Sports
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February 28, 2013 Weekly Standings Women’s Basketball Simpson Wartburg Dubuque Loras Coe Luther Buena Vista Central
Women take second and men take sixth at indoor conference, records in the process. Brita Moore
Overall 25-2 16-10 20-8 18-9 13-13 13-13 12-13 10-15
Recent scores: • Feb. 16 vs. Wartburg L 63-70
Staff Writer
Records fell as the the Norse track and field team closed in on the end of its indoor season at the IIAC Indoor Championships. The women finished second in the meet while the men finished sixth, bringing 34 and 36 athletes, respectively. On the track, school records were broken in both the men’s and women’s 4x800-meter relays, the men’s 200 meter dash, the women’s pentathlon and the first-place finishing women’s distance medley team. Jayne Cole (‘14) won both events she competed in, the 5000-meter run and the 3000-meter run. Tricia Serres (‘16), who recently broke the school record in the mile, won that event with a time of 5:03.95. Incredibly, Serres improved on that time with a 4:46 split in the distance medley. Serres, Maggie Pierson (‘14), Kelsey Strand (‘15), and Annie Klepper (‘13) ran the relay together to set a Luther record of 11:50.55. “The benefit of an indoor conference meet is that it really gives you an indication of how we’re doing relative to competitors within our conference,” Head Coach Jeff Wettach (‘79) said. The team spent all of January training, with three indoor meets in February before the conference meet. Addy Rickels (‘13) anticipates that the momentum will continue to build. “Indoor season is a really good time to work up your fitness, along with the whole month of March,” Rickels said. “You’re more at your prime during outdoor season than indoor, so you can really see those improvements.”
IIAC 13-1 9-5 8-6 7-7 6-8 5-9 5-9 3-11
Men’s Basketball Luther Buena Vista Dubuque Wartburg Coe Simpson Central Loras
IIAC 11-3 11-3 9-5 8-6 8-6 3-11 3-11 3-11
Overall 18-8 19-7 22-6 15-12 15-11 7-19 10-14 8-17
Recent scores: • Feb. 22 vs. Wartburg L 57-62
Men’s Swim and Dive IIAC 2-0 2-1 1-1 0-3
Luther Loras Simpson Coe
Hannah Theisen (‘16) gets her hands set as she prepares for the 200 meter dash. Theisen ended up with a time of 28.04. The results of the conference meet indicated that the training is already paying off. Rickels placed third in the pentathlon (point total accumulated from a 55-meter hurdles, high jump, long jump, shot put and 800-meter run) and second in the individual high jump with 1.59 meters. Her pentathlon score of 3101 ranks second all-time at Luther. As a multi-eventer, she has more to prepare for than just running. “With the field events, you have that extra element of technique involved,” Rickels said. “There’s a specific approach, and the standards can be shifted back and forth.” For pole vaulter Erik Queoff (‘16), who recently transferred from UW-La
Crosse, the experience is more than just about competition. “Everyone on the team, regardless of skill level, is so positive and supportive of the rest of the athletes,” Queoff said. “It's also clear that everyone on the team is in it for the love of the sport.” His teammates’ support helped Queoff score a personal record in the pole vault, with a jump of 4.20 meters, enough to place eighth. This supportive atmosphere is something Wettach works to maintain, so the sport can be a way to relieve stress rather than a cause of it. “It’s truly a team endeavor, since there are team points being scored,” Wettach said. “The expectation of me is to model that behavior … because I think it spreads if I do that.” Multi-eventer Megan Hatfield (‘13) agrees that the team aspect of the sport, often overlooked, is beneficial to the athletes as individuals. “There’s no way I could be running as fast of times as I am without my team,” Hatfield said. “It’s a great atmosphere when you’re working towards that common goal.” The Norse athletes express their team pride through out-cheering their opponents as well. “You see all these athletes who are competing in a couple hours out there, screaming their butts off for their teammates,” Hatfield said. “We’re so loud, and I absolutely love it. You have this sea of blue anywhere around the track that you look.” Overall, the Norse demonstrated their team depth, with at least one athlete scoring points (placing first through eighth) in nearly every event. The rest of the season is sure to be worth watching. “The next meet on the schedule is always the most important one,” Wettach said.
Overall 3-3 3-5 2-2 0-7
Recent scores: • Feb 14-16 Liberal Arts Championships 2nd of 10 Upcoming schedule: • Mar. 20 NCAA III Championship @ Shenandoah, Texas 10:00
Women’s Swim and Dive IIAC 2-0 2-1 1-2 0-2
Luther Loras Coe Simpson
Overall 6-0 5-4 1-6 1-3
Recent scores: • Feb. 14-16 Liberal Arts Championships 1st of 12 Upcoming schedule: • Mar. 20 NCAA III Championship @ Shenandoah, Texas 10:00
Men’s Wrestling IIAC Wartburg Coe Luther Dubuque Loras Central Buena Vista Sinpson
7-0 6-1 4-3 4-3 3-4 3-4 1-6 0-7
Overall 19-0 13-6 12-8 10-8 10-13 12-6 2-9 1-14
Recent scores: • Feb. 18 vs. Cornell W 21-15 • Feb. 14 vs. St. Olaf W 36-6 Upcoming schedule: • Mar. 2 NCAA III Regional @ Dubuque