Gow, Witbrod take top student-athlete UMAC outdoor awards
ST. PAUL, Minn.--- The 2022 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championship was dominated on an individual basis by two familiar names as Leann Gow of the University of Wisconsin-Superior and Stephanie Witbrod of Bethany Lutheran College collected the top student-athletes honors, it was announced Tuesday.
Gow repeated as the Track Athlete of the Meet following a sprint sweep, while Witbrod repeated her success from the indoor season taking the Top Scoring Athlete of the Meet, Field Athlete of the Meet and Rookie of the Year honors. Bethany Lutheran Head Coach Michael Dunn was selected as Coach of the Year by his peers after leading the Vikings to an impressive second-place finish.
For the second year in a row, Gow captured three event wins for the Yellowjackets to help her squad finish third. The sprint start kicked off the meet running the fastest 100-meter qualifying time Friday (12.63) before winning the event with a wind-aided 12.40 time Saturday. Gow earned a title win in the 200-meter dash Friday with a time of 25.78 that was less than .3 seconds off the UMAC record. She capped off her weekend winning the 400-meter dash in 1:00.94. She also ran on the Wisconsin-Superior 4 x 100-meter and 4 x 400-meter relay teams and finished as the second-highest scoring athlete of the meet with 37.5 total points.
The top scoring athlete of the meet goes to Witbrod who has quickly become a dominant force in the UMAC in her first collegiate year of competition. The rookie earned 51.25 points for the Vikings scoring in eight different events. Her Field Athlete of the Meet accolade was highlighted by two first place finishes, two second place finishes and a sixth-place finish. Witbrod won the high jump by nearly four inches clearing 1.57 meters (5-1.75), and then took the triple jump title with a wind-aided jump of 10.76 meters (35-3.75). She also was the runner-up in the long jump and the shot put.
Witbrod also excelled on the track winning the 100-meter hurdles with a wind-aided time of 15.79 Saturday. She was nearly a second faster than her prelim time of 16.43 Friday. Witbrod also ran lead-off for the Vikings' 4 x 100-meter relay squad that placed fourth and was part of the 4 x 400-meter relay team as well.
Behind strong performances from Witbrod and Dunn's leadership, the Vikings placed second as a team with 149 points which was 89 points more than the team collected in 2021. Dunn's team finished the 2022 outdoor meet with five individual event wins and three different individual champions.
Gow and Witbrod led a group of 11 individuals who earned all-conference recognition – first or second place in an individual event or part of a first-place relay – in at least two events. The nine others include Alexxa DeQuevedo (Wisconsin-Superior), Margaret Gabb (Martin Luther College), Hailey Gill (University of Minnesota Morris), Emily Jackson (Bethany Lutheran), Jenica Moes (Minnesota Morris), Abby Pausch (Crown College), Olivia Salzwedel (Minnesota Morris), Jasmine Terry (Minnesota Morris) and Deanna Trucksess (University of Northwestern).
Crown 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.
