SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- After qualifying for the NCAA Division II National Championships, Patty Jo English, Mearah Miedema, Callin Naddy, Elizabeth Schaefer, Meagan Schenk, Nicolette Schmidt, Lawrence Lokonobei, Austin Miller, and Tyl Woelber are traveling to Birmingham, Alabama, this weekend to represent the Vikings at the indoor track & field national meet.

The Event

The championships will be held March 11-13 in Birmingham, Alabama, at the Birmingham CrossPlex. The University of Montevallo and the City of Birmingham will serve as co-hosts of the championships.

Woelber will start the championships with the heptathlon scheduled to start at 11 a.m. on Thursday. Schaefer will follow with the pentathlon slated for 11:30 a.m. on Thursday. 

On Friday, the first round of the men's mile will go off at 2 p.m. where Miller will be in the first heat. The finals for the event will happen at 2 p.m. on Saturday 

Lokonobei will take to the track at 2:15 p.m. Friday for the 60m hurdles where he is in the first heat. The finals for the 60m hurdles will take place at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Miller will have a quick turn around as he is in the first round of the 800m starting at 2:55 where he is in the second heat. The finals for the event are slated for 2:40 p.m on Saturday

In the evening on Friday, the four women qualified for the mile will take to the track at 7 p.m. Schmidt and Naddy are in the first heat, and Schenk and English are in the second heat. The finals for the mile will be at 6 p.m. on Saturday. 

Concluding Friday's competition for Augustana will be the women's distance medley relay composed of English, Sydney Mudgett, Naddy and Schmidt, slated to start at 8:45 p.m. 

The championship will be streamed live on NCAA.com

The Athletes

Mearah Miedema - Sr. - High Jump

Miedema, the Sioux Falls, South Dakota, native, is the lone Viking who hit the automatic qualifier in the high jump. She had two personal-bests two weekends in a row to start the season. Her automatic qualifying jump of 5-9.25 came at the SDSU Jim Emmerich Invite, the second meet of the shortened season. Miedema's height currently ranks third in the nation. 

Tyl Woelber - Jr. - Heptathlon

Woelber, hailing from Pipestone, Minnesota, was tabbed as the NSIC Preseason Field Athlete of the Year and repeated as High Point Performer at the NSIC Championship. His best heptathlon performance came at the Bison Open on Feb. 5 scoring 5,358 points to win the event. In the seven events, he placed first in the high jump and placed second in the 1,000m, the 60 hurdles, the shot put, the long jump, and the 60m. Woelber also won the heptathlon for the second year in a row at the conference meet. His season's best 5,358 points rank him fifth in the heptathlon in the nation. 

Elizabeth Schaefer - So. - Pentathlon

Schaefer, a Rapid City, South Dakota native, had a field day at the NSIC Championships setting personal bests in three of her five events in the pentathlon as she defended her title from last year. She set a new personal best in the pentathlon with 3,709 points. Schaefer's converted score of 3,731 ranks her eighth in the nation. 

Lawrence Lokonobei - So. - 60 Hurdles

Lokonobei, hailing from Salt Lake City, Utah, ran his personal best in the 60-hurdles at the SDSU Last Chance meet on Feb. 20 where he ran 8.09. His time currently ranks him 10th in the nation.

Austin Miller - Sr. - 800m and Mile

Miller, a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, native is coming off two individual victories at the NSIC Championships. The first win was in a new NSIC record with Miller winning the mile in 4:08.88. He then doubled-back to win the 800m running a new season-best 1:51.91. His 800m time, when converted, ranks him sixth in the nation at 1:50.34. Miller also ranks 15th in the mile with his converted time of 4:05.75 from the conference meet. 

Patty Jo English - So. - Mile

English, hailing from Elko, Minnesota, has run a personal-best in the mile twice this year, the most recent coming at the NSIC Championships where she won the race and broke the school record. Her converted time of 4:48.34 sits at fourth in the nation.

Nicolette Schmidt - Jr. - Mile

Schmidt, a Redfield, South Dakota, native has two personal-best in the mile this year, in her most recent mile race, she followed teammate English to place second at the NSIC Championships. Her time was also under the previous school record. Her converted time of 4:48.74 places her sixth in the nation.

Callin Naddy - Jr. - Mile

Naddy, hailing from Fort Collins, Colorado, broke the five-minute barriers on two occasions this season. The most recent one came at the NSIC Championships. The converted time of 4:54.09 is the 20th fastest time in the nation. 

Meagan Schenk - Sr. - Mile

Schenk, the Harrisburg, South Dakota, native, has lowered her personal best in the mile twice this year. The last time came at the NSIC Championships where she ran an all-conference performance placing third. Her converted time of 4:53.22 ranks as the 18th fastest time in the nation this year. 

Patty Jo English So. Sydney Mudgett Sr. Callin Naddy Jr. Nicolette Schmidt Jr. 

Women's Distance Medley 

The distance medley relay of English, Mudgett, Naddy, and Schmidt ran to a school-record time at the Sixth Annual Indoor Gorilla Classic on Feb. 12, where they placed second. Their time of 11:39.08 is the seventh-fastest time in the nation. 

Sophomore Cami Streff is the alternate for the distance medley relay.

One Last Thing

Of the 14 athletes in the women's mile, Augustana has the most athletes entered with four. 

 

--GoAugie.com--