2007-2008
MEET RECAPS
(Click on meet name to obtain
meet results)
APRIL 5:
CHICAGOLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS
NAPERVILLE, Ill. — University of St. Francis scored a pair of team points in the 4x100 meter relay to finish in 19th place among 22 teams that scored points at the Chicagoland Championships held at North Central College on Saturday.
The talented field included participants from five NCAA Division I programs as well as several stong NCAA Division II and II teams plus some NAIA schools.
USF had more than a half dozen athletes that bettered their marks from the first outdoor meet of the season at Trinity Christian College back on March 26.
Both freshmen Tori Albrecht (Downers Grove North H.S./Downers Grove, IL) and Aprille Froelich (Amboy H.S./Amboy, IL) lowered their times in the 400 meters with Albrecht clocking a time of 1:03.36 and Froelich notching a 1:06.07.
Sophomores Meghan Bannatz (Novi H.S./Novi, MI) and Sarah Kielbasa (Mother McAuley H.S./Chicago, IL) each improved on their earlier marks in the 1500 meters with Bannatz placing 15th out of 54 runners with a time of 5:07.98 and Kielbasa posting a mark of 6:09.96.
Sophomore Emily Newberg (Joliet Township H.S./Joliet, IL) bettered her first performances in both the triple jump (29-11.25) and the long jump (13-5.00).
Sophomore Jessica Horn (Montague H.S./Montague, MI) improved her high jump mark to 4-7.75.
Sophomore Stacie Klawun (Decatur Central H.S./Indianapolis, IN) improved on her second discus competition by nearly 10 feet with a toss of 78-4.00.
MARCH 26:
TRINITY CHRISTIAN TROLL RELAYS
PALOS HEIGHTS, Ill. — University of St. Francis took another big step in the re-awakening of its women’s track and field program as the young squad won its first team title in the program’s history with a first-place finish at the five-team Trinity Christian College Troll Relays. The meet was also USF’s first outdoor competition of the 2008 season.
The Saints totaled 151 team points, easily finishing ahead of second-place Trinity Christian who wound up with 121 points. Harper College was third at 56, followed by Saint Xavier at 53 and College of Du Page at 3.
USF captured three individual first-place finishes -- two by sophomore Jennifer Horn (Montague H.S./Montague, MI) and one by sophomore distance runner Meghan Bannatz (Novi H.S./Novi, MI).
Horn won the triple jump (31-8.50) and the 100-meter hurdles (16.7). Bannatz took first place in the 3000 meters (11:29.6).
The Saints won the team title thanks to their depth. USF finished 1-2 in the 100 hurdles, second-through-fifth in the long jump and first, second, fifth and sixth in the triple jump. They also took second and third in the high jump, second and fourth in the 400 meters, second in the discus and third in the javelin.
FEBRUARY 22:
CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY JACK SKOOG OPEN
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. — Seven Lady Saints established season-best marks as University of St. Francis competed Friday at the Central Michigan University Jack Skoog Open.
Freshmen Courtney Burns (Plainfield South H.S./Plainfield, IL) and Danielle Menzynski (Leyden H.S./River Grove, IL) each bettered their 2008 indoor marks in two events. Burns notched her best shot put mark of the winter with a toss of 23-1.75. She also ran her best time in the 800 meters with a clocking of 2:53.77. Menzynski recorded her best times in both the mile (6:11.17) and the 800 (2:47.43).
Sophomore Meghan Bannatz (Novi H.S./Novi, MI) ran her third 3000 meter race of the season and bettered her previous fast time with a mark of 11:10.74.
Sophomore Emily Newberg (Joliet Township H.S./Joliet, IL) topped her previous best triple jump mark by over a full inch with a leap of 31-8.
