Champion St. Scholastica leads UMAC Women's Indoor Track and Field awards
ST. PAUL, Minn.--- The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championship saw the College of St. Scholastica hold with a solid second day of performances to capture its eighth-consecutive conference title Saturday. Following an outstanding team performance, the Saints are being rewarded as they took two of the top three awards announced Tuesday.
Head Coach Todd Bouchie earned Coach of the Year for the women's team in his first season at the helm after the Saints won by a margin of 23.5 points. The Saints' Taylor Gibson was named UMAC Women's Indoor Track Athlete of the Meet after placing first in three events, while the University of Wisconsin-Superior's Svenja Ruehl repeated as the UMAC Women's Indoor Field Athlete of the Meet for the second-straight season.
In Bouchie's first test as the leader of the Saints, he proved he was up to the challenge leading the women's team to five individual event wins and two relay victories. Eight different Saints earned all-conference recognition which is given to individuals who place first or second in an event or a member of a first-place relay team. Under Bouchie's direction, the Saints had four women place first in at least two events and Sammi Argir defended her title in the 200-meter dash, while the Saints' 4 x 200-meter and 4 x 400-meter relay teams also repeated as champions.
Among the Saints' top performers of the weekend was Gibson who captured wins in the 400-meter dash and 800-meter run. Gibson clocked a time of 1:00.51 to best a field of 12 competitors in the 400-meter event, while her time of 2:18.73 was less than seven-tenths off the UMAC record. The senior also anchored the 4 x 400-meter relay squad that finished with a time of 4:08.31.
Ruehl continued to impress in multiple field events repeating as champion in the long and triple jump events. The junior cleared 5.26 meters (17-3.25) to win the long jump Friday night, before setting a new UMAC record in the triple jump with a mark of 11.63 meters (38-2). Additionally, her triple jump mark currently ranks No. 12 in all of Division III. On top of her outstanding field performances, Ruehl also placed first in the 60-meter dash with a time of 8.08 that tied the previous UMAC record set a year ago.
Gibson and Ruehl were among seven athletes who were conference champions in multiple events. Argir was the only other athlete to win three events as a member of two champion relays and the top finisher in the 200-meter dash. Madelyn Urman and Breanna Shofner of St. Scholastica were both champions in the 4 x 200-meter and 4 x 400-meter relays, while the University of Minnesota Morris also had two women earn multiple titles. Hannah Goemann and Katherine Novak were both a part of the Cougars' record setting Distance Medley Relay, and Goemann was first in the 3,000-meter run and Novak took the top spot in the mile run. She also placed second in the 3,000-meter run to earn an additional all-conference nod.
The all-conference list also includes four additional individuals who placed first or second in more than one event. Those individuals include Carly Denler (Minnesota Morris), Taylor Phillips (Wisconsin-Superior), Kelli Praska (Wisconsin-Superior) and Valerie Rowe (Wisconsin-Superior).
Bethany Lutheran College won the team sportsmanship award, an accolade that is selected by the UMAC coaches and awarded to the team that best represents sportsmanship throughout the entire season. Each team also had one representative named to the individual sportsmanship award list.
