Amidst an impressive group of freshman and a rock-solid gang of juniors, Wartburg found its greatest diamond in the rough in its senior class, winning this year’s Division III Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championships team title.

Akeye Aimable outdueled Wisconsin-La Crosse standout Caitlin Schetter in the triple jump – an event that Aimable took up only two months ago after a coach told her she looked like a “natural” – to help propel the Knights to their first indoor team championship March 13-14 in Terre Haute, Indiana.

The senior edged Schetter – who on the previous day won her second straight indoor long jump title – with a leap of 12.04 meters (39 feet, 6 inches) to help give Wartburg a half-point lead over La Crosse going into the meet-ending 1,600-meter relay. The Knights then soundly beat the Eagles in that event to claim a 9 1/2-point victory.

Once Wartburg assistant coach Dave Sage told Aimable early this year she could do well in the triple jump, “it didn’t take too long to get comfortable with it,” she said. Still, she knew she needed to “get on the board” when her turn came up just after Schetter took the lead in the event.

“I just started thinking about what coach Sage told me,” Aimable said. “He told me to have myself thinking about winning it. So, I went for it on that jump, and it worked out.”

Aimable beat Schetter by an inch, but the 1,600-meter relay showdown between Wartburg and Wisconsin-La Crosse wasn’t nearly so close. The Knights foursome anchored by junior Hannah Baker won with a time of 3 minutes. 50.1 seconds – five seconds ahead of the eighth-place Eagles.

Marcus Newsome, who also coached Wartburg to an outdoor crown in 2005, credited the win to the entire program – not just the women who scored the points.

“This isn’t just about the group that competed here. This is also about the team back at the college, some of whom drove out here to watch their teammates,” he said following the meet at Rose-Hulman. “That is what is so great about Wartburg track and field. It’s the family aspect.

“Every one of these young ladies contributed to this. It was a great effort.”

Meanwhile, Frostburg State hurdler Sumer Rohrs posted an effort for the record book in joining Schetter as the individual stars of the meet.

Rohrs claimed the only meet record with her winning time of 7.84 seconds in the 55-meter high hurdles to become the event’s third, three-time champion. She bettered the mark set in 2001 by the first of those triple victors, Rhondale Jones of Lincoln (Pennsylvania), by .01 seconds.

“It’s great to be a three-time champion,” Rohrs said. “It’s all about consistency.  I try to do the same thing every time. People always come up to me and say ‘you're so good’ and I just respond that I’m a good worker. It’s all about hard work and dedication.”

Schetter was the meet’s top individual scorer, chipping in 20 of Wisconsin-La Crosse’s 41 1/2 points by adding a seventh-place finish in the 55-meter dash to her 18-point performance in the jumps.

Wisconsin-Oshkosh, with mile-run winner Ayla Mitchell, finished third in the team competition and defending champion Illinois Wesleyan, which edged Wartburg for the team title at last year’s championships, finished fourth. Tufts rounded out the top five team scorers after claiming its second straight distance medley relay title.

Fourteen different schools claimed event titles, including Heidelberg, whose Judy Bataille successfully defended her championship in the 55-meter dash, and Montclair State, whose Monique Riddick was repeat champion in the shot put.

Hardin-Simmons’ Ashley Huston won the meet’s new event, the pentathlon, scoring 3,725 points in the event.

