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June 8
For the second straight season, Gianina Taylor and Gena Rawlins have been chosen as the co-“Most Valuable Perfomers” for the Illinois Wesleyan 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 Nicole Williams and Katie O’Rourke. In national competition, Taylor was third in the outdoor 400 (55.30) and fifth in the indoor 400 (57.38) while Rawlins third in the indoor 400 (56.09) and eighth in the outdoor 400 (57.36). In other team honors, Megan Byrne was selected as the team’s “Most Valuable Freshman” and Laine Twanow earned the “Team Player Award.” Melissa Harden also earned All-American status at the outdoor national meet when she placed sixth in the long jump. 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.
May 30
Two Illinois Wesleyan relay teams earned second place finishes and All-American status at the NCAA Division III track championships at Millikin University in Decatur on Sat. (May 29). The 4x100 team of Gianina Taylor, Gena Rawlins, Tara Yoder and Nicole Williams got second with its time of 47.35 and the 4x400 team of Taylor, Rawlins, Williams, and Katie O'Rourke got second in 3:45.66. As a team, IWU finished 11th with 26 total points. Taylor got third (55.30 seconds) and Rawlins got eighth (57.36) in the 400 and Melissa Harden placed ninth in the triple jump with an effort of 38 feet, 7 1/2 inches.
May 29
Illinois Wesleyan's Gianina Taylor and Gena Rawlins each qualified for the 400-meter finals at the NCAA Division III track championships at Millikin University in Decatur on Fri. (May 28). Taylor posted a third-best preliminary time of 59.19 seconds, with Rawlins qualifying sixth at 56.45. Both will compete in three events Sat. (May 29). In addition to the 400, the two will team up for two relays, joining Nicole Williams and Tara Yoder for the 4x100 relay and Williams and Katie O'Rourke for the 4x400 relay. Melissa Harden, who placed sixth in the long jump on Thurs., will compete in the triple jump Sat. Williams failed to advance to the finals of the 100.
May 28
Illinois Wesleyan sophomore Melissa Harden earned All-America status by finishing sixth in the long jump at the NCAA Division III track championships on Thurs., May 27, at Millikin University in Decatur, Ill. Harden (shown), who was seeded 19th coming into the national meet, turned in a personal best of 18 feet, 7 1/2 inches. Meanwhile, the 4x400 relay unit of Katie O'Rourke, Gianina Taylor, Nicole Williams and Gena Rawlins was clocked in a qualifying best 3:47.15, the fastest time in Division III this season. And the 4x100 relay team of Williams, Rawlins, Tara Yoder and Taylor combined for the second best 400 relay time of 47.67.
May 26
Six Illinois Wesleyan women’s athletes will compete in the NCAA Division III outdoor track and field championships May 27-29 at Millikin in Decatur, Ill. Gianina Taylor and Gena Rawlins will both run in the 200 and 400 and senior Nicole Williams will run in the 100. Melissa Harden will compete in both the long jump and in the triple jump. Taylor, Rawlins, and Williams will run on the 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams. They will be joined on the 4x100 team by Tara Yoder and on the 4x400 squad by junior Katie O’Rourke. Both IWU relay teams have the fourth top qualifying times in Division III this spring with the 4x400 at 3:49.47 and the 4x100 at 47.79 seconds.
May 26
Junior Jake Clough has been chosen as the “Most Valuable Perfomer” for the Illinois Wesleyan men's track team. Clough ran to a third place finish with a finals time of 51.25 in the 400 at the outdoor College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin meet and also ran a leg on the school-record 4x100 relay team that clocked a time of 42 seconds at the CCIW event. He was also part of two indoor school record relay teams (4x200, 4x400). In other Titan team honors, Nick Burge was selected as IWU's “Most Valuable Freshman” while senior Joe Binder earned the “Team Player Award.” Burge had IWU’s best indoor 400 time of 51.04 seconds, good for a fifth place finish in the CCIW meet, and he also got fifth in the CCIW outdoor 400 with a time of 52.43 seconds.
