Men’s Career Best | Women’s Career Best
Meet Site (MSSU)
Feb. 24, 2010 – The Truman Track & Field Teams will be competing at the MIAA Indoor Championships this weekend in Joplin. The Bulldog women finished fourth last year while the men were eighth.
Senior Katrina Biermann (Liberty, Mo./Liberty) is the only Bulldog to enter the meet with NCAA automatic marks in both the Pole Vault and Triple Jump.
Biermann holds the school record in each event and is third in the nation and first in the MIAA in the Pole Vault with a mark of 13-00.75. Last year at the conference indoor meet, Biermann placed fourth in the event with a height of 11-05.00. The 2009 MIAA champion was Ciara Lipsey of Missouri Southern with a mark of 12-04.75. Biermann has won every event she has entered this winter going a perfect five for five.
She is also an automatic qualifier in the Triple Jump with a distance of 39-04.25. Biermann was sixth in last year’s championships and is currently sixth in the nation. She will face off against the nation’s and conference’s top jumper in Nebraska-Omaha’s Nkeiruka Domike (41-10.00).
Sophomore Jennifer Zweifel (Maryville, Mo./Maryville) is also provisionally qualified in the Triple Jump. Zweifel improved on her national ranking of 24th the last time out with a jump of 37-10.75.
Sophmore Dani Dell’Orco (St. Louis, Mo./Cor Jesu Academy) is 16th in the nation in the 5000 meter run with a school record time of 17:12.44. Dell’Orco earned all-conference honors last year with a sixth place finish in the event and currently has the nation’s 16th best time.
Senior Tessa Letuli (Independence, Mo./William Chrisman) has provisional marks in both throwing events. Letuli is 25th in the Shot Put (44-00.50) and 27th in the Weight Throw (52-11.50).
Senior Fiona Williams (Danville, Iowa/Danville) ran a career best time in the mile run earlier this season at 5:03.46 and is 39th in the country in that event. Williams finished fourth to earn all-MIAA honors in the Mile Run last season.
Junior Derek Atwood (Lee’s Summit, Mo./Lee’s Summit North) is the only member of the men’s team with a provisional mark heading into the conference championship meet. Atwood is currently 22nd in Division II with a Shot Put mark of 53-07.00. He is sixth among MIAA Shot Putters with Northwest Missouri’s Ben McKim leading the group with a mark of 59-01.50.
Senior Jacob Schrum (Marshalltown, Iowa/Marshalltown), juniors Bob Gorman (St. Louis, Mo./Chaminade), Brandon Gutteridge (Lee’s Summit, Mo./O’Hara) and sophomores Zach Chapman (Columbia, Mo./Hickman), Mike Dial (Maryland Heights, Mo./Pattonville) have turned in career best in the mid-distance and distance events this season.
In total, 10 Truman men’s competitors have set new personal bests this season.
The Bulldog women finished fourth last year in the championships while the men were eighth. Nebraska-Omaha won the women’s title while the University of Central Missouri took home the men’s crown.
Truman had three individual champions last year, all on the women’s side. Senior Danna Kelly took home the 3000 and 5000 meter running events while junior Shaina Dochterman (Kahoka, Mo./Clark County) won the 200 meter dash. Dochterman is redshirting the indoor season and will not be going for the repeat.
The NCAA Division II Championships will be held on March 12-13th in Albuquerque, New Mexico.