heptathlon- Mikayla Forness.