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NCAA DIVISION III NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS -- March 12-13, Ada OH (Ohio Northern)

MWC INDOOR CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS -- March 5-6, Galesburg IL
The Monmouth College men's and women's track and field teams did not win the team trophies but did bring home eight individual and four relay titles from last weekend's Midwest Conference Indoor Track Championships at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois. Carroll College captured their first-ever men's and women's track and field conference titles by sweeping the team races. The Pioneers totaled 129 points to snap Monmouth's three-year reign as indoor track champions. The Fighting Scots scored 110 points for second place and Lawrence University finished in third with 93 points. On the men's side Carroll (139) and Grinnell (118) both finished ahead of Monmouth (95), which also saw its four-year string of men's championship titles come to an end.
Despite relinquishing their stranglehold on the championship trophies, the Scots lived up to their nickname and did not go down without a fight. Sophomore Constance Jackson (Peoria,IL/Woodruff) was the brightest star for Monmouth as the speedy sprinter earned five first-place medals. Jackson became only the second MWC female to sweep all three indoor dash events and set two league records in the process. She captured the 55 meters in a record time of 7.38 seconds, a time which improved her NCAA provisional-qualifier status as well as broke the previous MWC mark shared by former Monmouth champions Stacy Brown and Christy Hickey. Jackson then won the 400 meters in 59.44 seconds and became the first woman to break 26 seconds at 200 meters indoors, lowering the league record to a sizzling 25.87 seconds. Her 200m time eclipsed the mark previously set by Monmouth's Heather Furrow, who was the first woman to win all three dashes in the same championship meet (1996).
Freshman Jaime Jones (LaHarpe,IL/HS) and junior Julie Larson (Altona,IL/ROWVA) were also winners for the women's team, each claiming an individual field event title. Jones won the high jump with a season-best clearance of 5'3" while Larson set a new Monmouth record in the long jump and just missed the MWC standard. Larson's winning jump of 18' 5 1/2" was three inches better than the old school record and only a quarter-inch off the league mark. It also automatically qualifies Larson for next weekend's NCAA Indoor National Championships and stands as the fourth-best jump in the country. Sophomore Justin Bryant (Knoxville,IL/HS) and freshman Scott Stanton (Monmouth,IL/ HS) claimed individual events on the track for the Fighting Scot men's squad. After finishing third at 400 meters and second in the 55-meter dash, Bryant won the 200 meters in a time of 22.62 seconds. Stanton claimed his victory in the 55-meter hurdles, winning the final in a lifetime-best 7.86 seconds after lowering his PR to 7.94 in Friday's qualifying heats. Cort Mills (Little York,IL/Yorkwood) was the other Monmouth champion as the sophomore cleared 6'6" on his second attempt to win the high jump title.
Monmouth also claimed four relays on the track, defending titles in the men's and women's 4x200 and 4x400 events. Jackson, sophomore Maggie Semington (Galesburg,IL/HS), senior Stephanie Owen (Abingdon, IL/HS) and sophomore Elise Estes (Colorado Springs, CO/Sierra) clocked a season-best 1:48.26 in the 4x200 on Friday and then watched as junior Brian Houzenga (Fulton,IL/HS) anchored a thrilling come-from-behind victory in the men's race. Houzenga teamed with Bryant, freshman Vaughn Gray (Chicago,IL/Lane Tech) and sophomore Matt Beverly (Monmouth,IL/HS) to run 1:30.41. Jackson and Semington joined with seniors Christy Keller (Crystal Lake,IL/CL Central) and Sherri Polk (St. Louis,MO/Pattonville) to claim the 4x400 relay in 4:10.79 while Bryant anchored the men's 4x4 to victory in 3:27.40 with junior Rich Johnson (Galesburg,IL/HS), sophomore Chris Lacy (Knoxville,IL/HS) and freshman Randy Williams (Hillsdale,IL/Lane Tech).
Several other Monmouth performances were worthy of top-three medals. Senior Amanda Colgan (Galva,IL/HS) (38'8") and sophomore Vanessa Armstrong (Peoria,IL/Central) (38'5") turned in season-best performances to place 2-3 in the shot put and Owen ran third in the 55-meter hurdles (:09.48). Sophomores James Amerison (Kansas City,MO/Center) and Tony Miles (Moline,IL/HS) each claimed their first conference track medal, placing third in the 55 meters (:06.70) and the 800 meters (2:02.12), respectively.
Despite missing out on the medals, the Monmouth women posted new school-record performances in both medley relays. Polk and sophomore Krissy Hosey (Burlington,IL/Central) ran on both teams, joining with Keller and Angie Frick (Monmouth,IL/Yorkwood) in the sprint medley and with Ann Moody (Yates City,IL/Farmington) and Gretchen Vandergriff (Wolcott,IN/Greenwood) on the Scots' distance medley team which placed fourth. The men's sprint and distance medleys each placed fourth as well, as did Colgan (20-pound weight throw), Owen (55 meters) and junior Aaron Walker (Seneca,IL/HS) in the pole vault.

