Courtesy of GoCobbers.com, Release: May 19

Complete North Central NCAA Qualifier Results

Three Meet Qualifer Recap

(Courtesy of men's track and field coach Garrick Larson)

Just an update on the NCAA Last Chance Qualifier road trip. It has been a long but entertaining ride with some great performances.

Wednesday, May 17, Coe College

Danielle Norby, Long Jump, 5.52m, 18'1.25", Provisional Qualifier Danielle Norby, Triple Jump, 11.03m, 36'2.25"
Sarah Sorvaag, Discus, 35.32m, 115'10.5"
Sarah Sorvaag, Hammer, 38.09m, 124'11.5"
Natalie Hanson, Pole Vault, 3.40m, 11'1.75", School Record, Prov. Qual.
Josh Smith, 400M, 50.10, Season Best
Men's 4x4, 3:21.56, Season Best
[Haddeland-50.33/Olejnicak-49.50/Prince-50.78/Smith-50.95]
Preston Lyles, Shot Put, 12.39m, 40'7.75"
Preston Lyles, Discus, 42.86m, 140'7.25", Lifetime Best

A windy day with cross winds for the jumps and pole vault, but sunny and mid-60's. Danielle Norby improved her Long Jump Provisional Qualifying by 1cm, but couldn't manage the board on her biggest triple jumps. In the Pole Vault, Natalie Hanson made attempts at 11'10" but finished with a best vault of 11'1.75" which ties the school record held by Renee Splichal.

Josh Smith ran a season best of 50.10 in the 400 Meter, but the race took it's toll on the 4x400 Meter Relay where Smith (the anchor) ran the slowest of the four legs. Even with a rough anchor leg, the team of Josh Haddeland, Dusten Olejnicak, Jay Prince, and Josh Smith ran a season best of 3:21.56.

Olejnicak produced his first sub-50 split clocking 49.50. Freshman Preston Lyles improved his collegiate Discus best to 140'7".

Thursday, May 18, UW-LaCrosse

Alissa Bilden, 400 Meter, 59.43, Season Best Amy Ravenhorst, 400 Meter, 59.66, Lifetime Best Kelly Ravenhorst, 400 Meter, 60.45, Season Best Heather Schuster, 800 Meter, 2:12.67, Season Best, Provisional Qualifier Rachel Charpentier, 1500 Meter, 4:49.95, Season Best Natalie Hanson, 1500 Meter, 4:33.65, School Record, Automatic Qualifier Women's 4x4, 3:56.59, Provisional Qualifier
[Olson-60.28/Hanson-59.42/Ravenhorst-59.00/Bilden-57.73]
Sarah Sorvaag, Hammer, 33.74m, 110'8.25"
Sarah Sorvaag, Discus, 29.55m, 96'11.25"
Danielle Norby, Long Jump, 5.22m, 17'1.5"
Preston Lyles, Discus, 44.05m, 144'6"
Preston Lyles, Shot Put, 12.31m, 40'4.5"
Men's 4x4, 3:19.02, #4 All-Time list
(first time under 3:20 since 1997, nearing school record 3:18.08)
[Haddeland-50.10/Olejnicak-49.13/Prince-50.92/Smith-48.68]

Tonight was one of the dream nights for producing great results.

The day opened with Preston Lyles launching the discus to another collegiate personal best of 144'6" which moves him to #11 on the Cobber All-Time list.

Soon after, the ever-versitile Natalie Hanson destroyed the 1500 Meter school record running 4:33.65 and Automatically Qualifying for the NCAA Championship. Hanson is now eclipsed the NCAA Automatic standards in both the 800 Meter and 1500 Meter races, ranked #6 and #9 respectively. She also matched the NCAA Provisional standard for the Pole Vault. Hanson holds the school records in all three events.

Rachel Charpentier, also in the 1500 Meter ran her Season Best of 4:49.95, just off her Lifetime Best.

Minutes later Alissa Bilden, Amy Ravenhorst, and Kelly Olson all ran Season Bests in the 400 Meter, clocking 59.43, 59.66, and 60.45 respectively.
Ravenhorst, a Soccer and Track two-sport athlete, set her Lifetime Best in the 400 Meter. Not to be upstaged, Heather Schuster unleashed a 2:12.67 in the 800 Meter to Provisionally Qualifying at #13 in the Nation.

After sunset as the meet moved toward its culminating event the 4x400 Meter Relay, the winds settled to a calm and cool night. Running without Angie Pfeiffer, #3 in the country at 400 Meters, the team of Olson, Hanson, Ravenhorst, and Bilden scorched a 3:56.59. Bilden, running anchor, showed signs of returning to her 2004 form pacing the team at 57.73. Not to be outdone, the Men's 4x400 Meter Relay team of Josh Haddeland, Dusten Olejnicak, Jay Prince, and Josh Smith blazed 3:19.02, #4 on the All-Time Cobber list and less than a second off the School Record. Olejnicak lowered his 400 split best to 49.13, while Smith unloaded a 48.68.

Friday, May 19, North Central College

Danielle Norby, Long Jump, 5.20m, 17'0.5"
Danielle Norby, Triple Jump, 11.06m, 36'3.25"
Rachel Charpentier, 1500 Meter, 4:54.69
Heather Schuster, 800 Meter, 2:14.15, Provisional Qualifying Women's 4x400 Meter Relay, 3:59.59
[Bilden-59.91/Olson-59.79/Charpentier-61.52/Schuster-58.24]
Men's 4x400 Meter Relay, 3:19.92
(first time under 3:20 twice in one season)
[Haddeland-49.68/Olejnicak-50.71/Prince-51.22/Smith-48.29]

It was another gorgeous day, but turned cold into the 40's by the end of the meet, although conditions were still prime. Heather Schuster ran another impressive 800 Meter in 2:14.15, an NCAA Provisional Mark, but was boxed in almost the entire race so had difficulty opening up to run a faster time.

At the end of the meet, the Cobber women's 4x400 Meter Relay team dipped below 4:00 for the 7th time this season and with its 7th different member. Alissa Bilden, Kelly Olson, Rachel Charpentier, and Heather Schuster teamed up to run 3:59.59, just off the NCAA provisional qualifying. In the men's 4x400 Meter Relay wasn't able to muster four great relay legs on the same day.

Josh Haddeland led off the relay in a fantastic 49.68 and Josh Smith anchored in 48.29, both lifetime bests on the 4x400 Meter Relay, but Jay Prince and Dusten Olejnicak ran a little off pair. Regardless, the relay was a success dipping below 3:20 with a 3:19.92. It is the first time under Coach Larson that a team has eclipsed the 3:20 barrier twice in one season and only the 2nd and 3rd times a Cobber squad has run under 3:20 in over two decades.

Cobber Notables

North Central College Last Chance Qualifier

Naperville, Illinois May 19, 2006

COBBER RESULTS:

Danielle Norby, Long Jump, 5.20m, 17'0.5"
Danielle Norby, Triple Jump, 11.06m, 36'3.25"
Rachel Charpentier, 1500 Meter, 4:54.69
Heather Schuster, 800 Meter, 2:14.15, NCAA Provisional National Qualifying

Women's 4x400 Meter Relay, 3:59.59
[Bilden-59.91/Olson-59.79/Charpentier-61.52/Schuster-58.24]
This 4x4 was our 7th 4x4 this outdoor season to race under 4:00 - using different combinations involving seven different Cobber women - that is impressive!