May 7-8
The Illinois Wesleyan women’s track team finished third and the men’s track team placed sixth in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin championships, held May 7-8 at IWU Stadium. Jenny Schloz (Oconee, Pana HS) got first in the discus and second in the shot put and Melissa Harden (O’Fallon, Township HS) finished first in the long jump and second in the triple jump. Gianina Taylor (Decatur, Eisenhower HS) got first in the 400 and second in the 200 while Gena Rawlins (Atlanta, Olympia HS) ran to a third in the 200 and second in the 400. Melinda Sprague (Ballwin, Mo., Parkway West HS) set a conference record in winning the 3000 steeplechase and the 4x100 relay team also set a CCIW standard. The 4x100 relay team consisted of Taylor, Rawlins, Tara Yoder (Danvers, Olympia HS) and Nicole Williams (Park Forest, Crete-Monee HS). The Titans’ 4x400 relay team, made up of Rawlins, Taylor, Sprague and Katie O’Rourke (Bloomington, Central Catholic HS) also finished first as IWU racked up 143 points, behind Carthage (186) and Augustana (154).
For the IWU men’s team, Mike Bragg (Shorewood, Joliet West HS) won the javelin with a throw of 179 feet, 1 inch and Zach Gorsage (Washington, Peoria Notre Dame HS) (110 hurdles), Tyler Neal (Bloomington HS) (200) and Jake Clough (Carbondale HS) (400) also had third place finishes in the conference meet. The Titans’ 4x400 relay team, consisting of Clough, Nick Burge (Lake Zurich HS), Bryan Timm (Aurora, Marmion Academy) and Mike Nicoletti (Lake Zurich HS), and also earned a first place with a time of 3:18.15 while the 4x100 relay team placed second with a provisional qualifying time of 42 seconds. The 4x100 relay team consists of Neal, Clough, Gorsage and Erich Sauer (Elgin, Larkin HS). The Titans finished with 72 points and North Central defended its title with 219 points.
May 1
The Illinois Wesleyan women's track and field team won the Big Blue Open at Millikin University on Sat., May 1, while the men's team set several school records. The IWU women finished with 146.5 points, ahead of host Millikin with 136. Pacing the Titans were Gena Rawlins and Gianina Taylor. Rawlins was first in the 200 (25.35 seconds) and second in the 400 (58.32). Taylor won the 400 in 57.15. Melinda Sprague won the 3,000 steeplechase in a school record 11:37.47. Molly May was first in the high jump, clearing 4 feet, 10 1/2 inches and Melissa Harden won the long jump.
On the men's side, Josh Evans won the 800 in 2:01.22, Tim Hachmeister was first in the 5,000 in 15:43.82 and Zach Gorsage won the 110 hurdles in 14.87. The 4x100 relay team of Kwabena Appenteng, Nick Kossman, Mike Nicoletti and Nick Burge won in 44.46. Tyler Neal set a school record in the 200 in 22.32. Jon Blome's height of 14-2 in the pole vault was second all-time on the school list as was Jake Clough's time of 50.19 in the 400. The IWU men's team finished third with 112 points as Greenville won the team title with 143.
April 23
The Illinois Wesleyan women's 4x400 relay team of Katie O'Rourke, Gianina Taylor, Breanne Johnson and Gena Rawlins ran the fastest time in Division III this year with a 3 minutes, 50.27 seconds clocking in the qualifying round at the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, on Fri., April 23. The relay team placed fifth in its heat and failed to make the finals at the national meet, however the time did qualify the IWU relay team for the Division III national meet.
The Illinois Wesleyan men's 4x100 relay team tied its season-best time of 42.9 while finishing second in its heat at the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, on Fri., April 23. The Titans, however, failed to make the finals. The relay team was composed of Zach Gorsage, Jake Clough, Tyler Neal and Kwabena Appenteng.
April 17
Illinois Wesleyan's Mike Bragg and Zach Gorsage earned third place finishes in the javelin and the 100 hurdles, respectively, at the Illinois State Redbird Invitational, held in Normal on Sat., April 17. In competition against numerous Division I and II schools, no team scores were kept. Bragg has a javelin throw of 168 feet while Gorsage covered the hurdle distance in 14.91 seconds. Tim Hachmeister ran to a fourth place finish in the 5,000 with a time of 15:41.30 and Tyler Neal got a sixth place in the 100 in 11.06 seconds.
