May 25, 2002
Nine Bulldog Athletes Collect All-America Honors at NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships
Nine Truman State University athletes captured all-America honors at the 2002 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships, held May 23-25 in San Angelo, Texas.
Five of the all-America recipients are from the Truman women's team, which finished the championships in 25th place with 11 points. The Bulldog men crowned four all-Americas, which led the team to a tie for 24th place with 12 points.
To close out the championships on Saturday, several seniors from the women's team went out in style. Senior Megan Williams (Columbia, Mo./Hickman) charted a fifth-place finish in the 100-meter hurdles in a school record time of 13.80 seconds. It marked the third straight outdoor all-America honor in the event for Williams, who is also a two-time all-America hurdler indoors. The fifth-place showing was also the best career outdoor finish for Williams, who departs Truman as a three-time indoor and outdoor conference champion in the hurdles.
Two other Truman seniors closed out their Bulldog careers with a solid finish. Kasye Hahn (St. Louis/Ladue) and Jamille Curry (Chiacgo/Morgan Park) helped the 4x400-meter relay team to a sixth-place finish in a school record time of 3:44.65. That team, which also included sophomore Candi Jones (Oskaloosa, Iowa) and freshman Christina Winkler (High Ridge, Mo./Northwest) beat its own school mark the day before in preliminaries (3:44.72). It's the third straight all-America award for Hahn and Curry in the event. Jones has won two in a row in the event.
Winkler earned all-America honors in more than just the relay. She placed fifth on Saturday in the 400-meter hurdles final, charting a career-best time of 60.23 seconds.
Saturday's men's action saw the team add two all-Americas to its list that began with two on Friday. On Saturday night, junior Matt Helbig (Fenton, Mo./Rockwood Summit) placed fifth in the 1,500-meter run with a time of 3:52.01 to chart his first all-America award. While his time was a little off of his career-best pace, it was the best national finish for the junior, who placed 11th in the same event at nationals last year.
Sophomore Brian Dzingai (Harare, Zimbabwe/St. George's) completed the 100-meter dash in 10.38 seconds to capture his first outdoor all-America honor. He had previously earned an indoor all-America award as a freshman in the 55-meter dash.
On Friday, junior Jake Kingery (Monroe, Iowa/Prairie City-Monroe) collected his second straight all-America honor in the decathlon with a fourth place finish and a career-best 7,137 points. Junior Brian McQueary (St. Louis/St. Mary's) was seventh in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, earning all-America status in his first trip to any NCAA track & field national meet. Friday's men's action also saw Dzingai miss the finals in the 200-meter dash.
On the women's side on Friday, senior Karena Singleton (Glenwood, Ill./Homewood-Flossmoor) ended her Truman career with an 11th-place finish in the triple jump. Junior Suzanne Schmidt (Omaha, Neb./Elkhorn) collected a 10th-place clocking in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Junior Jill Lowry (Jefferson City, Mo.) competed in the 200-meter dash prelims, but missed the cut for the finals. She also suffered the same fate in the 100-meter dash, as did Kasye Hahn in the 400.
On Thursday, senior Andy Doering (Florissant, Mo./McCluer North) was the first Bulldog to finish up, grabbing a 12th-place showing in the 10,000-meter run in his first national championships appearance in track & field. However, Doering still leaves Truman as a three-time all-America in cross country.
Two Bulldog Men Earn All-America Honors on Friday
Two members of the Truman State University men's track & field team, juniors Jake Kingery (Monroe, Iowa/Prairie City-Monroe) and Brian McQueary (St. Louis/St. Mary's), collected all-America honors on Friday, Day 2 of the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships in San Angelo, Texas.
Kingery placed fourth in the decathlon with a career-best 7,137 points to earn his second straight all-America award in the event. Kingery, who was fifth at the NCAA meet last year, charted personal bests on Friday in the pole vault (13'-9.25") and discus (126'-7"). The Bulldog junior was one part of a powerful fleet of decathletes from the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association; three of the top four in the event, which was won by Pittsburg State (Kan.)'s Joe Peppers with 7,363 points, were from the league.
McQueary, making his first NCAA track & field championships appearance, won all-America accolades in the 3,000-meter steeplechase by placing seventh on Friday with a time of 9:34.21. The 2002 MIAA champion in the event, his time was just less than two seconds out of fourth place.
Between Kingery (five points) and McQueary the Bulldogs have seven points thus far, which has them tied for 19th.
Also in men's action on Friday, sophomore Brian Dzingai (Harare, Zimbabwe/St. George's) missed the final in the 200-meter dash by a mere two one-hundredths of a second. He finished second in his heat with a time of 21.07 seconds. Despite missing out in the 200, Dzingai has still secured his first career outdoor all-America award, as he is one of eight runners in the final of Saturday's 100-meter dash.
In a previous final run on Thursday, senior and three-time cross country all-America Andy Doering (Florissant, Mo./McCluer North) closed out his only career NCAA track & field championships appearance with a 12th-place finish in the 10,000-meter run.
For the Truman women on Friday, the 'Dogs earned spots in two more Saturday finals with senior Megan Williams (Columbia, Mo./Hickman) winning her heat of the 100-meter hurdles and the 4x400-meter relay team turning in the sixth-fastest time.