Top Scoring Athlete of the Meet Award – Stephanie Witbrod, Fy., Bethany Lutheran
Track Athlete of the Meet Award – Leann Gow, Sr., Wisconsin-Superior
Field Athlete of the Meet Award – Stephanie Witbrod, Fy., Bethany Lutheran
Rookie of the Year Award – Stephanie Witbrod, Fy., Bethany Lutheran
Coach of the Year Award – Michael Dunn, Bethany Lutheran
UMAC All-Conference
| Name |
Event(s) |
School |
Year |
Hometown/High School |
| Jenna Benson |
4 x 100-meter Relay (1st) |
Minnesota Morris |
Sr. |
Annandale, Minn./Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted |
| Anna Brueckner |
800-meter Dash (1st) |
Crown |
So. |
Swanton, Vt./Homeschool |
| Alexxa DeQuevedo |
100-meter Hurdles (2nd), 400-meter hurdles (2nd) |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Jr. |
Silver Bay, Minn./William Kelley |
| Emily Dobberstein |
400-meter Hurdles (1st) |
Martin Luther |
Sr. |
Fountain City, Minn./Luther |
| Margaret Gabb |
800-meter Dash (2nd), 4 x 400-meter Relay (1st) |
Martin Luther |
Jr. |
Hernando, Fla./Luther Prep |
| Leann Gow |
100-meter Dash (1st), 200-meter Dash (1st)
400-meter Dash (1st) |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Sr. |
Two Harbors, Minn./Two Harbors |
| Hailey Gill |
Hammer Throw (1st), Shot Put (1st),
Discus Throw (1st) |
Minnesota Morris |
Jr. |
Alexandria, Minn./Alexandria |
| Lydia Gross |
4 x 100-meter Relay (1st) |
Minnesota Morris |
So. |
Moorhead, Minn./Moorhead |
| Maya Habben |
4 x 400-meter Relay (1st) |
Martin Luther |
So. |
Flagstaff, Ariz./Luther Prep |
| Briahna Hensel |
4 x 800-meter Relay (1st) |
Minnesota Morris |
Fy. |
Cottage Grove, Minn./Park |
| Ilsa Hoaglund |
4 x 800-meter Relay (1st) |
Minnesota Morris |
Fy. |
Coon Rapids, Minn./Coon Rapids |
| Kasha Hughlett |
Hammer Throw (2nd) |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Jr. |
Maple, Wis./Northwestern |
| Emily Jackson |
Long Jump (1st), High Jump (2nd), |
Bethany Lutheran |
Fy. |
Castalian Springs, Tenn./Trousdale County |
| Nicole Koski |
5,000-meter Run (2nd) |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Sr. |
Park Falls, Wis./Chequamegon |
| Kaitlyn Ladwig |
4 x 800-meter Relay (1st) |
Minnesota Morris |
Sr. |
Granite Falls, Minn./Yellow Medicine East |
| Maggie Landwer |
Pole Vault (2nd) |
Minnesota Morris |
Fy. |
Gilbert, Minn./Eveleth-Gilbert |
| McKenna Langerud |
4 x 800-meter Relay (1st) |
Minnesota Morris |
Jr. |
East Grand Forks, Minn./East Grand Forks |
| Elizabeth Lofstad |
1,500-meter Run (1st) |
North Central |
So. |
Circle Pines, Minn./Centennial |
| Jordan Merwin |
3,000-meter Steeplechase (2nd) |
Bethany Lutheran |
So. |
Isanti, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti |
| Jenica Moes |
Discus Throw (2nd) Javelin (2nd) |
Minnesota Morris |
Sr. |
Kranzburg, S.D./Watertown |
| Emma Nelson |
4 x 400-meter Relay (1st) |
Martin Luther |
So. |
Redwood Falls, Minn./Minnesota Valley Lutheran |
| McKenzie Newton |
Javelin (1st) |
Minnesota Morris |
So. |
West Fargo, N.D./West Fargo Sheyenne |
| Abby Pausch |
3,000-meter Steeplechase (1st),
1,500-meter Run (2nd) |
Crown |
Jr. |
Sleepy Eye, Minn./Homeschool |
| Kim Peters |
Triple Jump (2nd) |
Minnesota Morris |
Fy. |
Eagan, Minn./Eastview |
| Ally Platzer |
Pole Vault (1st) |
Martin Luther |
So. |
Olivet, Mich./Olivet |
| Olivia Salzwedel |
4 x 100-meter Relay (1st), 100-meter Dash (2nd) |
Minnesota Morris |
Sr. |
St. Anthony, Minn./St. Anthony Village |
| Jasmine Terry |