UW-OSHKOSH INVITATIONAL -- February 27, Oshkosh WI
Field events took center stage at the UW-Oshkosh Invitational as several Fighting Scot athletes improved their season-best performances heading into next weekend's MWC Indoor Track Championship Meet. Junior Aaron Walker (Seneca,IL/HS), the defending MWC outdoor champion, proved he is ready for the league meet as he sailed cleanly over a school-record and career-best 13'8" to break a nine-year-old indoor mark in the pole vault. Junior Julie Larson (Altona,IL/ROWVA) turned in the conference's best marks so far in both the women's long jump (17'0") and triple jump (34'5"), the latter moving Larson into fifth on the school's all-time Top Ten list for the event. Amanda Colgan (Galva,IL/HS) continued her progress with another double-PR day in the throws as the senior posted career bests in both the shot put (37'8") and 20-pound weight throw (38'4"). Sophomore Cort Mills (Little York,IL/Yorkwood) took runner-up honors in the men's high jump with an indoor career-best jump of 6'6 3/4" and attempted the NCAA provisional height of 6'8 3/4". Jaime Jones (LaHarpe,IL/HS) also placed second in the women's HJ (5'1") and senior Sherri Polk (St. Louis,MO/Pattonville) cleared a career-best 4'9" for fifth. Both teams turned in solid efforts in the 400m dash as sophomore Constance Jackson (Peoria,IL/ Woodruff) won the women's event in 59.30 seconds and MC took three of the top four spots in the men's race as Justin Bryant (Knoxville,IL/HS), Brian Houzenga (Fulton,IL/HS) and Vaughn Gray (Chicago,IL/ Lane Tech) went 2-3-4. Bryant later anchored the men's 4x400 relay to victory, nipping the host UW-Oshkosh team at the wire for the win.
MONMOUTH WOMEN TOP 8 PLACES: SP - 5. Amanda Colgan 37'8", 7. Vanessa Armstrong 36'1"; LJ - 4. Julie Larson 17'0"; TJ - 5. Julie Larson 34'5"; HJ - 2. Jaime Jones 5'1", 8. Sherri Polk 4'9"; 55m - 4. Constance Jackson 7.69; 4x200R - 7. Monmouth 1:56.70; 200m - 5. Elise Estes 27.84; 400m - 1. Constance Jackson 59.30; 800m - 8. Sherri Polk 2:35.92; 5000m - 6. Gretchen Vandergriff 21:33.23
MONMOUTH MEN TOP 8 PLACES: SP - 3. Eric Holmes 49'0"; PV - 7. Aaron Walker 13'8" (school record); HJ - 2. Cort Mills 6'6 3/4"; 3000m - 8. Charlie Sunderlage 9:44.84; 55HH - 7. Scott Stanton 8.30; 400m - 2. Justin Bryant 51.38, 3. Brian Houzenga 51.45, 4. Vaughn Gray 52.03; 1500m - 6. Tony Miles 4:16.32; 200IH - 8. Josh Hatch 29.67; 200m - 7. Brian Houzenga 23.19; 4x400R - 1. Monmouth 3:24.83