Williams finished her heat in the 100-meter hurdles in 13.90 seconds, the fourth-fastest time from the preliminaries leading up to Saturday's final. The three-time conference champ in the 100 hurdles, she's now assured of her third straight all-America honor in the event.
The 4x400-meter relay team of seniors Kasye Hahn (St. Louis/Ladue) and Jamille Curry (Chicago/Morgan Park) as well as sophomore Candi Jones (Oskaloosa, Iowa) and freshman Christina Winkler (High Ridge, Mo./Northwest) finished fourth in its heat, but its time of 3:44.72 was not only the sixth-fastest time in the preliminaries but also a school record. Friday's Bulldog time beat the team's school standard of 3:45.61 set on May 11.
In women's finals on Friday, senior Karena Singleton (Glenwood, Ill./Homewood-Flossmoor) closed out her Truman career by placing 11th in the triple jump with a leap of 38'-9.5". Junior Suzanne Schmidt (Omaha, Neb./Elkhorn) finished the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 11:38.05, good enough for 10th place.
Junior Jill Lowry (Jefferson City, Mo.) competed in the preliminary of the 200-meter dash, but didn't make the final for the event, as she finished seventh in her heat with a clocking of 25.18 seconds.
On Saturday, the championships conclude and the Bulldogs will again be
busy. Junior Matt Helbig (Fenton, Mo./Rockwood Summit) runs in the final
of the 1,500-meter run, while Dzingai will take the track in the 100-meter
dash championship race. The women will have Williams competing for a national
title in the last 100-meter hurdles race of her Truman career. Winkler,
just getting her career started, will have a shot at an NCAA crown in the
400-meter hurdles later in the evening. In the final women's race of the
meet, Winkler will team up with a trio of 2001 all-Americas, Hahn, Curry
and Jones, for the 4x400-meter relay.
Truman's Results From Day 1 of NCAA Division II Track & Field Championships
Five Truman State University athletes moved into the finals in their respective events as Thursday's opening day of action concluded at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships in San Angelo, Texas.
In one final from Thursday, senior Andy Doering (Florissant, Mo./McCluer North) completed his Truman career by placing 12th in the 10,000-meter run. The three-time cross country all-America finished in 32:03.38 in what was his only career NCAA track & field championships appearance.
Junior Jake Kingery (Monroe, Iowa/Prairie City-Monroe) stood in seventh place after the opening day of the decathlon competition. Kingery tallied 3,745 points on the first day and posted career-best performances in the 100-meter dash (11.15 seconds) and long jump (22'-2.25"). Last year, Kingery placed fifth in the decathlon at the Division II national meet, earning his first career all-America honor. The men's decathlon competition concludes today.
Elsewhere in Thursday's men's action, juniors Matt Helbig (Fenton, Mo./Rockwood Summit) and Brian McQueary (St. Louis/St. Mary's) as well as sophomore Brian Dzingai (Harare, Zimbabwe) grabbed spots in the finals of their respective events. Helbig will compete in Saturday's final of the 1,500-meter run as he charted a sixth-place showing in his heat race with a time of 3:55.92. McQueary landed a spot in today's final of the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase as he finished seventh in his heat with a time of 9:39.82. Dzingai finished the 100-meter dash in 10.22 seconds, just three hundredths of a second from his Truman record, and will compete in Saturday's final after placing fourth in his heat.
In preliminary women's action on Thursday, junior Suzanne Schmidt (Omaha, Neb./Elkhorn) earned the chance to compete today in the final of the 3,000-meter steeplechase as she finished sixth in her heat on Thursday with a time of 11:34.38.
True freshman Christina Winkler (High Ridge, Mo./Northwest) earned a spot in Saturday's final of the 400-meter hurdles with a career-best time of 1:01.18 to place third in her heat.
Junior Jill Lowry (Jefferson City, Mo.) and senior Kasye Hahn (St. Louis/Ladue) weren't as fortunate, as they missed the finals in the 100- and 400-meter dash, respectively. Lowry placed seventh in her heat of the 100 with a time of 12.18 seconds. Hahn was fourth in her heat of the 400, finishing in 55.92 seconds.
Action at the Division II meet continues today and wraps up on Saturday night.
Today's slate of preliminary action includes senior Megan Williams (Columbia, Mo./Hickman) in the 100-meter hurdles, Lowry in the women's 200-meter dash and Dzingai in the men's 200 meters. Dzingai entered the meet with the No. 1-ranked Division II time in the 200-meter dash this year, while Williams came in with the No. 2-ranked time in the 100-meter hurdles.
Another preliminary today has the Bulldog team of Hahn, Winkler, senior Jamille Curry (Chicago/Morgan Park) and sophomore Candi Jones (Oskaloosa, Iowa) competing in the 4x400-meter relay.
Senior Karena Singleton (Glenwood, Ill./Homewood-Flossmoor) closes out her career today by competing in the final of the women's triple jump. Others in finals today include Schmidt and McQueary in the 3,000-meter steeplechase for women and men, respectively.
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