Team results

1. Wartburg, 51; 2. Wis.-La Crosse, 41 1/2; 3. Wis.-Oshkosh 33; 4. Ill. Wesleyan 28; 5. Tufts, 23; 6. North Central (Ill.), 18; 7. Wis.-Eau Claire, 16; 8. (tie) St. Norbert and Hardin-Simmons, 15; 10. (tie) Messiah and Calvin, 14; 12. (tie) Wheaton (Mass.), St. Thomas (Minn.), and Coe, 12; 15. Bethel (Minn.), 11 1/2; 16. (tie) Wis.-Platteville, St. Lawrence, New Jersey City, and MIT, 11; 20. Heidelberg, 10 8/10; 21. (tie) Westfield St., Roanoke, Moravian, Montclair St., Frostburg St., Fredonia St., and Amherst, 10; 28. (tie) Wis.-Stevens Point, Wilmington (Ohio), Haverford, and Cortland St., 8; 32. Bates, 7; 33. (tie) Greenville and Carleton, 6; 35. (tie) Wash. & Lee, TCNJ, and Mount Union, 5; 38. Gust. Adolphus, 4 8/10; 39. (tie) Trinity (Tex.), Swarthmore, Springfield, Simpson, Rensselaer, Methodist, Loras, Johns Hopkins, and Emory, 4; 48. (tie) Williams, Smith, Colby, Cabrini, Brandeis, and Bowdoin, 3; 54. (tie) Washington-St. Louis, Monmouth (Ill.), Ithaca, Hamilton, and Chicago, 2; 59. Linfield, 1 1/2; 60. (tie) Wis.-River Falls, Millikin, Middlebury, Cornell, Buffalo St., and Brockport St., 1; 66. (tie) Wash. & Jeff. and Rhode Island Col., 8/10; 68. Concordia-M’head, 1/2.

Individual champions

55-meter dash: Judy Bataille, Heidelberg, 7.02.
400-meter dash: Robin Yerkes, Roanoke, 56.09.
800-meter run: Ashley Graybill, St. Norbert, 2:09.95.
Mile run: Ayla Mitchell, Wis.-Oshkosh, 4:54.66.
55-meter high hurdles: Sumer Rohrs, Frostburg St., 7.84 [meet record; old record 7.85, Rhondale Jones, Lincoln (Pa.), 2001].
5,000-meter run: Elise Tropiano, Amherst, 16:58.84.
1,600-meter relay: Wartburg (Nevada Morrison, Kelsey Steffens, Chelsey Jacobs, Hannah Baker), 3:50.10.
Distance medley relay: Tufts (Amy Wilfert, Halsey Stebbins, Jackie Ferry, Stephanie McNamara), 11:46.88.
High jump: Marlee Berg, Westfield St., 1.69 (5-6 1/2).
Pole vault: Rachel Secrest, North Central (Ill.), 3.86 (12-8).
Long jump: Caitlin Schetter, Wis.-La Crosse, 5.74 (18-10).
Triple jump: Akeye Aimable, Wartburg, 12.04 (39-06).
Shot put: Monique Riddick, Montclair St., 14.39 (47-02 1/2).
20-lb. weight throw: Julia Hopson, Fredonia St., 18.25 (59-10 1/2).

Pentathlon: Ashley Huston, Hardin-Simmons, 3,725.

Individual results

55-meter dash: 1. Judy Bataille, Heidelberg, 7.02; 2. Callen Martin, Wilmington (Ohio), 7.10; 3. Amanda LaRocca, Ill. Wesleyan, 7.11; 4. Faith Burt, Wartburg, 7.11; 5. Ashlynn Chavis, Methodist, 7.14; 6. Ebony Barnes, New Jersey City, 7.16; 7. Caitlin Schetter, Wis.-La Crosse, 7.17; 8. LaToya Edwards, Buffalo St., 7.30.

400-meter dash: 1. Robin Yerkes, Roanoke, 56.09; 2. Hannah Baker, Wartburg, 56.58; 3. Liz Kooistra, Wis.-Eau Claire, 56.79; 4. Nevada Morrison, Wartburg, 57.18; 5. Ali McCoy, Ill. Wesleyan, 57.65; 6. Kathleen Folbrecht, Wis.-Stevens Point, 57.89; 7. Jenny Kordick, Wartburg, 57.89; 8. Portia Jones, MIT, 58.25.