Track Athlete of the Meet Award – Taylor Gibson, Sr., St. Scholastica
Field Athlete of the Meet Award – Svenja Ruehl, Jr., Wisconsin-Superior
Coach of the Year Award – Todd Bouchie, St. Scholastica
UMAC All-Conference
| Name |
School |
Year |
Hometown/High School |
| Sammi Argir |
St. Scholastica |
Jr. |
Chisholm, Minn./Hibbing |
| Tanna Boyle |
Minnesota Morris |
Sr. |
Simla, Colo./Simla |
| Sami Brinkmann |
Minnesota Morris |
Jr. |
Hamburg, Minn./Norwood Young America |
| Carly Denler |
Minnesota Morris |
Sr. |
Champlin, Minn./Champlin Park |
| Taylor Gibson |
St. Scholastica |
Sr. |
La Crescent, Minn./La Crescent |
| Hannah Goemann |
Minnesota Morris |
Sr. |
Wells, Minn./United South Central |
| Brooke Hogan |
Minnesota Morris |
Fy. |
|
| Casey Hovland |
St. Scholastica |
Jr. |
North Branch, Minn./North Branch |
| Anika Kling |
St. Scholastica |
Fy. |
Hudson, Wis./Hudson |
| Katherine Novak |
Minnesota Morris |
So. |
Champlin, Minn./Champlin Park |
| Taylor Phillips |
Wisconsin-Superior |
So. |
Superior, Wis./Superior |
| Kelli Praska |
Wisconsin-Superior |
So. |
Eagan, Minn./Eagan |
| Valerie Rowe |
Wisconsin-Superior |
So. |
Ironwood, Mich./A.D.Johnston |
| Svenja Ruehl |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Jr. |
Kirchuers, Germany/Gymnasium Philippinum Marburg |
| Hannah Russert |
St. Scholastica |
Sr. |
Caledonia, Minn./Caledonia |
| Megan Rutt |
Bethany Lutheran |
Fy. |
Le Center, Minn./Tri-City United |
| Megan Sauer |
Bethany Lutheran |
Sr. |
Lismore, Minn./Adrian |
| Breanna Shofner |
St. Scholastica |
Sr. |
International Falls, Minn./Falls |
| Natalie St. Marie |
St. Scholastica |
Fy. |
St. Francis, Minn./St. Francis |
| LeAnn Torgerson |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Fy. |
Two Harbors, Minn./Two Harbors |
| Madelyn Urman |
St. Scholastica |
Jr. |
Alexandria, Minn./Jefferson |
UMAC Individual Event Champions
| Name |
Event(s) |
School |
Year |
Hometown/High School |
| Sammi Argir |
200-meter Dash, 4 x 200-meter Relay
4 x 400-meter Relay |
St. Scholastica |
Jr. |
Chisholm, Minn./Hibbing |
| Tanna Boyle |
Distance Medley Relay |
Minnesota Morris |
Sr. |
Simla, Colo./Simla |
| Sami Brinkmann |
Weight Throw |
Minnesota Morris |
Jr. |
Hamburg, Minn./Norwood Young America |
| Taylor Gibson |
400-meter Dash, 800-meter Dash,
4 x 400-meter Relay |
St. Scholastica |
Sr. |
La Crescent, Minn./La Crescent |
| Hannah Goemann |
3,000-meter Run, Distance Medley Relay |
Minnesota Morris |
Sr. |
Wells, Minn./United South Central |
| Brooke Hogan |
Distance Medley Relay |
Minnesota Morris |
Fy. |
|
| Casey Hovland |
5,000-meter Run |
St. Scholastica |
Jr. |
North Branch, Minn./North Branch |
| Anika Kling |
4 x 200-meter Relay |
St. Scholastica |
Fy. |
Hudson, Wis./Hudson |
| Katherine Novak |
Mile Run, Distance Medley Relay |
Minnesota Morris |
So. |
Champlin, Minn./Champlin Park |
| Taylor Phillips |
Shot Put |
Wisconsin-Superior |
So. |
Superior, Wis./Superior |
| Valerie Rowe |
Pole Vault |
Wisconsin-Superior |
So. |
Ironwood, Mich./A.D.Johnston |
| Svenja Ruehl |
60-meter Dash, Long Jump, Triple Jump |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Jr. |
Kirchuers, Germany/Gymnasium Philippinum Marburg |
| Hannah Russert |
60-meter Hurdles |
St. Scholastica |
Sr. |
Caledonia, Minn./Caledonia |
| Megan Rutt |
High Jump |
Bethany Luthearn |
Fy. |
Le Center, Minn./Tri-City United |
| Breanna Shofner |
4 x 200-meter Relay, 4 x 400-meter Relay |
St. Scholastica |
So. |
International Falls, Minn./Falls |
| Madelyn Urman |
4 x 200-meter Relay, 4 x 400-meter Relay |
St. Scholastica |
Jr. |
Alexandria, Minn./Jefferson |
UMAC Sportsmanship Awards
Team Award – Bethany Lutheran
Bethany Lutheran – Anna Lieske, Jr., Mankato, Minn./Mankato West
Crown – Keisha Prafke, Fy., Glencoe, Minn./Glencoe-Silver Lake
Minnesota-Morris – Hannah Goemann, Sr., Wells, Minn./United South Central
Northwestern – Danica White, Jr., Maplewood, Minn./Concordia Academy
St. Scholastica – Hannah Russert, Sr., Caledonia, Minn./Caledonia
Wisconsin-Superior – Valerie Rowe, So., Ironwood, Mich./A.D.Johnston