UMAC Indoor Track & Field Teams Set to Compete in Saturday's Championship

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UMAC Indoor Track & Field Championship website (including meet schedule and heat sheets)

ST. PAUL – The College of St. Scholastica is set to host the 2014 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Indoor Track & Field Championships in Burns Wellness Fieldhouse this Saturday, February 22. The host school, St. Scholastica, is the only program to claim a men’s or women’s UMAC Indoor Track & Field title both Saints teams will look to extend their streak to five in a row this weekend in Duluth.

The St. Scholstica women enter Saturday’s meet ranked 13th in this week’s US Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) national rankings and third in the central region rankings. The Saints have four individual performances that rank in the top ten nationally, including Chelsea Johnson’s 5000 meter time of 16:59.48 that ranks second and Nicole Christianson’s high jump mark of 1.69 meters which is currently seventh in the country. Becky Huberty owns the remaining two top ten marks by a Saint with her weight throw of 17.37 meters ranking fifth and her shot put mark of 13.68 meters good for eighth in the nation. At last year’s conference indoor championship Huberty was named Field Athlete of the Meet for her performance. The Saints also boast two-time UMAC Indoor Championship Track Athlete of the Meet Laurel Ohaju who holds the top mark in the conference in both the 200 and 400 meter dash this season as well as the UMAC Championship record in both events.

The University of Minnesota Morris, who took second at last year’s championship, will look to challenge the Saints behind standout Linda Keller who boasts the UMAC’s top time of 5:13.35 minutes in the one mile run and will look to challenge a strong field in the 800 meter run. Alicia Doerr will also look to add to the team score for the Cougars on Saturday as she currently ranks second best in the conference in both the long jump and the 60 meter dash. In addition, the Cougars will hope for a strong showing in the 4x200 meter relay.

In Saturday’s track events keep an eye on University of Northwestern freshmen Jordan Skarin. Skarin turned in personal bests in both the 60 and 200 meter dash last weekend with her 60 meter time of 8.24 seconds which is tops in the UMAC so far this season. Karina Nordrum will also add to the Eagles’ strength in the field events on Saturday.

Bethany Lutheran College and North Central University also add to the mix. The Vikings will look to make a competitive showing on Saturday in just their second season with a track and field program behind Danielle Marzinske who hopes to score in multiple events for the Vikings. Saturday’s championship meet will mark the first competition this season for the Rams.

On the men’s side, the St. Scholastica is once again the team to beat. The Saints are currently ranked eighth in the central region by the USTFCCCA and return several well known individuals entered in Saturday’s meet including Kevin Wagner who enters the event as the top seed in the both the 60 meter hurdles (8.68 seconds) and the high jump (1.89 meters). Wagner is joined by distance runners Charlie Habermann , Chris Lawson and Luke McKenzie as well as sprinter Josh Simmons who owns the top performance of the field in the 60 meter dash this season (7.06 seconds), who will all look to contribute to the Saints team totals on Saturday.

The Cougars of Minnesota Morris look to challenge the Saints and continue their recent trend of personal record setting on Saturday. The Cougars will feature Chalmer Combellick in the one mile and 800 meter runs. Just last weekend Combellick turned in a personal best and school record time of 4:15.45 in the mile run. With that time he enters Saturday as the top seed in the event and ranks in the top 25 nationally. The Cougars will also look for a strong showing out of runners Leandro Dower and Ken Broden as well as in both the 4x200 and 4x400 meter relays. Dower’s 200 meter time of 22.83 is the top in Saturday’s field as is Broden’s 400 meter time of 53.33.

A young Northwestern team will feature many new faces at Saturday’s UMAC Indoor Championship. The squad has turned in solid marks so far this season and looks to be competitive in Duluth on Saturday. The Eagles won’t be the only young team taking part in the event as the Vikings of Bethany Lutheran also boast many new faces on their roster in the just their second season sponsoring a track and field program. The Eagles and the Vikings will both look to finish in the top three at the indoor championship meet.

North Central will also add to the mix, primarily in the distance events in the Rams’ first outing of the 2014 campaign.

Saturday’s championships will begin at 12 p.m. For those who are unable to attend, St. Scholastica will offer a live video stream and chat session with abbreviated event results.