Simpson sweeps women's track and field league honors
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – Simpson track and field athletes Catie Ellingson and Kinsey Bak swept Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) Performer of the Week honors for the period ending Sunday, April 22.
Ellingson took home the Track Performer of the Week award while Bak was the Field Performer of the Week.
A senior middle-distance runner from Indianola, Iowa, Ellingson posted NCAA Division III's third-fastest time of the year in the 1500 meters when she ran 4:27.91 at the Mt. San Antonio College Relays in Walnut, Calif. on Thursday, April 19. Competing in a field consisting primarily of Division I runners, Ellingson placed second in her heat and 46th of 124 runners overall.
Competing in the 1500 for only the second time since 2010, Ellingson came within 0.68 seconds of her school-record time of 4:27.23, which got her a second-place finish at the 2010 national championships. Ellingson sat out the entire 2011 outdoor season due to a knee injury.
A senior multi-athlete from Hinton, Iowa, Bak posted a pair of season-bests at the Nebraska Wesleyan Prairie Wolf Invitational in Lincoln, Neb. on Saturday, April 21. Bak won the high jump (5 feet, 6 inches), placed second in the triple jump (36 feet, 4 inches) and added a third-place finish in the 100-meter hurdles (15.36). Her high jump effort is a season-best and is currently tied for sixth in Division III while her effort in the 100-meter hurdles is a career-best.
Simpson hosts the Kip Janvrin Open on April 26-27 and will also send events to the Drake Relays this weekend.
