RELEASED:  Friday, May 1, 2009

UW-Oshkosh Leads Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championship

OSHKOSH, Wis.--Scoring 34 of its 76 points in the hammer throw, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh took the lead after the first day of competition at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championship held Friday (May 1) at J.J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium.

UW-Oshkosh won three of the seven events contested, including the hammer throw where it swept the top four places. Capturing first-place finishes for the Titans were Sue Trzebiatowski in the hammer throw with a fling of 175-11 and Katie Kohn in the javelin with a toss of 128-1. UW-Oshkosh took first place in the 3,200-meter relay as Heather Bassett, Jordan Clark-Mand, Brittany Haas and Ayla Mitchell ran to a time of 9:23.53 to set a facility record.

Two-time defending champion UW-La Crosse is in second place with 66 points and UW-Eau Claire third with 51. UW-La Crosse tallied 23 points in the long jump and 22 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, while UW-Eau Claire counted 15 points in both the 10,000-meter run and pole vault.

Winning events for UW-La Crosse were Stephanie Perleberg in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 10:35.30 and Caitlin Schetter in the long jump with a leap of 19-0. Schetter won the long jump for the second straight year, while Perleburg held off defending champion Hannah Humbach of UW-Eau Claire in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Humbach finished second with a time of 10:48.15.

Taking first place for UW-Eau Claire were Mary Palmer in the 10,000-meter run with a time of 38:27.01 and Hayley Suckow in the pole vault with a height of 12-6 1/4. Defending champion Pam Sellberg of UW-Stout finished second in the pole vault with a leap of 12-2 1/2.

Rounding out the team scores were fourth-place UW-Stevens Point with 29 points, fifth-place UW-River Falls with 21, sixth-place UW-Stout with 16, seventh-place UW-Platteville with eight, eighth-place UW-Whitewater with six and ninth-place UW-Superior with zero.

Competition at the WIAC championship resumes on Saturday (May 2) at 11 a.m. The final event is scheduled for 4:35 p.m.

Day One Champions:
10,000-Meter Run:  Mary Palmer (UW-Eau Claire), 38:27.01
3,000-Meter Steeplechase:  Stephanie Perleberg (UW-La Crosse), 10:35.30
Long Jump:  Caitlin Schetter (UW-La Crosse), 19-0
Pole Vault:  Hayley Suckow (UW-Eau Claire), 12-6 1/4
Hammer Throw:  Sue Trzebiatowski (UW-Oshkosh), 175-11
Javelin:  Katie Kohn (UW-Oshkosh), 128-1
4x800-Meter Relay:  UW-Oshkosh (Heather Bassett, Jordan Clark-Mand, Brittany Haas, Ayla Mitchell), 9:23.53

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