Three Saints clocked their season-best marks in the 200 meters. Sophomore Jessica Horn (Montague H.S./Montague, MI) placed 10th overall among 28 runners and posted a time of 27.92 seconds. Freshmen Allison Osborne (Seneca H.S./Marseilles, IL) and Kristy King (Williamston H.S./Perry, MI) each ran their fastest times of the season with marks of 29.66 and 31.87, respectively.
The meet at Central Michigan concluded the 2008 indoor season for USF.
FEBRUARY 15:
CHICAGOLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS
ROMEOVILLE, Ill. — Six Lady Saints established season-best marks as University of St. Francis competed Friday evening in the Chicagoland Indoor Track and Field Championships at Lewis University.
Freshman Brittany McAllister (Plainfield South H.S./Crest Hill, IL) knocked two-tenths of a second off her previous best time in the 800 meters, clocking a 2:31.03 to finish 15th in a field of 62 runners. Sophomores Sarah Jacob (Ottawa H.S./Ottawa, IL) and Sarah Kielbasa (Mother McAuley H.S./Chicago, IL) also posted their best 2008 times in the 800 with marks of 2:40.93 and 2:45.83, respectively.
Freshman Aprille Froelich (Amboy H.S./Amboy, IL) knocked nearly a second off her best time in the 200 meters, running a sprint of 29.89.
Sophomore Meghan Bannatz (Novi H.S./Novi, MI) ran her second 5000 meters of the young season and improved her own school record with a clocking of 19:26.73. That time was alomost six seconds faster than the mark she set as a freshman a year ago. It was also more than 36 seconds better than her first race of this season on Feb. 2 at Carthage College.
Sophomore Jennifer Beard (Plainfield Central H.S./Plainfield, IL) added nearly an inch to her best mark of the season in the weight throw. She placed 16th in a field of 44 with a throw of 38 feet, 8 inches.
FEBRUARY 9:
LEWIS DICK POND INVITATIONAL
ROMEOVILLE, Ill. --- University of St. Francis notched five top ten finishes at the Lewis University Dick Pond Invitational on Saturday with sophomore Meghan Bannatz (Novi H.S./Novi, MI) claiming two of those positions.
Bannatz registered season-best times in both the mile (5:38.34) and 3,000-meter runs (11:11.64) to place seventh in a field of 30 runners in the former event and tenth among 27 participants in the 3,000.
Sophomore Jessica Horn (Montague H.S./Montague, MI) boasted USF’s top placement on the day, recording a third-place showing in the long jump with her jump of 16 feet, 10 inches, which was nearly eight inches longer than her previous best this year. Her sister, Jennifer, also finished 10th in the event with a jump of 15”2.75’.
Sophomore Emily Newberg (Joliet West H.S./Joliet, IL) rounded out the list of top ten finishers with her eighth-place performance in the triple jump, where her longest jump registered 30’2.75” (a season best).
Other top finishers for the Saints included freshman Brittany McAllister (Plainfield South H.S./Crest Hill, IL) and sophomore Jennifer Beard (Plainfield Central H.S./Plainfield, IL), both of which placed 14th in separate events. McAllister turned in a personal-best 2:31.23 in the 800-meter run, while Beard authored a season best in the weight throw (37’7.25).
FEBRUARY 2:
CARTHAGE TADD METZGER INVITATIONAL
KENOSHA, Wis. — University of St. Francis earned a season-high 13 points to place in a two-way tie for 12th place at the Carthage College (Wis.) Tadd Metzger Invitational on Saturday.
Sophomore Jessica Horn (Montague H.S./Montague, MI) played a role in nearly half the team’s overall point total, earning six points between the long jump and 4 x 200-meter relay. Horn placed seventh in the former event, where she authored a jump of 16 feet, 2.25 inches. She then ran the second leg on the relay team, which picked up four points with its fifth-place finish and 1:56.56 time.
Joining Horn in the relay event was her twin sister Jennifer, sophomore Jennifer Beard (Plainfield Central H.S./Plainfield, IL) and freshman Allison Osborne (Seneca H.S./Marseilles, IL).
