Women's Track & Field paced by 3,000-meter efforts at season-opening meet

KENOSHA, Wis. - The Concordia University Wisconsin Women's Track & Field team opened its 2015 Indoor season Saturday at the Wisconsin Private College Invitational, hosted by Carthage College. The Falcons had several strong performances, which led to a fifth-place finish by the team.

One area where CUW dominated on Saturday was in the 3,000-meter run, placing five individuals in the top eight and six in the top ten. Junior Marya Haegler (West Bend, Wis.) made an impressive Falcons debut, winning the event with a time of 10:37.86. Joining Haegler in the top five was freshmen Ashley Scheele (Kohler, Wis.) and Bethany Coop (Mora, Minn.) with times of 11:05.30 and 11:07.72.

Sophomore Larissa Schlitz (DeForest, Wis.) placed sixth in the 3,000 with a time of 11:17.97, while Hannah Erl (Wauwatosa, Wis.) added a time of 12:09.06 for an eighth-place finish. Coming in just after Erl was senior Sarah Volkert (Rockford, Ill.) as she posted a time of 12:09.25.

The Falcons also got strong performances in the throwing events, being paced by a pair of returners in senior Andrea Kassees (Waukesha, Wis.) and junior Karli Tatum (Milwaukee, Wis.). Kassees placed fifth in the shot put, throwing a new PR with a toss of 11.82 meters. She added a seventh-place finish in the weight throw, landing 13.50 meters. Tatum recorded a PR in the weight throw with a mark of 13.82 meters, good for a fifth-place finish. She added an eighth-place finish with a mark of 10.86 meters in the shot put.

Sophomore Colleen Sauvey (De Pere, Wis.) had a good day for the Falcons, competing in three events and earning a PR in all three. Sauvery ran the 55-meter dash in a time of 8.10 seconds and leaped 4.46 meters in her first ever appearance in the long jump. She rounded her day by posting a mark of 12.71 meters in the weight throw.

CUW also gained a fourth-place finish from their Distance Medley relay team comprised of Jessica Rice (Canton, Mich.), Natalie Bubolz (Beaver Dam, Wis.), Cassandra Sprotte (Abbotsford, Wis.) and Paulina Agnello (Brookfield, Wis.). That group ran a 13:22.44. Agnello also made a strong debut in the 800-meter run, posting a time of 2:33.40, good for fifth place.

CUW gained a pair of top-eight finishes in the 400-meter run as well Saturday led by senior Emily Mauermann (Janesville, Wis.) and her seventh-place finish. Mauermann ran a 1:05.25 and was trailed closely by Sprotte who placed eighth, clocking in at 1:05.38.

The Falcons will return to action in two weeks when they will once again visit Carthage College. This time CUW will take place in the Tadd Metzger Invitational on Friday, January 30.