KNOX INVITATIONAL -- February 20, Galesburg, IL
Monmouth took to the host track for the 1999 indoor MWC Championships and scorched the Knox surface with some outstanding efforts, including five new school records, in preparation for their conference title defense. Sophomore Constance Jackson (Peoria,IL/Woodruff) continued her outstanding indoor campaign with her second individual NCAA-qualifying performance and a new school record. Jackson's winning time in the 55 meters of 7.41 seconds bettered the qualifying standard and her first-place time of 25.84 seconds set a new Monmouth record in the 200 meters. It was the first sub-26 second clocking in team history and came minutes after Jackson had run on the Scots' winning 4x200 relay. Freshman Jaime Jones (LaHarpe,IL/ HS) also was a winner for Monmouth, claiming the high jump title by clearing 5'2". The Monmouth throwers had an exceptional day in the field as senior Matt Russell (Dunlap,IL/HS) improved his own school record in the 35-pound weight throw to 44'3" and sophomore Eric Holmes (Victoria,IL/ROWVA) cracked the 49-foot barrier for the second time this season in the shot put. Sophomore Vanessa Armstrong (Peoria,IL/ Central) and senior Amanda Colgan (Galva,IL/HS) posted career PRs in the women's shot put, placing 3-4 at 37'7" and 37'6". Trista Neal (Zion,IL/Gurnee Warren) shattered the freshman record in the 20-pound weight throw with a career-PR toss of 34'3" and Armstrong improved her lifetime best by over two feet to 35'5". Monmouth placed three men in the 55-meter final and had 4 of the top 5 times in the 200m. Junior All-American Brian Houzenga (Fulton,IL/HS) continued his return from an early-season injury with a solid third-place finish in the 400m and teammate Chris Lacy (Knoxville,IL/HS) ran only two-tenths behind him for fourth. Sophomore Justin Bryant won the 200m in a season-best 22.61 seconds and also ran on first-place 4x200 and 4x400 relays, bringing the Scots from behind to win the day's final event in 3:24.83, which is only two seconds off of national qualifying. Freshman Scott Stanton (Monmouth,IL/HS) continued his steady progress with a season-best 8.17 prelim time in the 55m hurdles and ran 8.20 in the finals to place fourth. The final two school records came in the sprint medley relays as both men and women turned in the fastest times in team history.
MONMOUTH WOMEN TOP 8 PLACES: WT - 6. Amanda Colgan 36'11", Trista Neal 34'3" (freshman record); SP - 3. Vanessa Armstrong 37'7", 4. Amanda Colgan 37'6"; LJ - 5. Julie Larson 16'5"; TJ - 5. Julie Larson 33'4"; HJ - 1. Jaime Jones 5'2"; Sprint Medley Relay - 5. Monmouth 4:42.80 (school record); 55m - 1. Constance Jackson 7.41 (NCAA provisional); 4x200R - 1. Monmouth 1:50.05; 200m - 1. Constance Jackson 25.84 (school record), 7. Maggie Semington 28.23; 4x400R - 3. Monmouth 4:20.01
MONMOUTH MEN TOP 8 PLACES: WT - 3. Matt Russell 44'3" (school record), 8. Rob Ludwigsen 34'3"; SP - 2. Eric Holmes 49'3", 4. Matt Russell 46'0"; PV - 6. Aaron Walker 13'0"; HJ - 3. Cort Mills 6'4"; 5000m - 6. Charlie Sunderlage 16:56.81; 55HH - 4. Scott Stanton 8.20; 400m - 3. Brian Houzenga 52.19, 4. Chris Lacy 52.32; Sprint Medley Relay - 1. Monmouth 3:41.22 (school record); 55m - 4. Justin Bryant 6.63, 5. Vaughn Gray 6.64, 6. Matt Beverly 6.71; 4x200R - 1. Monmouth 1:31.69; 200m - 1. Justin Bryant 22.61, 3. Brian Houzenga 23.11, 4. Matt Beverly 23.13, 5. Vaughn Gray 23.15; 3000m - 6. Tony Miles 9:22.93; 4x400R - 1. Monmouth 3:24.83

UNI-DOME OPEN/NORTEHRN IOWA -- February 12, Cedar Falls IA
A rare Friday night meet was on the Fighting Scots' schedule this week and several Monmouth athletes took advantage of the outstanding competition to post season-best efforts at the University of Northern Iowa's UNI-Dome. The Monmouth program saw its first female indoor national qualifier of the 1999 indoor season as sophomore Constance Jackson (Peoria,IL/Woodruff) surpassed the NCAA provisional time in the women's 400m with a sixth-place effort of 58.90 seconds. It was her first time under 60 seconds indoors and she later returned to the track to place third in the 200m at 26.16, only .06 off of the school indoor record. Competing against the likes of UNI, Iowa State, Drake and several highly-touted NAIA teams in the non-scored meet the Scots did not post many top-8 performances but did have some encouraging individual results. Junior pole vaulter Aaron Walker (Seneca,IL/HS) turned in the second-best indoor vault in school history, clearing a season-best 13'4". The Scots' jumpers enjoyed a good meet, junior Julie Larson (Altona, IL/ROWVA) taking fourth in the women's triple jump at 32'8" and junior Janette Pinter 8th in a career-best 31'10". Freshman David Hodge (Galesburg,IL/HS) and senior Stefan Clouse (Westmont,IL/HS) went 6-7 in the men's TJ, both posting season-best distances.
MONMOUTH WOMEN TOP 8 PLACES: TJ - 4. Julie Larson 32'8", 8. Janette Pinter 31'10"; 200m - 3. Constance Jackson 26.16; 400m - 6. Constance Jackson 58.90 (NCAA provisional)
MONMOUTH MEN TOP 8 PLACES: TJ - 6. David Hodge 42'7", 7. Stefan Clouse 41'4"; PV - 4. Aaron Walker 13'4"; 4x400R - 7. Monmouth 3:37.70

