Falcons, Cougars Take Indoor Titles
KENOSHA, Wis. -- Concordia University Wisconsin took home the men's title, while Concordia University Chicago captured the women's at the 2012 Northern Athletics Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday at the Tarble Athletic & Recreation Center.
The CUW Falcons' men's team won four events, including the triple jump, 55-meter dash, 200-meter dash and the 4x400-meter relay. The Falcons totaled 126 points in the meet, ahead of the 109.5 total by runner-up Aurora University.
Last year's champ, Milwaukee School of Engineering, was third with 93 points, followed by Concordia Chicago (86), Edgewood College (83), Benedictine University (70.5), Wisconsin Lutheran College (44), Rockford College (9) and Lakeland College (3).
Edgewood's Grant Mickesh was named the NAC Track Athlete of the Meet, Aurora's Eric Capshaw the Field Athlete of the Meet and Wisconsin Lutheran's Travis Turnquist the Freshman of the Meet.
Mickesh won the mile run (4:28.80) and was runner-up in both the 3,000-meter run (9:03.58) and the 5,000-meter run (15:55.92).
Capshaw captured titles in the weight throw (15.88 meters) and the shot put (14.85).
The rookie Turnquist won the 400-meter dash with a time of 50.01 which broke the previous NAC Championship record of 50.56 set by MSOE's Brian Seniuk in 2008. Turnquist also finished second in the 200-meter dash (22.70) and fourth in the 55-meter dash (6.69).
CUW's Russ DeLap was voted Coach of the Meet by his peers after he guided the Falcons to their third championship in the last four years, but the first under his tenure.
In the women's championship, Concordia Chicago's 119.5 points just edged out runner-up Concordia Wisconsin's 117 point total.
The Cougars won the high jump, 55-meter dash, mile run, 3,000-meter run and 5,000-meter run on their way to the title.
Aurora, winner of the 2011 title, finished third with 103 point, followed by Benedictine (71), Edgewood (70), Wisconsin Lutheran (67), MSOE (52), Rockford (17) and Lakeland (3.5).
Concordia Chicago's Alex Schmidt was named Track Athlete of the Meet, Aurora's Ainsley Richards the Field Athlete of the Meet and Concordia Wisconsin's Emily Mauermann the Freshman of the Meet.
Schmidt won the mile run (5:28.79), 3,000-meter run (10:42.36) and 5,000-meter run. Her finish of 18:34.83 in the 5K set a new NAC Championship record, breaking the time of 19:23.99 CUW's Samantha Gries set in 2009.
Richards took home titles in the long jump (5.22) and triple jump (10.00).
Mauermann finished third in the high jump (1.46), 200-meter dash (27.52) and was part of CUW's runner-up team in the 4x400-meter relay.
Matt Biesel was named Coach of the Meet as his Cougars won their second meet in three seasons.