Champion Minnesota Morris sweeps 2016 Women's Outdoor Track and Field Awards
ST. PAUL, Minn.---The 2016 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championship was very different than it had been for the last 11 years as the University of Minnesota Morris unseated the College of St. Scholastica from the top of the UMAC for the Cougars' first title since 2004.
Following that success, the Cougars are being rewarded with a clean sweep of the UMAC Women's Outdoor Track and Field Awards. Head Coach Jessica Devine was named the Coach of the Year, while Teja Foy took the Track Athlete of the Meet honor and Sami Brinkmann claimed the Field Athlete of the Meet award announced Wednesday.
For the second time this season, Devine has been recognized for her hard work – she was also the recipient of Indoor Coach of the Year – which led the Cougars to a 27-point victory over St. Scholastica. The Cougars compiled 254 points after winning 10 events and boasting five different individual champions in seven events and sweeping all three relays.
After the first day of competition, the Cougars had a 35-point lead over the Saints, but a solid second day helped Devine's squad keep a safe lead en route to the conference crown. Devine's team had 21 top-three event finishes over the two-day span with a majority of points coming in the sprints, relays and throws events.
Foy was the top female who led a talented group of Cougar sprinters. The senior ended her incredible four-year career at Minnesota Morris winning both the 100-meter and 200-meter dash events. In the 100-meter dash, Foy crossed the line in 12.42. She took the 200-meter title in a time of 25.60 that was nearly one second faster than her next competitor. Both times would have been meet records but were not counted due to wind.
Not only did Foy shine individually, but she helped the Cougars win two relays playing a vital role in both. On the 4 x 100-meter relay, Foy was the lead-off runner and helped the team break 50 seconds with a winning time of 49.55. Then, she helped conclude the meet running the final leg of the 4 x 400-meter relay that crossed the line in 4:05.04.
As dominant as Foy was in the sprints, Brinkmann was her equivalent in the throws events. She recorded three top-three placings including title wins in the hammer and discus throws. Brinkmann bested the field in the hammer throw with a mark of 49.68 meters (163-0) that currently ranks 27th in Division III. Her throw was also 36 feet further than the runner-up in the hammer.
Brinkmann also won the discus throw by over a foot with a toss of 34.69 meters (113-10) for her second title win. The sophomore also scored points placing third in the shot put with a mark of 11.66 meters (38-3.25).
Foy and Brinkmann were two of four individuals who won multiple events last weekend. Casey Hovland of St. Scholatica placed first in both the 1,500-meter run – setting a new meet record – and the 5,000-meter run, while Svenja Ruehl of the University of Wisconsin-Superior claimed victory in both the long and triple jump events.
All-conference honors were also awarded to athletes who collected a first- or second-place finish in any individual event and to individual members of a first-place relay team. Minnesota Morris led the women's field with 12 honorees, while runner-up St. Scholastica had eight individuals recognized. Wisconsin-Superior had four honrees and Martin Luther College had a pair. The University of Northwestern-St. Paul also had one athlete make the list.
Each year the UMAC recognizes the team sportsmanship award, an accolade that is selected by the UMAC coaches and awarded to the team that best represented sportsmanship throughout the entire season. Bethany Lutheran earned the honor for the fourth time. Each team also had one representative on the individual sportsmanship award list.
Track Athlete of the Meet Award – Teja Foy, Sr., Minnesota Morris
Field Athlete of the Meet Award – Sami Brinkmann, So., Minnesota Morris
Coach of the Year Award – Jessica Devine, Minnesota Morris
UMAC All-Conference
| Name |
School |
Year |
Hometown/High School |
| Elisabeth Anderson |
Minnesota Morris |
So. |
Bloomer, Wis./Bloomer |
| Alyssa Arends |
Northwestern |
Sr. |
Ackley, Iowa/AGWSR |
| Laura Borkenhagen |
Minnesota Morris |
Sr. |
Truman, Minn./Truman |
| Sami Brinkmann |
Minnesota Morris |
So. |
Hamburg, Minn./Norwood Young America |
| Nicole Christianson |
St. Scholastica |
