Courtesy of GoCobbers.com, Release: March 4, 2008

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MOORHEAD, Minn. (3/04/08)-- Concordia enters the 2007-08 MIAC Indoor Track and Field Championship Meet on the heels of one of their most successful indoor seasons in recent history. The Cobbers had success on the individual and team levels as they broke several records and beat NCAA DII foe MSU Moorhead in a dual meet. All the success could add up to the best finish in the MIAC for Concordia since they placed third in the 2000-01 conference meet.

The optimism coming from the Cobber camp is rooted in a pair of seniors and a pair of juniors. Leading the way for Concordia at the indoor meet will be senior Josh Smith (Staples, Minn./Staples-Motley HS). Smith, the defending MIAC champion in the 600-yard dash, has already broken the school record in the 300 and 400 meters. Smith broke the 400-meter record at the St. Olaf Invite on Mar. 1 by clocking a time of 50.45. That time broke the old school mark of 50.67 in 1995 and is the third fastest time in the MIAC this year. He will be counted on to score points in multiple individual events as well as helping the Concordia 4x400-meter relay team finish in the top three.

Dusten Olejnicak (Brainerd, Minn.), the other senior leader on the team, will be one of the top field athletes for the Cobbers this season. He was named the MIAC Field Athlete of the Week on Jan. 28 for his personal-best distance in the long jump. Olejnicak has a season-best mark 22-1.50 in the event, which places him third in the conference and is less than nine inches from provisionally qualifying for the national meet. Olejnicak is also a key member of the CC 4x400-meter relay team.

Juniors Billy Oehlers (North Branch, Minn.) and Paul Westmark (Appleton, Wis.) have produced top-flight results as well in the first two months of the season. Oehlers is the top thrower on the team for Concordia and has posted a distance of 49-8.50 in the shot put. That mark is ranked fourth in the MIAC and puts him within two feet of provisionally qualifying for nationals. Westmark is one of the favorites in the MIAC Heptathlon. Last year he finished sixth at the conference meet and has improved on his marks from last year. He has upped his proficiency in the running events in 2008 and even broke the school record in the 60-meter hurdles. His time of 8.58 clocked at the Bison Classic is the fourth best in the conference. He is also a member of the record-seeking 4x400-meter relay team.

The Cobber 4x400-meter relay team of Smith, Olejnicak, Westmark and freshman Michael Dunn (Fargo, N.D./Oak Grove HS) have been steadily creeping up on the school record in the event. They have recorded several times within one second of the Cobber record and are currently seeded fourth in the event with a time of 3:25.25.