Melissa Harden got second in the long jump and seventh in the 100 hurdles to lead a host of Illinois Wesleyan women's track performances at the Illinois State Redbird Invitational, held in Normal on Sat., April 17. In competition against numerous Division I and II schools, no team scores were kept. Jenny Schloz got third in the discus, while Gianina Taylor got a third place in the 400 and a seventh place in the 200. Gena Rawlins ran to a fourth in the 400 and an eighth place finish in the 200. The Titans' 4x100 relay team placed fourth with a time of 48.04 and the 4x400 relay team was fourth in the meet.
April 10
The Illinois Wesleyan women's track team finished second in the five-team Keck Invitational, held at IWU Stadium on Sat., April 10. The Titans amassed 171 points while winning team Wisconsin-Whitewater garnered 202. Molly May tied for first place with her 5-foot high jump and Jenny Schloz got first in the discus throw (129'2"). Heather Geeser got a first in the javelin with a throw of 101'7". Melissa Harden got first in the 100 hurdles and Gianina Taylor got first in the 200 and second in the 400 while Gena Rawlins got first in the 400 and second in the 200.
The Illinois Wesleyan men's track team finished fourth in the six-team Keck Invitational, held at IWU Stadium on Sat., April 10. The Titans gathered a total of 82 points while winning team Wisconsin-Whitewater had 305. Zach Gorsage got a first place in the 100 hurdles with a time of 14.84 seconds and Mike Bragg got a second place in the javelin with a throw of 163'3". Tim Hachmeister also ran to a second place finish in the 5,000 meter run with his time of 15:17.48.
April 4
Senior Gianina Taylor was a double winner as the Illinois Wesleyan women's track team finished third (of 10 teams) at the 63rd annual Viking Olympics, hosted by Augustana College on Sat., April 3. Taylor got first in the 200 (25.06 seconds) and 400 (57.51) meter runs and teammate Gena Rawlins got second in both events. Freshman Megan Byrne ran to first place in the 5,000 with a time of 18:37.73 and Melinda Sprague also got a first place for the Titans in the 3000 steeplechase (11:40.20).
The Illinois Wesleyan men's track team finished fifth (of 11 teams) with 100 points at the 63rd annual Viking Olympics, hosted by Augustana College on Sat., April 3. Zach Gorsage placed first in the 100 hurdles with a time of 15.14 seconds and the IWU 4x400 relay team of Nick Burge, Mike Nicoletti, Nick Kossman and Jake Clough also placed first. Chip Corwin got second in the 800 with a time of 2:01.04 and Matt Martin placed second in the 5,000. Clint Warren and Eric Myszka got third place finishes in the triple jump and 3000 steeplechase, respectively.
March 28
The Illinois Wesleyan women's track team amassed 95 points, good for second place (of 16 teams) in the Jerry England Track Invitational at the U. of Indianapolis on Sat., March 27. Melinda Sprague finished second in the 3000 steeplechase (11:53.25) and Megan Byrne got second in the 5000 (18:47.36). Gena Rawlins got second in the 400 (56.97) and third in the 200 (25.97) and Gianina Taylor placed third in the 100 (12.81). Jen Schloz got third place finishes in both the discus and the shot put and the Titans' 4x400 relay team ran to a first place finish.
March 28
The Illinois Wesleyan men's track team finished eighth (of 18 teams) with 41 points at the outdoor season-opening Jerry England Track Invitational at the U. of Indianapolis on Sat., March 27. Clint Warren jumped 42' 4" to get second place in the triple jump and Mike Bragg was third in the javelin with a hurl of 164' 2". Zach Gorsage placed third in the 100 hurdles with a time of 15.08 and Jake Clough (50.61) and Nick Burge got sixth and seventh, respectively, in the 400.
March 13
The Illinois Wesleyan 4x400 relay team finished first in the national NCAA Division III track championships, held March 12-13 at Whitewater, Wis. The team of Gena Rawlins, Gianina Taylor, Nicole Williams and Katie O'Rourke turned in a Kachel Fieldhouse record time of 3:52.36 to win the event for IWU, who placed sixth as a team with 20 points. Rawlins finished third in the 400 meter run with a time of 56.09 seconds and Taylor was fifth in the 400 finals with her run of 57.38. All four Titans earn All-American status. Wisconsin-Oshkosh won the women's title with 56 points.
Junior Zach Gorsage failed to qualify for the finals of the 55 hurdles at the national NCAA Division III track championships, held March 12-13 at Whitewater, Wis. Gorsage injured himself on the third hurdle in Friday's qualifying run, finishing in 8.05 seconds. His 2004 qualifying time of 7.61 seconds was 10th best in the country heading into the national meet. Gorsage placed seventh in the 55 hurdles to earn All-America status last year.
