Courtesy of GoCobbers.com, Release: May 18

Complete UW-La Crosse NCAA Qualifier Results

UW-La Crosse Qualifier Recap

LA CROSSE, Wis. (5/17/06)-- Encore after encore. Concordia senior track and field star Natalie Hanson continues to enjoy one of the best outdoor track and field seasons in the history of the Cobber women's track and field program. One day after tying the school record in the pole vault, Hanson smashed the school record in the 1500 meters and, in the process, automatically qualified for the NCAA National Meet in her second event.

Hanson's time of 4:33.65 breaks the old school mark of 4:37.22 set by Chris Fredrick in 1990. Her time is under the 4:34.00 mark necessary to qualify for the national meet. To put her race into perspective and show how far Hanson has come in one year - last season her best time in the 1500 meters was 4:40.19 and her top time in the 800 meters was 2:18.39. She has now broken the school record in both events and has posted times of 4:33.65 in the 1500 meters and 2:11.96 in the 800 meters. She now owns the sixth fastest time in the nation in the 800 meters and the ninth fastest time in the 1500 meters. All this from an athlete who has only participated in one NCAA National Track and Field Meet in her career - Wow!!

Not to be outdone by her teammate, Heather Schuster posted a career-best 2:12.67 in the 800 meters and provisionally qualified for the national meet. Her time is the 11th fastest in the nation and looks to be well within the 20-22 person field that will be invited to the national meet. Her time is the third fastest in school history and is only .37 seconds off the old school record that Hanson smashed earlier in the year. Adding to the theme of peaking at the right time, Schuster's previous season-best was 2:15.37.

The Cobber 4x400-meter relay team of Hanson, Alissa Bilden, Amy Ravenhorst and Kelly Olson ran a 3:56.59 which is a national provisionally qualifying time. That time, however is five seconds slower than the team of Hanson, Bilden, Olson and Angie Pfeiffer ran at the Ron masanz Invitational on May 5. Their time of 3:51.37 is the sixth fastest in the nation and will eventually qualify them for the national meet.

Danielle Norby, the other Concordia individual that is trying to better her chances of qualifying for the national meet, recorded a distance 17-01.50 in the long jump. She has provisionally qualified for the national meet in the long jump and triple jump. She currently stands 37th in the long jump and 24th in the triple jump.

The Cobber qualifying tour of the midwest will continue tomorrow when they travel to Illinois to compete in the North Central Invite at 3:00pm.

Cobber Notables

Cobber Women Results:
1500 Meters - Natalie Hanson - 4:33.65 - PR
SCHOOL RECORD - Top 10-#1
NCAA Automatic National Qualifying

800 Meters - Heather Schuster - 2:12.67 - PR
Top 10-#3
NCAA Provisional National Qualifying

4x400 Relay - 3:56.59 - Top 10-#7
Kelly Olson, Natalie Hanson, Amy Ravenhorst, Alissa Bilden
NCAA Provisional National Qualifying

400 Meters - Alissa Bilden - 59.43
400 Meters - Amy Ravenhorst - 59.66
400 Meters - Kelly Olson - 60.45

1500 Meters - Rachel Charpentier - 4:49.95
Long Jump - Danielle Norby - 17-1.5 (5.22m)

Discus Throw - Sarah Sorvaag - 96-11 (29.55m)
Hammer Throw - Sarah Sorvaag - 110-8 (33.74m)