800-meter run: 1. Ashley Graybill, St. Norbert, 2:09.95; 2. Jessica Scott, Wis.-Platteville, 2:10.95; 3. Ashley Schnell, Coe, 2:12.12; 4. Mackenzie Clemens, Ill. Wesleyan, 2:12.64; 5. Izzy Alexander, Bates, 2:13.84; 6. Alison Chase, Bowdoin, 2:14.22; 7. Sara Wild, Williams, 2:15.77; 8. Kaitlynn Saldanha, Middlebury, 2:20.58.

Mile run: 1. Ayla Mitchell, Wis.-Oshkosh, 4:54.66; 2. Marie Borner, Bethel (Minn.), 4:55.41; 3. Ashley Schnell, Coe, 4:55.95; 4. Lauren Bergstrom, Calvin, 4:59.50; 5. Caitlin Mullarkey, Swarthmore, 5:00.16; 6. Emma Linhard, Colby, 5:00.44; 7. Laura Paulsen, Johns Hopkins, 5:00.92; 8. Rachelle Hawkins, Cornell College, 5:02.81.

5,000-meter run: 1. Elise Tropiano, Amherst, 16:58.84; 2. Stephanie McNamara, Tufts, 17:02.76; 3. Simone Childs-Walker, Carleton, 17:04.02; 4. Jenny Scherer, St. Norbert, 17:05.03; 5. Emily Loeffler, Trinity (Tex.), 17:09.01; 6. Wendy Pavlus, St. Lawrence, 17:15.15; 7. Mary Palmer, Wis.-Eau Claire, 17:17.04; 8. Lauren Philbrook, Williams, 17:18.68.

55-meter high hurdles: 1. Sumer Rohrs, Frostburg St., 7.84 [meet record; old record 7.85, Rhondale Jones, Lincoln (Pa.), 2001]; 2. Kristen Bates, Messiah, 8.11; 3. Amy Magnuson, MIT, 8.22; 4. Amanda LaRocca, Ill. Wesleyan, 8.23; 5. Lauren Bucklin, Simpson, 8.23; 6. Brandye Jackson, North Central (Ill.), 8.27; 7. Shannon Turczyn, Monmouth (Ill.), 8.29; 8. Danielle Wadlington, Washington-St. Louis, 8.32.

1,600-meter relay: 1. Wartburg (Nevada Morrison, Kelsey Steffens, Chelsey Jacobs, Hannah Baker), 3:50.10; 2. Ill. Wesleyan, 3:52.25; 3. Calvin, 3:53.44; 4. Wis.-Stevens Point, 3:53.47; 5. St. Thomas (Minn.), 3:54.64; 6. Wis.-Platteville, 3:54.66; 7. Wis.-Eau Claire, 3:54.69; 8. Wis.-La Crosse, 3:55.50.

Distance medley relay: 1. Tufts (Amy Wilfert, Halsey Stebbins, Jackie Ferry, Stephanie McNamara), 11:46.88; 2. St. Thomas (Minn.), 11:46.96; 3. Wartburg, 11:48.95; 4. TCNJ, 11:49.71; 5. Loras, 11:51.44; 6. Calvin, 11:54.92; 7. Johns Hopkins, 11:57.81; 8. Washington-St. Louis, 12:02.31.

High jump: 1. Marlee Berg, Westfield St., 1.69 (5-6 1/2); 2. Kristen Serikstad, Cortland St., 1.69 (5-6 1/2); 3. Erin Neville, Wheaton (Mass.), 1.66 (5-5 1/4); 4. Ashley Huston, Hardin-Simmons, 1.66 (5-5 1/4); 5. (tie) Vanessa Moore, Bethel (Minn.), and Michelle Crisione, North Central (Ill.), 1.61 (5-3 1/4); 7. (tie) Kaelene Lundstrum, Gust. Adolphus; Tomika Brown, Heidelberg; Kayla Fleming, Rhode Island Col.; and Summer Baumgard, Wash. & Jeff., 6.61 (5-3 1/4).