CORNELL HILLTOP OPEN -- February 6, Mount Vernon IA
Sophomore All-American Constance Jackson (Peoria,IL/Woodruff) highlighted the Fighting Scots performance at Cornell, claiming two individual victories on the track. Jackson sped to wins in both the 200m and 400m dashes and took third in the 55m. Jackson was one of four MC women to place among the top 8 times in the 200 meters as the Scot sprinters enjoyed a successful day. Justin Bryant (Knoxville,IL/HS) placed third in the 400m and fourth in the 55m and three Monmouth men placed in the 200m. Junior Julie Larson (Altona,IL/ROWVA) placed in both sand jumps and senior Stephanie Owen (Abingdon,IL/HS) turned in top-8 efforts in the 55m and 55m hurdles. The women took the runner-up spot in the 4x200 relay while the men's team won the event for the second straight week.
MONMOUTH WOMEN TOP 8 PLACES: WT - 5. Amanda Colgan 33'5", 6. Trista Neal 31'6", 8. Stephanie Orsi 30'5"; LJ - 6. Julie Larson 16'0"; TJ - 4. Julie Larson 32'5"; 7. Janette Pinter 31'3"; 5000m - 7. Gretchen Vandergriff 21:20; 55HH - 7. Stephanie Owen 9.43; 55m - 3. Constance Jackson 7.56, 4. Stephanie Owen 7.66; 400m - 1. Constance Jackson 1:00.02; 800m - 6. Sherri Polk 2:40.55; 4x200R - 2. Monmouth 1:49.33; 200m - 1. Constance Jackson 26.57, 3. Elise Estes 27.91, 6. Maggie Semington 28.93, 8. Krissy Hosey 29.37
MONMOUTH MEN TOP 8 PLACES: SP - 4. Eric Holmes 46'5" ; PV - 6. Aaron Walker 12'6"; HJ - 2. Cort Mills 6'4"; 55HH - 4. Scott Stanton 8.37; 400m - 3. Justin Bryant 50.72, 7. Rich Johnson 53.50; 55m - 4. Justin Bryant 6.64, 3. Vaughn Gray 6.78; 800m - 8. Tony Miles 2:06.40; 4x200R - 1. Monmouth 1:33.02; 200m - 3. Matt Beverly 23.38, 5. Vaughn Gray 23.52, 8. Randy Williams 23.82; 5000m - 2. Tony Miles 16:16.95; 4x800R - 6. Monmouth 8:33.1

KNOX QUINT INVITATIONAL -- January 30, Galesburg IL
The Monmouth College Fighting Scots opened their 1999 indoor season at Knox with a five-team meet featuring squads from Loras, Washington, Augustana, and the host Prairie Fire. The men's throwers were the stars of the meet for Monmouth as one indoor record fell and one qualifying performance was posted. Senior Matt Russell (Dunlap,IL/HS) broke the 35-pound weight throw record with a toss of 44'0" and sophomore Eric Holmes (Victoria,IL/ROWVA) bettered the NCAA-provisional qualifying distance in the shot put with a career-best 51'2" effort. Freshman Jaime Jones (LaHarpe,IL/LaHarpe) won the women's high jump (5'2") and sophomore Cort Mills (Little York,IL/Yorkwood) went 6'4" to give the Scots a sweep of the event. Monmouth also swept both 4x200 relay titles on the track and sophomore sprinter Justin Bryant (Knoxville,IL/HS) was an individual winner as well, capturing the men's 55-meter dash title in 6.59 seconds. Sophomore Constance Jackson (Peoria,IL/Woodruff) was second in the women's 55m with a time of 7.62 seconds.
MONMOUTH WOMEN TOP 8 PLACES: WT - 5. Amanda Colgan 37'6"; HJ - 1. Jaime Jones 5'2"; 55m - 2. Constance Jackson 7.62, 5. Stephanie Owen 7.78; 4x200R - 1. Monmouth 1:50.33, 6. Monmouth B 1:58.71; Sprint Medley Relay - 3. Monmouth 4:47.1
MONMOUTH MEN TOP 8 PLACES: LJ - 3. Stefan Clouse 20'10"; TJ - 4. Cort Mills 37'3"; WT - 2. Matt Russell 44'0" (School record), 5. Eric Holmes 37'10", 7. Rob Ludwigsen 33'4"; SP - 1. Eric Holmes 51'2" (NCAA provisional), 7. Matt Russell 44'4"; PV - 3. Aaron Walker 13'0"; HJ - 1. Cort Mills 6'4"; 55HH - 4. Scott Stanton 8.30; 400m - 3. Chris Lacy 52.54; 55m - 1. Justin Bryant 6.59, 3. Vaughn Gray 6.64; 8. Matt Beverly 6.82; 800m - 8. Tony Miles 2:06.40; 4x200R - 1. Monmouth 1:32.46, 4. Monmouth B 1:37.19; 4x400R - 2. Monmouth 3:30.34; Sprint Medley Relay - 2. Monmouth 3:46.5, 4. Monmouth B 4:08.5

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