National Collegiate Athletic Association

The NCAA News - News and Features

March 3, 1997

Division III

Wisconsin-Oshkosh vying for unprecedented fourth straight team crown

Event: 1997 Division III Women's Indoor Track Championships.

Overview: No team has ever won four consecutive championships. Wisconsin-Oshkosh, this year's host, is vying to be the first, but the Titans will be challenged, especially by in-state rival Wisconsin-La Crosse. The Titans have been the model of consistency at the last three championships, claiming victory with 41, 42 and 41 points, respectively. They boast a standout field-event squad led by Missy Oleson, defending shot put and 20-pound weight throw champion; Sherry Eckhardt (shot put and weight throw); and Kerrie Main (triple jump) ... Wisconsin-La Crosse, third at the 1996 championships and aiming for its first title, counters the Titans' field-event strength with a mix of qualifiers in the field and middle-distance running events. Hilde deBoer, who posted the third-best qualifying mark in the 800-meter run through February 11; Lace Van Zeeland (400-meter dash); and Patti Frankowiak (weight throw) lead the way for the Eagles. DeBoer and Van Zeeland also team with Shamaine Martin and Jenny Porter to form the Eagles' 1,600-meter relay team ... Other teams such as Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Loras and Christopher Newport could, with a few key performances, have an impact on the outcome of the race for the team championship ... Christopher Newport is led by veterans Bridgett Cochran (55-meter hurdles), Tamiko Patterson (long jump and triple jump) and Meshaily Robinson, who recorded the top 55-meter dash qualifying standard through the middle of February. "It certainly looks like Wisconsin-La Crosse has an awful lot of qualifiers, and I know Oshkosh is going to be tough as usual," Christopher Newport coach Vince Brown said. "We've had some good performances, but haven't had those week-in-and-week-out-type performances that I think are necessary to do real well at the nationals."

Field: A maximum of 149 student-athletes will qualify for the championships.

Dates and site: March 7-8 at Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

Information/results: The fax-on-demand telephone number is 770/399-3060 (passcode 1915); request numbers are 1584 for dates/site/schedule, 5284 for qualifiers, 5285 for first-day results, 5286 for second-day results and 5287 for final results only. Championships results also will be available on the World Wide Web at www.ncaa.org. Results will be published in the March 17 issue of The NCAA News.

Championships notes: Wisconsin-Oshkosh is hosting the championships for the second time. The Titans hosted and won the 1994 event ... The Titans' Missy Oleson is trying to become the first Division III women's indoor competitor to win two field-event titles in consecutive years. Oleson won the 1996 shot put and 20-pound weight throw titles.