4 x 100-meter Relay (1st), High Jump (2nd) |
Minnesota Morris |
Sr. |
Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee |
| Kayla Tobin |
5,000-meter Run (1st) |
Bethany Lutheran |
Fy. |
Watertown, Wis./Homeschool |
| Claire Tomhave |
4 x 400-meter Relay (1st) |
Martin Luther |
So. |
Lake Mills, Wis./Luther Prep |
| Deanna Trucksess |
200-meter Dash (2nd), 400-meter Dash (2nd) |
Northwestern |
Fy. |
Spirit Lake, Iowa/Spirit Lake |
| Stephanie Witbrod |
100-meter Hurdles (2nd), High Jump (1st), Long Jump (1st), Triple Jump (1st) |
Bethany Lutheran |
Fy. |
Douglas, Wy./Douglas |
UMAC Event Champions
| Name |
Event(s) |
School |
Year |
Hometown/High School |
| Jenna Benson |
4 x 100-meter Relay |
Minnesota Morris |
Sr. |
Annandale, Minn./Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted |
| Anna Brueckner |
800-meter Dash |
Crown |
So. |
Swanton, Vt./Homeschool |
| Emily Dobberstein |
400-meter Hurdles |
Martin Luther |
Sr. |
Fountain City, Minn./Luther |
| Margaret Gabb |
4 x 400-meter Relay |
Martin Luther |
Jr. |
Hernando, Fla./Luther Prep |
| Hailey Gill |
Hammer Throw, Shot Put, Discus Throw |
Minnesota Morris |
Jr. |
Alexandria, Minn./Alexandria |
| Leann Gow |
100-meter Dash, 200-meter Dash, 400-meter Dash |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Sr. |
Two Harbors, Minn./Two Harbors |
| Lydia Gross |
4 x 100-meter Relay |
Minnesota Morris |
So. |
Moorhead, Minn./Moorhead |
| Maya Habben |
4 x 400-meter Relay |
Martin Luther |
So. |
Flagstaff, Ariz./Luther Prep |
| Briahna Hensel |
4 x 800-meter Relay |
Minnesota Morris |
Fy. |
Cottage Grove, Minn./Park |
| Ilsa Hoaglund |
4 x 800-meter Relay |
Minnesota Morris |
Fy. |
Coon Rapids, Minn./Coon Rapids |
| Emily Jackson |
Long Jump |
Bethany Lutheran |
Fy. |
Castalian Springs, Tenn./Trousdale County |
| Kaitlyn Ladwig |
4 x 800-meter Relay |
Minnesota Morris |
Sr. |
Granite Falls, Minn./Yellow Medicine East |
| Maggie Landwer |
4 x 400-meter Relay |
Minnesota Morris |
Fy. |
Gilbert, Minn./Eveleth-Gilbert |
| Elizabeth Lofstad |
1,500-meter Run |
North Central |
So. |
Circle Pines, Minn./Centennial |
| Emma Nelson |
4 x 400-meter Relay |
Martin Luther |
So. |
Redwood Falls, Minn./Minnesota Valley Lutheran |
| McKenzie Newton |
Javelin |
Minnesota Morris |
So. |
West Fargo, N.D./West Fargo Sheyenne |
| Ally Platzer |
Pole Vault |
Martin Luther |
So. |
Olivet, Mich./Olivet |
| Olivia Salzwedel |
4 x 100-meter Relay |
Minnesota Morris |
Sr. |
St. Anthony, Minn./St. Anthony Village |
| Jasmine Terry |
4 x 100-meter Relay |
Minnesota Morris |
Sr. |
Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee |
| Kayla Tobin |
5,000-meter Run |
Bethany Lutheran |
Fy. |
Watertown, Wis./Homeschool |
| Claire Tomhave |
4 x 400-meter Relay |
Martin Luther |
So. |
Lake Mills, Wis./Luther Prep |
| Stephanie Witbrod |
100-meter Hurdles, High Jump, Triple Jump |
Bethany Lutheran |
Fy. |
Douglas, Wy./Douglas |
UMAC Sportsmanship Awards
Team Award – Crown
Bethany Lutheran – McKenzie Floyd, Sr., LeSueur, Minn./LeSueur-Henderson
Crown – Greta Greniger, Fy., Rockford, Minn./Rockford
Martin Luther – Emily Dobberstein, Sr., Fountain City, Minn./Luther
Minnesota-Morris – Hailey Gill, Jr., Alexandria, Minn./Alexandria
North Central – Serena Lanes, Fy., Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee
Northwestern – Megan Nowak, Sr., Athens, Wis./Athens
Wisconsin-Superior – Kenzy Kreuzer, Fy., Stoddard, Wis./De Soto