IWU Sports

8 June 2004

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - For the second straight season, senior Gianina Taylor and junior Gena Rawlins have been chosen as the co-“Most Valuable Perfomers” for the Illinois Wesleyan University women's track team.

Both Taylor and Rawlins were five-time Division III All-Americans in the 2004 indoor and outdoor seasons and were part of the national champion indoor 4x400 relay team along with senior Nicole Williams (Park Forest, Crete-Monee HS) and junior Katie O’Rourke (Bloomington, Central Catholic HS). The squad covered the distance in a time of 3 minutes, 52.36 seconds.

In national competition, Taylor (Decatur, Eisenhower HS) was third in the outdoor 400 (55.30) and fifth in the indoor 400 (57.38) while Rawlins (Atlanta, Stanford Olympia HS) was third in the indoor 400 (56.09) and eighth in the outdoor 400 (57.36).

In other team honors, Megan Byrne (Des Plaines, Maine West HS) was selected as the team’s “Most Valuable Freshman” and senior Laine Twanow (Spring Valley, St. Bede Academy) earned the “Team Player Award.”

Byrne set the outdoor school record in the 5000 with a time of 18:35.73 at a meet on April 3 and set indoor school standards in the 1500 (4:52.80) and mile run (5:20.20).

Twanow was part of the distance medley relay team that set a school record of 12:52.57 at the indoor conference championships.

Sophomore Melissa Harden (O’Fallon, Township HS) also earned All-American status at the outdoor national meet when she placed sixth in the long jump. Harden set IWU outdoor records this spring in the long jump (18 feet, 7 inches), triple jump (38 feet, 7 inches) and heptathlon (3766 points).

Sophomore Melinda Sprague (Ballwin, Mo, Parkway West HS).bettered her own 3000 steeplechase record with a time of 11:16.0711:53 and set the school indoor record for the 1000 meter distance with a run of 3:14.25.

Senior Jen Schloz (Oconee, Pana HS), who won the discus at the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin outdoor meer, was another multiple school-record setter this season, establishing new marks in the shot put (indoor and outdoor), indoor weight throw and the outdoor hammer throw.

Head coach Chris Schumacher, whose team finished sixth at the national indoor meet and 11th at the Division III national outdoor meet, awarded letters to 17 women. The letterwinners are, with hometowns and high schools:

SENIORS – Jen Schloz (Oconee, Pana HS); Gianina Taylor (Decatur, Eisenhower HS); Laine Twanow (Spring Valley, St. Bede Academy); Nicole Williams (Park Forest, Crete-Monee HS); Tara Yoder (Danvers, Stanford Olympia HS).

JUNIORS - Katie O’Rourke (Bloomington, Central Catholic HS), Gena Rawlins (Atlanta, Stanford Olympia HS).

SOPHOMORES - Melissa Harden (O’Fallon, Township HS), Breanne Johnson (Arlington Heights, Prospect HS); Kristy Lehan (DeKalb HS); Dale Marshall (St. Louis, Mo, Visitation Academy), Molly May (Mt. Prospect, Prospect HS); Melinda Sprague (Ballwin, Mo, Parkway West HS).

FRESHMEN – Shannon Baumer (Byron HS); Megan Byrne (Des Plaines, Maine West HS); Heather Geeser (Pecatonica HS); Colleen Kuenster (Wheaton, North HS).

Taylor and Rawlins Honored as IWU Women's Track "MVP"s