Sr. |
Coon Rapids, Minn./Coon Rapids |
| Emily Ciesynski |
Minnesota Morris |
Fy. |
Blaine, Minn./Blaine |
| Emily Conley |
St. Scholastica |
Fy. |
Marinette, Wis./Marinette |
| Carly Denler |
Minnesota Morris |
Jr. |
Champlin, Minn./Champlin Park |
| Nicole Deziel |
Minnesota Morris |
Sr. |
Eagan, Minn./Eastview |
| Alicia Doerr |
Minnesota Morris |
Sr. |
Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater |
| Teja Foy |
Minnesota Morris |
Sr. |
Crete, Ill./Crete-Monee |
| Taylor Gibson |
St. Scholastica |
Jr. |
La Crescent, Minn./La Crescent |
| Hannah Goemann |
Minnesota Morris |
Jr. |
Wells, Minn./United South Central |
| Casey Hovland |
St. Scholastica |
So. |
North Branch, Minn./North Branch |
| Charlotte Huebner |
Martin Luther |
Jr. |
Sun Prairie, Wis./Lakeside Lutheran |
| Jordan Johnson |
St. Scholastica |
Jr. |
Poplar, Wis./Northwestern |
| Katherine Novak |
Minnesota Morris |
Fy. |
Champlin, Minn./Champlin Park |
| Sidney Paulson |
Minnesota Morris |
Jr. |
Iron Mountain, Mich./Stephen F. Austin |
| Taylor Phillips |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Fy. |
Superior, Wis./Superior |
| Kelli Praska |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Fy. |
Eagan, Minn./Eagan |
| Kassidy Przymus |
Minnesota Morris |
Fy. |
Balaton, Minn./Tracy-Milroy-Balaton |
| Katherine Roetering |
St. Scholastica |
Jr. |
Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove |
| Valerie Rowe |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Fy. |
Ironwood, Mich./Bessemer |
| Svenja Ruehl |
Wisconsin-Superior |
So. |
Kirchuers, Germany/Gymnasium Philippinum Marburg |
| Hannah Russert |
St. Scholastica |
Jr. |
Caledonia, Minn./Caledonia |
| Breanna Shofner |
St. Scholastica |
So. |
International Falls, Minn./Falls |
| Katie Zietlow |
Martin Luther |
So. |
Montello, Wis./Luther Prep |
UMAC Individual Event Champions
| Name |
Event(s) |
School |
Year |
Hometown/High School |
| Elisabeth Anderson |
4 x 800-meter Relay |
Minnesota Morris |
So. |
Bloomer, Wis./Bloomer |
| Laura Borkenhagen |
4 x 400-meter Relay, 4 x 800-meter Relay |
Minnesota Morris |
Sr. |
Truman, Minn./Truman |
| Sami Brinkmann |
Hammer Throw, Discus Throw |
Minnesota Morris |
So. |
Hamburg, Minn./Norwood Young America |
| Nicole Christianson |
High Jump |
St. Scholastica |
Sr. |
Coon Rapids, Minn./Coon Rapids |
| Emily Ciesynski |
400-meter Hurdles, 4 x 100-meter Relay,
4 x 400-meter Relay |
Minnesota Morris |
Fy. |
Blaine, Minn./Blaine |
| Emily Conley |
Shot Put |
St. Scholastica |
Fy. |
Marinette, Wis./Marinette |
| Carly Denler |
Pole Vault |
Minnesota Morris |
Jr. |
Champlin, Minn./Champlin Park |
| Alicia Doerr |
4 x 100-meter Relay |
Minnesota Morris |
Sr. |
Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater |
| Teja Foy |
100-meter Dash, 200-meter Dash,
4 x 100-meter Relay, 4 x 400-meter Relay |
Minnesota Morris |
Sr. |
Crete, Ill./Crete-Monee |
| Hannah Goemann |
4 x 800-meter Relay |
Minnesota Morris |
Jr. |
Wells, Minn./United South Central |
| Casey Hovland |
1,500-meter Run, 5,000-meter Run |
St. Scholastica |
So. |
North Branch, Minn./North Branch |
| Jordan Johnson |
3,000-meter Steeplechase |
St. Scholastica |
Sr. |
Aitkin, Minn./Aitkin |
| Katherine Novak |
4 x 800-meter Relay |
Minnesota Morris |
Fy. |
Champlin, Minn./Champlin Park |
| Sidney Paulson |
400-meter Dash, 4 x 100-meter Relay,
4 x 400-meter Relay |
Minnesota Morris |
Jr. |
Iron Mountain, Mich./Stephen F. Austin |
| Kelli Praska |
800-meter Run |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Fy. |
Eagan, Minn./Eagan |
| Svenja Ruehl |
Long Jump, Triple Jump |
Wisconsin-Superior |
So. |
Kirchuers, Germany/Gymnasium Philippinum Marburg |
| Hannah Russert |
100-meter Hurdles |
St. Scholastica |
Jr. |
Caledonia, Minn./Caledonia |
| Katie Zietlow |
Javelin |
Martin Luther |
So. |
Montello, Wis./Luther Prep |
UMAC Sportsmanship Awards
Team Award – Bethany Lutheran
Bethany Lutheran – Danielle Marzinske, Sr., South St. Paul, Minn.
Crown – Maria De La Cruz, Fy., Madelia, Minn./Madelia
Martin Luther – Charlotte Huebner, Jr., Sun Prairie, Wis./Lakeside Lutheran
Minnesota-Morris – Sidney Paulson, Jr., Iron Mountain, Mich./Stephen F. Austin
North Central – Karissa Hildebrand, So., Kaukauna, Wis./Kaukauna
Northwestern – Lisa Greenslade, Jr., Pine Island, Minn./Pine Island
St. Scholastica – Hannah Russert, Jr., Caledonia, Minn./Caledonia
Wisconsin-Superior – Tiffany LaFontaine, Fy., Zimmerman, Minn./Zimmerman