Anderson, Harden and Harden Win IWU Track Honors

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Sophomore Rachel Anderson and senior Melissa Harden have been named “Most Valuable Performers” for the Illinois Wesleyan women’s track team while sophomore Matt Harden earned the honor for the men’s team.

Anderson (Clinton, Ill., HS) was the national champion in the 400-meter dash in both the indoor and outdoor NCAA Division III championships. She had an outdoor winning time of 54.98 seconds, just shy of the school-record 54.82 she ran in the preliminaries, the best in Division III this spring. Her indoor winning time was 56.35 seconds.
Also at the outdoor finals, Anderson placed seventh in the 200 in a school-record 24.60 seconds.

Melissa Harden (O’Fallon, Ill., Township HS), who qualified 15th of 16 just to get in the long jump at the indoor national meet, had a personal best (by one foot) of 18 feet-8 ½ inches to win the national title by a full inch. Harden also got fourth in the triple jump with a career-best 38 feet-1 ½ inches. Harden and Anderson teamed with Brooke Halcott (Streator, Ill., Ottawa Marquette HS) and Emily Willenbring (Shoreview, Minn., Mounds View HS) for an eighth place finish at the indoor national meet in the 4x400 relay in helping the IWU women’s team finish fourth overall.
At the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin indoor meet in February, Harden won the 55-meter hurdles and long jump and was second in the triple jump.

Matt Harden (O’Fallon, Ill., Township HS) finished fifth in the NCAA indoor meet in the 55 meter dash with a time of 5.64 seconds and qualified for the outdoor nationals in the 200 with the seventh top time nationally at 21.40 seconds, set at the IWU Keck Ecumenical in April.
Harden was named the CCIW indoor meet’s “Outstanding Male Athlete” as he won the 400 and was third in the 200 and 55 hurdles. In the CCIW outdoor meet, Harden won the 100 meter dash and teamed with sophomores Segun Olopo (Chicago, Brooks School) and Azizzuddin Rose (Chicago, DeLaSalle HS) and senior Erich Sauer (Elgin, Ill., Larkin HS) to win the 4x100 relay.

In other team honors, senior Kristy Lehan (DeKalb, Ill., HS) and sophomore Bryan Duling (Clinton, Ill., HS) were chosen as their respective squad’s “Most Dedicated Athlete” while Willenbring and Jordan Jeffers (Rochester, Ill., HS) were the “Best Newcomers” for the women and men, respectively.
Juniors Nick Burge (Buffalo Grove, Lake Zurich, Ill. HS) and Mike Nicoletti (Lake Zurich, Ill., HS) will serve as the co-captains for the 2007 men’s team while Anderson and junior Mary Kate Gergel (Glenwood, Ill., Marian Catholic HS) will be the women’s captains.

Another Titan All-American was senior Melinda Sprague (Ballwin, Mo., Parkway West HS), who placed sixth in the 3000 meter steeplechase at the national outdoor championships with a time of 10:46.56. Sprague, the two-time CCIW champion in the 3000 steeplechase, qualified 16th with a time of 10:57.2, which is 10 seconds better than in 2005, when she was IWU’s first national qualifier in the event.

Head coach Chris Schumacher awarded letters to 14 men and 17 women. They are, with hometowns and high schools:

SENIORS - Todd Cruikshank, Park Forest, Ill. (Rich East HS); Nick Kossman, Normal, Ill. (Community HS); Erich Sauer, Elgin, Ill. (Larkin HS); Bryan Timm, Aurora, Ill. (Marmion Academy)
JUNIORS - Jon Blome, Pekin, Ill. (HS); Nick Burge, Buffalo Grove, Ill. (Lake Zurich HS); Mike Nicoletti, Lake Zurich, Ill. (HS)
SOPHOMORES - Bryan Duling, Clinton, Ill. (HS); Matt Harden, O'Fallon, Ill. (Township HS); Segun Olopo, Chicago, Ill. (Brooks School); Azizuddin Rose, Chicago, Ill. (DeLaSalle Institute)
FRESHMEN - Nick Cooprider, DeKalb, Ill. (HS); Jordan Jeffers, Rochester, Ill. (HS); Joshua Prince, Country Club Hills, Ill. (HIllcrest HS)

SENIORS - Heather Geeser, Pecatonica, Ill. (HS); Melissa Harden, O'Fallon, Ill. (Township HS); Kristy Lehan, DeKalb, Ill. (HS); Dale Marshall, St. Louis, Mo. (Visitation Academy); Molly May, Mt. Prospect, Ill. (Prospect HS); Melinda Sprague, Ballwin, Mo. (Parkway West HS)
JUNIORS - Megan Byrne, Des Plaines, Ill. (Maine West HS); Mary Kate Gergel, Glenwood, Ill. (Marian Catholic HS); Krystal Jenkins, Villa Park, Ill.
SOPHOMORES - Rachel Anderson, Clinton, Ill. (HS); Allison Fisher, Oswego, Ill. (HS); Brooke Halcott, Streator, Ill. (HS); Julia Varsamis, Morton Grove, Ill. (Niles West HS); Cortney Walrath, Peoria, Ill. (HS)
FRESHMEN - Elizabeth Doerner, Naperville, Ill. (Central HS); Cara Downs, Pana, Ill. (HS); Emily Willenbring, Shoreview, Minn. (Mounds View HS).