March 9
Illinois Wesleyan's Gena Rawlins and Gianina Taylor have qualified for the 400 meter run in the national NCAA Division III track championships, which will be Fri. and Sat. (March 12-13) at Whitewater, Wis. Rawlins (56.31 seconds) had the third top qualifying time and Taylor (56.67) was sixth best. The IWU 4x400 relay team of Taylor, Rawlins, Katie O'Rourke and Nicole Williams has the nation's third best qualifying time at 3:54.85.
With a mark of 7.61 seconds, Illinois Wesleyan junior Zach Gorsage has the 10th best qualifying time in the 55 hurdles and will compete in the national NCAA Division III track championships on Fri. and Sat. (March 12-13) at Whitewater, Wis. Gorsage placed seventh in the 55 hurdles to earn All-America status last year.
Feb. 28
The Illinois Wesleyan women finished second in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin track championships Sat., Feb. 28, in Kenosha, Wis. Gianina Taylor won the 400 in a CCIW record 56.67 seconds, qualifying for the NCAA, and won the 200 in a school-record 25.46. She also ran the lead leg on the 1,600 relay team that placed first in 3:58.6. Gena Rawlins was third in both the 400 and 200. Megan Byrne was second in the 1,500 in 4:52.80 (school record), while Molly May won the high jump for the second year in a row. Jen Schloz in the shot put and the distance medley relay team also set new school records.
The Illinois Wesleyan men amassed 34 points and finished sixth in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin track championships Sat., Feb. 28, in Kenosha, Wis. Nick Burge got fifth in the 400 and Jon Blome earned a fifth in the pole vault, while Jon Meade got sixth in the 200 and Bryan Timm earned a sixth place finish in the 400. The IWU 800 relay team placed third and 1600 relay team placed fourth.
Feb. 21
The Illinois Wesleyan women's track team took first place (of 16 teams) at the DePauw Indoor Classic on Sat., Feb. 21 in Greencastle, Ind. Getting first place finishes for the Titans were Melissa Harden (55 hurdles), Gena Rawlins (400) and the 4x400 relay team of Rawlins, Gianina Taylor, Nicole Williams and Katie O'Rourke. Setting new school records were Melinda Sprague (shown) in the 1000 (3:14.25) and Megan Byrne in the 1600 (5:20.20).
The Illinois Wesleyan men's track team gathered in enough points (87) to finish first (of 22 teams) at the DePauw Indoor Classic on Sat., Feb. 21 in Greencastle, Ind. Erich Sauer ran to a 6.67 second time in finishing first in the 55 and Chip Corwin won the 800 with a time of 1:56.40. The Titans' 4x400 relay team also got first place with their time of 3:29.32.
Feb. 15
The Illinois Wesleyan women's track team took first place (of 12 teams) and the men's team took second place (of 14 teams) at the Fighting Scot Invitational at Monmouth on Sat., Feb. 14. For the women, Melissa Harden (O'Fallon, Township HS) won the 55 hurdles and the long jump, Katie O'Rourke (Bloomington, Central Catholic HS) took first in the 400 and Gena Rawlins (Atlanta, Stanford Olympia HS) won the 200. O'Rourke and Rawlins both ran legs on the sprint medley 1600 relay team, which set a school record with a time of 4:17.97. Other runners were Gianina Taylor (Decatur, Eisenhower HS) and Shannon Baumer (Byron HS). Bree Johnson (Arlington Heights, Prospect HS) won the triple jump, Jen Schloz (Oconee, Pana HS) set a school record in the weight throw and freshman Megan Byrne (Des Plaines, Maine West HS) ran to a school record in the 1500 (4:53.13).
Among the Titan men to claim first place finishes were Chip Corwin (Cadillac, Mich., HS) in the 800, Zach Gorsage (Washington, Peoria Notre Dame HS) in the 55 hurdles, and Jon Blome (Pekin HS) in the pole vault. Gorsage also placed fifth in the 55. Jon Meade (Champaign, Centennial HS) finished fourth in 200 and IWU's third placers were Nick Burge (Lake Zurich HS) in the 400 and Matt Martin (Heyworth, Normal U High HS) in the 5000.