USF’s top overall finisher was sophomore Meghan Bannatz (Novi H.S./Novi, MI), who used a time of 20:02 in the 5,000-meter run to place fourth overall.
St. Francis also picked up one point each from eighth-place finishes by freshman Aprille Froelich (Amboy H.S./Amboy, IL) in the 400-meter dash (1:08.99) and freshman Brittany McAllister (Plainfield South H.S./Crest Hill, IL) in the 800-meter run (2:36.45).
JANUARY 26:
WABASH COLLEGE ALUMNI INVITATIONAL
CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. — University of St. Francis placed fifth among seven teams at the Wabash College Alumni Invitational Saturday.
The Saints scored a total of 41.5 points and finished just five-and-one-half points behind fourth-place Grace (IN) and only seven points shy of third-place Indiana Wesleyan.
Sophomore Meghan Bannatz (Novi H.S./Novi, MI) accounted for 12 of USF’s total points with a pair of third-place finishes in the mile and the 3000 meters. A qualifier for the NAIA Outdoor Championships last spring in the 10,000 meters, Bannatz covered her first mile of this indoor season in a time of 5:50.41. She posted a mark of 11:37.88 in her first 3000 of the ‘08 indoor season.
Sophomore Emily Newberg (Joliet Township H.S./Joliet, IL) leaped a season-best 30 feet to capture first place among three competitiors in the triple jump.
Sophomore Jessica Horn (Montague H.S./Montague, MI) scored points in a pair of events, claiming sixth in the 55-meter hurdles final with a time of 9.35 and seventh in the 200 meters with a clocking of 28.36.
Freshman Brittany McAllister (Plainfield South H.S./Crest Hill, IL) snared four team points with a fifth-place finish in the 800 meters. She ran a race of 2:37.62 in her first 800 of the winter. Fellow freshman Danielle Menzynski (Leyden H.S./River Grove, IL) finished eighth in the 800 (2:55.48) to add one more point to USF’s total.
The Saints also got a pair of points thanks to sophomore Sarah Jacob’s (Ottawa H.S./Ottawa, IL) seventh-place standing in the mile (6:17.59) and eight more points from its 4x200 meter relay squad that captured second place. The relay team included freshman Aprille Froelich (Amboy H.S./Amboy, IL), freshman Courtney Burns (Plainfield South H.S./Plainfield, IL), Horn and freshman Allison Osborne (Seneca H.S./Marseilles, IL).
JANUARY 19:
CARTHAGE PRIVATE COLLEGE INVITATIONAL
KENOSHA, Wis. — University of St. Francis placed ninth among 13 teams at the indoor season-opening Private College Invitational hosted by Carthage College on Saturday.
Nine different Saints participated as USF garnered team points in the 55-meter hurdles, the 4x200-meter relay and the distance medley.
Sophomore Jessica Horn (Montague H.S./Montague, MI) was the lone individual to score points, placing fifth in the 55-meter hurdles. Horn ran a personal best 9.24 seconds in the preliminaries and followed that with a time of 9.43 in the finals.
The Saints entered two teams in the 4x200 relay and both placed to score team points.
The quartet of Allison Osborne (Seneca H.S./Marseilles, IL), Jennifer Beard (Plainfield Central/Plainfield, IL), Horn and Brittany McAllister (Plainfield South H.S./Crest Hill, IL) captured fourth place with a mark of 1:58.97.
The other foursome of Katie Puleo (Glenbard South H.S./Glen Ellyn, IL), Emily Newberg (Joliet Township H.S./Joliet, IL), Sarah Jacob (Ottawa H.S./Ottawa, IL) and Meghan Bannatz (Novi H.S./Novi, MI) finished in fifth place with a time of 2:09.48.
The distance medley grouping of Jacob, Horn, McAllister and Bannatz grabbed fourth place with a clocking of 14:26.45.
