Simpson women place second, men third at IIAC Championships

STORM LAKE, Iowa  – Junior Catie Ellingson won the 800-meter run and the mile run to lead Simpson Saturday at the 2010 Iowa Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships at Buena Vista University's Lamberti Recreation Center. The women's team placed second while the men took third.

The reigning national champion, Wartburg won the women's event with 242 points, followed by Simpson with 105. Loras (89), Central (82), Coe (67.5), Luther (57), Dubuque (48), Cornell (25.5) and Buena Vista (24) rounded out the field. Central won on the men's side with 213.8 points, followed by Wartburg (152), Simpson (71.3), Luther (66), Coe (63), Cornell (60.3), Dubuque (52), Buena Vista (30) and Loras (28.5).

Women's Recap
Ellingson ran a 2:18.93 to win the 800 meters and a 5:10.83 to take the honors in the mile. She also ran the third leg in Simpson's third place 4x400-meter relay (4:04.16).

Simpson also placed third in the 4x200, with Lauren Bucklin, Alyssa Hedrick, Lauren Anderson and Molly Sabers running a season-best time of 1:46.41.

A day after Kinsey Bak set a conference record in the pentathlon and took fourth in the long jump, she took third in the high jump (5-1 1/4).

Bucklin finished fourth in the 55-meter hurdles (8.47), Jess Christensen added a fourth-place finish in the 3,000 meters (10:29.93) after taking second in the 5,000 meters on day one, Anderson took fifth in the pole vault (8-6 1/4) and Kellie Whitney placed sixth in the triple jump with a season-best effort of 33-5 1/4. Sarah Hammel finished fourth in the 800 (2:20.37) and fifth in the mile (5:14.63).

Men's Recap
Wardell Watkins had Simpson's best finish of the day, taking second in the triple jump with a season-best effort of 42-7. After taking third in the long jump on Friday, Jarrod Schott added a fourth-place finish in the triple jump (41-9 3/4).

Marty Rounds took fourth in both the 55-meter hurdles and the 200 meters, turning in season best times in both (7.77 in the 55 hurdles and 22.80 in the 200).

Kyle Yarkosky earned Simpson's next highest finish, taking 6th in the 400 meters (51.56).

Simpson athletes will get one final chance to qualify for the NCAA D-III Indoor Championships March 6 at the Iowa State NCAA Qualifier.