Pole vault: 1. Rachel Secrest, North Central (Ill.), 3.86 (12-8); 2. Anna Heim, Moravian, 3.86 (12-8); 3. Hayley Suckow, Wis.-Eau Claire, 3.86 (12-8); 4. Alecia Ellingstad, Wis.-La Crosse, 3.86 (12-8); 5. Emily Hwang, MIT, 3.76 (12-4); 6. Etta Grover-Silva, Smith, 3.76 (12-4); 7. (tie) Catherine Street, Linfield, and Carolyn Kalafut, North Central (Ill.), 3.66 (12-0).

Long jump: 1. Caitlin Schetter, Wis.-La Crosse, 5.74 (18-10); 2. Katie Fondow, Wis.-La Crosse, 5.72 (18-09 1/4); 3. Penny Grant, Greenville, 5.65 (18-06 1/2); 4. Aubrey Loy, Mount Union, 5.53 (18-01 3/4); 5. Jordan Beall, Emory, 5.48 (17-11 3/4); 6. Ashton May, Wis.-La Crosse, 5.44 (17-10 1/4); 7. Symonne Scott, Moravian, 5.42 (17-09 1/2); 8. Jenny Aronson, Wis.-River Falls, 5.42 (17-09 1/2).

Triple jump: 1. Akeye Aimable, Wartburg, 12.04 (39-06); 2. Caitlin Schetter, Wis.-La Crosse, 12.01 (39-05); 3. Mickey Jusme, Wheaton (Mass.), 11.98 (39-03 3/4); 4. Nakeisha Jones, Tufts, 11.97 (39-03 1/4); 5. Nikki Hay, Springfield, 11.86 (38-11); 6. Anat Benun, Brandeis, 11.77 (38-07 1/2); 7. Akilah Bond, Hamilton, 11.66 (38-03 1/4); 8. Shannon O'Keeffe, Brockport St., 11.62 (38-01 1/2).

Shot put: 1. Monique Riddick, Montclair St., 14.39 (47-02 1/2); 2. Mercedes Hicks, New Jersey City, 14.17 (46-06); 3. Alyssa Pirinelli, St. Lawrence, 14.04 (46-00 3/4); 4. Sarah Hoffmann, Wartburg, 13.86 (45-05 3/4); 5. Christy Bohl, Wis.-La Crosse, 13.76 (45-01 3/4); 6. Ellie Sitek, Wis.-Oshkosh, 13.74 (45-01); 7. Nicole Murphy, Chicago, 13.68 (44-10 3/4); 8. Susie Trzebiatowski, Wis.-Oshkosh, 13.48 (44-02 3/4).

20-pound weight throw: 1. Julia Hopson, Fredonia St., 18.25 (59-10 1/2); 2. Holly Ozanich, Wis.-Oshkosh, 17.18 (56-04 1/2); 3. Ellie Sitek, Wis.-Oshkosh, 16.84 (55-03); 4. Susie Trzebiatowski, Wis.-Oshkosh, 16.76 (55-00); 5. Connor Ahlborn, Rensselaer, 16.44 (53-11 1/4); 6. Vantiel Elizabeth Dunca, Bates, 16.26 (53-04 1/4); 7. Alyssa Pirinelli, St. Lawrence, 16.25 (53-03 3/4); 8. Allison May, Millikin, 16.21 (53-02 1/4).

Pentathlon: 1. Ashley Huston, Hardin-Simmons, 3,725; 2. Jessica Belden, Haverford, 3,497; 3. Kristen Bates, Messiah, 3,394; 4. Stacy Doornbos, Wash. & Lee, 3,390; 5. Kaelene Lundstrum, Gust. Adolphus, 3,366; 6. Christiana Taylor, Cabrini, 3,329; 7. Emma Dewart, Ithaca, 3,207; 8. Leah Kay, Concordia-M’head, 3,195.