Sunday, February 26, 2006

Amanda Body (Harlan, Ky./Harlan H.S.) broke school records in the 200m dash and the long jump Sunday at the Mid-Continent Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships in Bloomington, Ill. Valpo currently sits third after the first of two days of competition.

The Crusaders tallied 28 points on the meet's first day. Oral Roberts leads the pack with 47 points, while Western Illinois sits second with 38 points. Southern Utah (20), UMKC (13), and Chicago State (4) round out the team scoring.

Body took home top honors in the long jump, in addition to setting a new school mark, with her leap of 18'8", besting her closest competitior by a mere quarter-inch. Body broke the record previously held by teammate Melanie Wilson (Saint Louis, Mo./Rosati-Kain H.S.) by six and a half inches.

Body also broke Wilson's record in the 200m dash, running a time of 25.72 in the preliminary heat, qualifying fourth-fastest for the finals on Monday.

The Crusader distance medley relay squad won the event for the second time in three years. The team of Jobeth Schmiesing (Mankato, Minn./Mankato West H.S.), Maggie Zellner (Downers Grove, Ill./Benet Academy), Ashley Billstrom (Hales Corners, Wis./Whitnall H.S.), and Laura Rolf (Rochester, Mich./Lutheran Northwest H.S.) ran the second-fastest time in school history, crossing the line in 12:18.27, 17 seconds ahead of the Western Illinois squad.

Danielle Nunnelly (Valparaiso, Ind./Valparaiso H.S.) came home runner-up in the 3,000m run. Her time of 9:55.40 was less than five seconds off the pace of the victor.

Wilson qualified for the finals of the 60m hurdles, posting a time of 9.01 in the prelims, second-fastest in the field. The time was just .01 off of her own school record. Wilson also competed in the 400m dash, but her time of 1:03.70 did not qualify her for the finals.

Patricia Kloth (Medford, Wis./Medford Area H.S.) and Body both qualified for the semifinals of the 60m dash, but could not reach the finals. Their semifinal times of 8.05 and 8.07 improved upon the third and fourth-fastest marks in school history, respectively.

The meet concludes Monday in Bloomington, with action slated to begin at 10 a.m.