Feb. 7
Gena Rawlins set two school records and qualified for the Division III national meet on Sat., Feb. 7, at the Titan Open indoor track meet at the Shirk Center. The IWU women's team finished second of 12 in the meet. Rawlins set the IWU record in the 400 (56.31), which qualified for nationals, and tied Gianina Taylor for first in the 200 at a school-record 25.69 seconds. Rawlins and Taylor's 400 times are second and third in the nation this season. Melissa Harden qualified for nationals in the 55 hurdles, long jump and triple jump, as did Nicole Williams in the 55-meter dash and the 4 x 400 relay team of Williams, Katie O'Rourke, Taylor and Rawlins. IWU's distance medley relay unit also set a school record.
The Illinois Wesleyan men's track team scored 26 points to place eighth (of 14) at the Titan Open indoor track meet at the Shirk Center on Sat., Feb. 7. Zach Gorsage covered the 55 hurdles in a time of 7.66 for a second place finish, while Chip Corwin ran a 1:59.44 in the 800 to place third. Freshman Jon Blome went 4.57 meters in the pole vault finals to earn a third place finish.
Jan. 31
Jon Blome cleared 15 feet to win the pole vault as the Illinois Wesleyan men's track team competed in the five-team Monmouth Invitational on Sat., Jan. 31. The Titans' 4x400 relay team earned a first place with its time of 3:23.43 while Zach Gorsage got first in the 55 hurdles (7.75 seconds) and second in the 2000 (23.56). Erich Sauer also finished second in the 55 meter dash with a run of 5.5 seconds and Josh Evans placed second in the 600 (1:26.74).
Illinois Wesleyan's Gianina Taylor earned first place finishes in the 200 and 400 to lead the IWU women's track team at the five-team Monmouth Invitational on Sat., Jan. 31. Taylor ran the 200 in 26 seconds and the 400 in a time of 58.74. Other Titan first place finishers were Nicole Williams in the 55 (7.38), Gena Rawlins in the 300 (40.82), Molly May in the high jump (five feet, _ inch), and Melissa Harden in the triple jump (11.02 meters).
Jan. 24
The Illinois Wesleyan women's track team finished a close second at the Wisconsin-Whitewater Invitational on Sat., Jan. 24. IWU finished with 118 points, only one behind the 119 of champion UW-Stevens Point. Gena Rawlins won the 200- and 400-meter dashes in times of 25.75 and 56.89 seconds. Gianina Taylor was second in the 400 at 59.03, while Melissa Harden was second in the 55 hurdles (8.47) and the triple jump (11.13 meters). Another IWU second came from Melinda Sprague (11:10.5 in the 3,000), while the Titan 1,600 relay was first in 3:59.77. The IWU distance medley relay unit placed second in 13:23.75.
The Illinois Wesleyan men's track team finished seventh at the Wisconsin-Whitewater Invitational on Sat., Jan. 24. Zach Gorsage earned a second place finish for IWU in the 55 hurdles at 7.71 seconds and teammate Jon Blome also got a second in the pole vault at 4.65 meters. UW-Whitewater won the men's portion of the meet with 175 points, while the Titans were seventh at 43.
Jan. 18
Melissa Harden won three events and was on a winning relay to lead the Illinois Wesleyan women's track team to first place Sat., Jan. 17, in the IWU Relays at Shirk Center. Harden posted a school record and NCAA provisional qualifying mark in the 55 hurdles (8.55 seconds) and also won the long jump, triple jump and led off the winning 1,600 relay. She was joined on the relay by Gianina Taylor, Katie O'Rourke and Gena Rawlins, who anchored the winning 800 relay and won the 55-meter dash in an NCAA provisional time (7.30). Other on the 800 relay team were Taylor, Tara Yoder and Krystal Jenkins. Molly May won the high jump.
The Illinois Wesleyan men's track team, led by first place finishes from Eric Sauer, Zach Gorsage and Jon Blome, placed fourth in the eight-team IWU Relays at Shirk Center on Sat., Jan. 17. Gorsage had an NCAA provisional qualifying run in the 55 hurdles with a time of 7.61 seconds, and Blome's pole vault of 15 feet, 3 inches is also an NCAA provisional qualifying mark. Sauer's winning time in the 55 meter dash was 6.56 seconds. The Titans also won the 800 (1:33.19) and 1,600 (3:21.11) relays.
