NCAA Meet Preview

Courtesy of GoCobbers.com, Release: May 22, 2007

NCAA DIII Women's 800 Meters Heat Sheet

Past Concordia Individual National Champions

MOORHEAD, Minn. (5/22/07)-- The time has finally arrived for senior Heather Schuster (Grafton, N.D./Minto HS) to find out if she can add her name to the list of individual national champions at Concordia. Schuster's quest for a national title will begin on Friday, May 25 at 6:35 p.m. when she runs in the first of the two preliminary heats of the 800 meters at the NCAA Division III National Meet held at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in Oshkosh, Wis. The finals of the women's 800-meter run will be held on Saturday, May 26 at 3 p.m.

Schuster will be looking to become the first track athlete at Concordia to win a national championship. There have been three other individual athletes claim national title honors but they have all been field athletes. There have been three women athletes finish second at the national meet including Angie Pfeiffer '06, who claimed the runner-up spot in the 400 meters at the DIII national Indoor meet in 2006. The other two second-place finishers for the Cobbers were Heidi Brenden at the 2001 national indoor meet in the 800 meters and Tracy Berntsen at the national outdoor meet in 1995 in the 400-meter hurdles.

Schuster automatically qualified for the event with a time of 2:09.32 at the Drake Relays on Apr. 27. That time set a new school record and is the third fastest in the nation this season.

Schuster was named the MIAC Most Outstanding track Athlete at the conference championship meet last week as she won both the 800 meters and 1500 meters at the MIAC Outdoor Championship Meet. Her winning time of 4:33.55 in the 1500 meters set a new Clements Stadium record.

Schuster was named the MIAC Track Athlete of the Week three straight weeks this spring and for the 2007 indoor and outdoor track seasons, won the award on four different occasions.

NCAA Women's 800 Meters Heat Sheet

800 METER RUN - Saturday 3:00 pm
- Top 2 in each heat plus next 5 fastest advance
- Last year's winner: 2:12.54; Amber Druien, Jr, North Central College
- NCAA Championships record: 2:07.39; Liz Woodworth, Wisconsin Oshkosh, 2003
- J.J Keller Field record: 2:13.54; Liz Woodworth , Wisconsin Runner Racing Team, 2006
- Collegiate record: 1:59.11; Suzy Hamilton, Wisconsin, 1990

Qualifying Heats
Lane Team Time

Heat 1

1 Jordyn Smith Willamette 2:10.87

2 Heather Schuster Concordia 2:09.32

3 Natalie Badowski Washington 2:13.00

4 Maria Millard Amherst 2:12.43

5 Erin Kelley Carroll 2:13.54

6 Danielle Simmons RIT 2:13.02

7 Lauren Bergstrom Calvin 2:11.10

8 Amber Druien North Central 2:12.4

9 Marcia Taddy UW-Platteville 2:09.18

Heat 2

1 Heidi Porter Wartburg 2:08.41

2 Jessica Scott UW-Platteville 2:11.79

3 Andrea Gelle St. Olaf 2:13.46

4 Sarah Miller Keene State 2:12.15

5 Stephanie Herrick Coll. of NJ 2:10.27

6 Claire Schultz Middlebury 2:13.33

7 Angela Tecco Coll. of NJ 2:12.73

8 Annick Lamar Haverford 2:10.05

9 Rachel Giffey-Brohaugh George Fox 2:12.92

Past Concordia National Champions

Swimming & Diving (1)
Annie Cullen (1 Meter Diving, 2006)

Indoor Track and Field (2)
Aaron Banks (Shot Put, 1995)
Aaron Banks (Shot Put, 1996)

Outdoor Track and Field (7)
Kris Kuehl (Discus, 1990)
Kris Kuehl (Discus, 1991)
Kris Kuehl (Discus, 1992)
Aaron Banks (Discus, 1995)
Renee Erickson (Javelin, 1994)
Renee Erickson (Javelin, 1995)
Renee Erickson (Javelin, 1996)

Wrestling (1)
Barry Bennett (HWT, 1978)