Five firsts guide Falcons to second place at NACC Indoor Championships

KENOSHA, Wis. – For the second straight year, the Concordia University Wisconsin Women's Track & Field team had five individual champions at the NACC Indoor Championships. Those five champions helped lead the Falcons to a second-place finish as a team at the nine-team event. Nora Imperl and Cassandra Sprotte stood out on Saturday, with Imperl collecting Track Athlete of the Meet honors, while Sprotte won a pair of events.

THE BASICS
- Falcons Score: 2nd of 9 (151 points)
- Location: Tarble Athletic & Recreation Center – Kenosha, Wisconsin
- Individual Champions: Sprotte (800, Mile); Imperl (3,000); Taylor Corkum (Pole Vault); Colleen Sauvey (Weight Throw)
- School Record: 4x400 (Irene Bolis, Carolyn Arndt, Sprotte, Morgan Marnholtz – 4:11.98); Bolis (55 Hurdles - 9.26)
- Team Champion: Aurora (194 points)

HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Falcons received several strong performances, but perhaps none stood out more than the distance runners. Imperl (Greenfield, Wis.) gained her second career Track Athlete of the Meet honors by scoring 22 points across three events. She won the 3,000-meter run with a time of 10:37.94, while adding a second-place finish in the 5,000 (18:04.85) and a fifth-place finish in the mile (5:29.67). Imperl was also named Track Athlete of the Meet at the 2016 Outdoor Championships.

- Sprotte (Abbotsford, Wis.) was 2-for-2 on Saturday, winning both the 800-meter run and the mile. She came across the finish line in 2:22.34 in the 800, while running the mile in a time of 5:19.52.

- Imperl and Sprotte weren't the only Falcons distance runners to experience success on Saturday. The Falcons placed four of the top six in the 800 with Carolyn Arndt (Rochester, Minn.) taking third (2:25.09), followed closely by Molly Wirtz (Stevens Point, Wis.) who took fourth at 2:25.10. Paulina Agnello added a sixth-place finish in the event.

- Agnello (Brookfield, Wis.) also ran the mile and finished behind only Sprotte, coming in second with a time of 5:22.46. The Falcons also received a fifth-place finish from Martha Kulberg (Maple Grove, Minn.) in the 3K, running an 11:03.29.

- Arndt and Sprotte also were a part of another great moment Saturday, the 4X400-meter team which finished second and broke the school record. Irene Bolis (Marengo, Ill.) started the race for CUW and Morgan Marnholtz (Merrill, Wis.) finished it, with Arndt and Sprotte running second and third. They completed the 4X400 in a time of 4:11.98.

- The Falcons dominated the pole vault event, placing four in the top five, led by event winner Taylor Corkum. Corkum cleared 3.35 meters, while Jennifer Miller (Freedom, Wis.) came in second by clearing 3.20 meters. Sisters Ariana Koehler and Kailey Koehler (Lake Geneva, Wis.) placed fourth and fifth, respectively. Ariana cleared 2.90 meters, while Kailey was at 2.75 meters.

- Over the past few years, CUW has seen its fair share of success in throwing events at the NACC meet. Sauvey (De Pere, Wis.) continued that trend by winning the weight throw. She completed a toss of 15.46 meters for her title in the event. In addition, CUW placed two in the top five in the shot put with Delaney Verba (Milwaukee, Wis.) taking third and Beth Garncarz (Milwaukee, Wis.) placing fifth.

- Miller added a fifth-place finish in the 55-meter dash, while Bolis finished fifth in the 55-meter hurdles. Marnholtz was fifth in the triple jump. The Falcons also got a third-place finish from Nicole Veldhorst in the high jump, as she cleared 1.51 meters.

PR LIST
- Arndt - 800 (2:25.05)
- Bolis - 55 Hurdles (9.26)
- Garncarz - Shot Put (10.84 meters)
- Imperl - 5,000 (18:04.85)
- Tatiana March - 55 Hurdles (10.26)
- March - Shot Put (9.16)
- Marnholtz - High Jump (1.41 meters)
- Sam Meixell - Long Jump (4.55 meters)
- Cassidy Pethke - 55 Hurdles (9.56)
- Sauvey - Weight Throw (15.46 meters)
- Sauvey - 55 (7.56)
- Courtney Van Damme  Triple Jump (9.86)
- Verba - Shot Put (11.19)
- Verba - Weight Throw (11.97 meters)

UP NEXT
- Select athletes will compete in last chance meets over the next few weeks to take aim at school records or marks to qualify them for the NCAA Championships.