Contact: Jenna McElroy, Sports Info & Social Media Intern, mcelroy@midwestconference.org
 
GRINNELL, Iowa – The Midwest Conference (MWC) track & field team’s competed all over the Midwest last week with athletes setting national marks, school records, and personal bests galore.
 
St. Norbert’s Graceanne Tarsa accomplished all three feats when she ran 10:55.29 in the steeplechase at Simpson College’s Kip Janvrin Open to earn her second consecutive MWC Track Performer of the Week honor. Callista DeCramer also achieved all three as she broke her own school record in the heptathlon for the second straight week to claim MWC Field Performer of the Week.
 
Track and field athletes are nominated by their institution’s Sports Information Director; then the Performer of the Week is selected by the Conference Office. Selection is based off, in no order of priority, a nominee’s statistics, the strength of opponent, team record, individual accomplishments, and intangibles.

Below is Week Five’s MWC Performer of the Week and highlights from all the weekend’s meets.
 
Track Performer of the Week
Graceanne Tarsa, St. Norbert
Senior, Traverse City, Mich.
 
Tarsa earns her second straight MWC Track Performer of the Week as she broke the Green Knights school record in the steeplechase. The senior ran 10:55.29 at Simpson’s Kip Janvrin Open for 14th best time in Division III and fastest in the conference.
 
Field Performer of the Week
Callista DeCramer, Ripon
Junior, Princeton, Wis.
 
DeCramer continued her record setting ways in her junior season as the broke her own school record in the heptathlon for the second week in a row. She better who score from UW-La Crosse by 195 points at St. Norbert on Thursday for a new best of 4,480, which also ranks 13th in the nation. The junior ran a personal best and the fifth fastest time in the MWC in the 100 hurdles (15.49) and her fastest 800 (2:27.27). She also recorded the fourth best long jump in the MWC at 5.20m.
 
Previous POW
 
Meet Notes
 
Cornell
Kip Janvrin Open
 
Two Cornell runners moved to the top of the MWC in their respective events at Simpson’s Kip Janvrin Open on Saturday. Emma Cochrane ran the league’s best 400 hurdle time and the ranks 28th in Division III as she finished in 74.06. In the 5,000-meter, Dominique Fleming’s new personal best of 18:38.23 ranks her second in the conference.
 
Grinnell
Grand View Classic
Kip Janvrin Open
 
At Grand View, Paige Olowu blazed around the track for the second-fastest 200 time in program history as she ran 25.97 that also ranks her second in the conference.  Sarina Kopf won the pole vault with a clearance of 3.36m to move into second in the league. Agne Lukoseviciute added another win this season in the hammer throw at Simpson’s Kip Janvrin Open with a toss of 48.42m.
 
Illinois College
Drake Relays
True Blue Open | 7th of 14
 
Jaidyn Porter, Bailey Leitschuh, Olivia Molette, and Andrea Hyde recorded the second best time in Lady Blue history as they ran 1:45.03 in the 4x200 at the Drake Relays. Hosting the True Blue Open back home, Olivia Frichtl set a new personal best in the 100 hurdles with a time of 16.58.
 
Knox
True Blue Open | 13th of 14
 
Alice Lee unleashed a toss of 11.45m in the shot put on Saturday to move into fourth on the program’s all-time list. Her throw was good enough for fourth at the True Blue Open and ranks ninth in the conference.
 
Lake Forest
UW-Whitewater Alternative
 
Yaneli Guajardo led the Foresters with a third place finish in the 800 with a time of 2:25.29 while Emily Staufer was sixth in the 1500m at 5:13.54.
 
Lawrence
Hillsdale “Gina” Relays
 
Molly Doruska traveled to Hillsdale, Michigan to compete in the 10,000 at the Gina Relays on Friday night. The senior recorded the fourth fastest time in the conference as she finished in 39:49.0.
 
Monmouth
True Blue Open | 1st of 14
 
Freshman Jordan Peckham sprinted to a pair of wins to help Monmouth finish first at Illinois College’s True Blue Open. In the 400, she won by close to a second in a new personal best of 58.01 then ran a leg of the 4x100 relay team that won in 49.22. Caroline Young also got a big win in the 5,000 as she beat the field by more than 20 seconds in a time of 19:18.08.
 
Ripon
St. Norbert Midweek Matchup
 
Callista DeCramer broke her heptathlon school record for the second straight week this time with a score of 4,480, 195 points better than last week. Madi King dropped another ten seconds off her 5,000 personal best for a new time of 18:51.22 and moved into fifth in the conference. Sprinter Camrie Schmitz also recorded a new personal best as she ran 60.69 in the 400.
 
St. Norbert
Drake Relays
Kip Janvrin Open
St. Norbert Invitational
 
The Green Knights set two school records at two different meets last week. The 4x400 relay team of Sarah Duff, Morgan McClone, Maddie LeBrun, and Cora Purdue took ninth at the Drake Relays in a new program best time of 3:52.15 that also ranks sixth in Division III. At Simpson’s Kip Janvrin Open, Graceanne Tarsa ran the 14th fastest steeplechase in the nation with a school record time of 10:55.29. St. Norbert also won seven events to take second at its home invitational.