Illinois wesleyan captures women's indoor track & field national title

NAPERVILLE, Ill. -- Illinois Wesleyan's national championship victory Saturday in women's indoor track & field gave the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) its 34th national title in Division III competition and second of the 2007-08 season.

The Titans won with a team score of 30, topping second place Wartburg who finished with 27 points. This was the conference's second national title in the sport of indoor track & field as the North Central men won the championship in 1989. The win also marks the conference's second national title of the 2007-08 season after Wheaton won its third women's soccer championship in four years back in November.

Illinois Wesleyan had not won a national title since the men's basketball team's championship in 1997.

Rachel Anderson (Clinton, Ill./H.S.) was champion in the 400-meter dash with a national best time of 55.66. She also anchored the winning 4x400 relay team that also included Ali McCoy (Irving, Texas/Episcopal School of Dallas), Mackenzie Clemens (Bloomington, Ill./H.S.) and Brooke Halcott (Streator, Ill./Ottawa Marquette), finishing with a time of 3:52.21. Clemens was a third \-place finisher in the 800-meter run (2:14.74) while Amanda LaRucca (Palatine, Ill./H.S.) was fifth in the 55-meter hurdles (8.34).

Other all-American performances on the women's side included Augustana's Marissa Banks (Ames, Iowa/H.S.) (shot put), North Central's Rachel Secrest (Wheaton, Ill./North) (pole vault), Augustana's Keli Coleman (Grayslake, Ill./Carmel) (55-meter dash), and North Central's Brandye Jackson (Villa Park, Ill./Willowbrook) (55-meter hurdles).

On the men's side, North Central and Illinois Wesleyan were the highest placing teams as both tied for 14th place with 11 points respectively.

Illinois Wesleyan's Matt Harden (O'Fallon, Ill./H.S.) was fifth in the 400-meter dash (49.62) while Segun Olopo (Chicago, Ill./Brooks School) was sixth in the 55-meter dash (6.37). The 4x400 relay team of Harden, Olopo, Mike Conti (Itasca, Ill./Driscoll Catholic) and Noah Dunham (Pontiac, Ill./H.S.) placed fifth with a time of 3:21.64.

North Central's Jake Winder (Joliet, Ill./Plainfield South) was second in the pole vault with a height of 16-9 1/2 while Adam Pennington (Sandwich, Ill./H.S.) was seventh in the 800-meter run (1:55.54). Justin McQuality (Girard, Ill./Divernon) was eighth in the triple jump (46-8 3/4).

Augustana's Ted McMillan (Cordova, Ill./Erie) placed fifth in the high jump with a height of 6-8 3/4.

Full NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championship Results