 "Photo: Photos Submitted By Jim Vahrenkamp")
The Augustana Vikings track and field team traveled to Mankato, Minn., for the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) meet and surpassed a number of expectations, with the women winning their first ever conference title and the men finishing in third place.
"It's pretty exciting to see," head coach Tracy Hellman said. "To win the women's first conference meet as well as have the men perform so well, it's a pretty special accomplishment."
The Vikings women were led by senior Bobbi Jo Buyck, who competed in four races and totaled 16 points toward her team's victory.
"She ran so well and really lit a spark for our team," Hellman said. "As a sprinter, four events is a lot, but she came out and performed."
Freshman Linn Nilsson was named the NSIC Newcomer of the Year, as she helped the Vikings with a second place finish in the 1000-meter run and a first place finish in the mile race.
"No question Linn deserved it," freshman Rachel Biederman said. "She ran out of her mind in all of her races.
"Even after she had already run four races, during the 4x400m she still had the same determination in her eyes and smooth stride as the first race," Biederman said. "It was so much fun watching and cheering for her. She is a beast"
According to Hellman, the distance runners for the Augustana women were catalyst for the victory. After finishing in third place on Friday night, the Vikings came out Saturday and took charge of the longer races.
"The 600, 800, 1000, mile, 3000 and 5000 were all great races for us," Hellman said. "We put up 109 points in those six events and really just kicked some butt."
Senior Caitlin Polgreen credits their success to the team's incredible chemistry.
"We had athletes everywhere, from the pole vault to the throwing events and over to the jumping pits," Polgreen said. "We even had one corner of the track covered with athletes and former athletes cheering on the runners as they came around the corner. Running through a huge mob chanting 'AUGIE, AUGIE, AUGIE' gave the competitors such a huge adrenaline rush."
For the men, junior Matt Braithwaite placed second in the 5000-meter run, while senior Tom Karbo won the 3000-meter race. "Tom raced great for us on Saturday," Hellman said.
"His victory really was a momentum builder for the men. They finished strong behind him."
Junior Diego Oquendo set the school record for 60-meter dash with a 6.82 preliminary run, and finished third place in the finals. Oquendo also placed second in the 60-meter hurdles.
"It was a fun day," Oquendo said. "Going out and getting a chance to run that well is a great feeling. I'm really proud of the way the entire team raced today."
The men came into the meet predicted to finish ninth, only to surpass that by six places, something that Hellman was excited about.
"I think this finish really gives us some momentum for the spring season," Hellman said.
"For our men, this is a huge stepping stone. It's great to see them get some success."
Polgreen has high hopes and expectations for both the men and women's team going into the rest of their season.
"After getting to this level, I know we will stay here," Polgreen said. "We have some very talented underclassmen that are already contributing to the team's success greatly."
"We had a lot of kids provisionally qualify for Nationals," Hellman said. "So it will be a lot of fun to watch them perform."
Coach Hellman was named the NSIC women's Coach of the Year, and the team's reaction was nothing but positive.
"Tracy has put in a lot of time into shaping and developing this team, and that is evident in the level that he has brought this program to," Polgreen said. "He deserves every honor he gets."
Next for the Vikings men and women is the national meet in Albequerque, N.M. on March 12-13.
Be the first to comment on this article!