2007 Outdoor Wrap-Up

June 18, 2007
ABERDEEN, S.D. - Northern State outdoor track & field finished another impressive season, capped off by Jake Hamik’s third NCAA All-American Award (Northern State’s 39th). Hamik finished fourth in the 400 meter hurdles and set a new South Dakota all-time collegiate record of 50.92 seconds.

The men’s team finished second at the NSIC Championship while the women came in sixth. NSU teams have now finished in the top three in 65 of the past 75 NSIC Track & Field Championships. The Wolves won six individual NSIC championships with Hamik (400m hurdles, 110m hurdles, and 400m dash) winning three titles and Jeremy VanVeen (5000m run, 10,000m run) winning two. Amanda Madden was Northern’s 16th discus champion in the past 19 years.

The Northern State men finished ranked 31st in the final NCAA Division II Track & Field Team Power Rankings, while the women finished 33rd. NSU men’s and women’s teams have never missed a top 40 ranking in either indoor or outdoor track & field since moving into the NCAA in 1995.

Eight NSU athletes earned 11 All-NSIC Awards in 2007. Six additional athletes were named NSIC Honorable Mention. Northern State Track and Field athletes have now earned 662 All-NSIC Awards over the past 19 years.

Again and Again…
The NSU women’s track & field team has met the qualifications to be named an NCAA DII All-Academic Team for the 12th straight year, every year that they have been a member of the NCAA. The award is given by the NCAA DII Track & Field / Cross-Country Coaches Association.

Dominate
With another Discus title at the NSIC Championships, Assistant Coach Brenda Fuller has now coached 16 NSIC Champions in the Discus and has coached 63 NSIC Champions in her 19 year career at Northern State as the Throw Coach.

NSIC MVP
Jake Hamik won his second NSIC MVP Award and became Northern’s 23rd MVP in the past 19 years and the 13th in the past seven years.

2007 Northern State Track & Field Awards
                                             Men                       Women
Most Valuable Athlete          Jake Hamik             Jenny Baus
                                            Jeremy VanVeen     Miranda Boepple
Most Improved Athlete        Dan Scott                Naomi Even
                                            Ross Pfeifle
Outstanding Freshman          Bill Cameron            Amanda Madden
                                            Ryan Conrad           Paige Paulson

NCAA Division II National Outdoor Track & Field Meet
Northern State junior Jake Hamik (Aberdeen) made his third trip to an NCAA Track & Field Championship and his second consecutive appearance at the outdoor Nationals. Hamik took fourth place in the 400 meter hurdles after posting a personal best time of 50.92 seconds. This is the third time that Hamik has reached All-American status in his career.

Jake’s journey to the National Championships started early in the season as he met several provisional qualifying times in the 400 hurdles. Competing against top Division I athletes at the Drake Relays on April 28, Hamik took sixth place in the event with a time of 51.08. As well as being a personal best time for Hamik and setting a new school record, this time would gain him entry into the National meet as the third-ranked runner.

At the National meet in Charlotte, North Carolina, Hamik placed sixth in the preliminaries with a time of 51.84. He went on to set a new personal best time and, yet again, set a new school record in the event in the finals with a showing of 50.92. Morehouse junior Damian Prince won the title with a time of 49.21.

Hamik reached All-American status for the first time in his career last season at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, where he took eighth place in the 400 hurdles. He was named All-American for the second time at this year’s indoor track & field season, where he placed seventh in the 60 hurdles with a final time of 8.18. Hamik has been named 2007 NSIC Track Athlete of the Year for both the indoor and outdoor seasons. In addition to winning the 400 hurdles at the NSIC Championships, Hamik also took the top spot in the 110 hurdles (14.58) and the 400 (48.50), and ran the anchor leg of the second place 4x400 relay team.
2007 Outdoor T&F Nationals 400 m hurdles preliminaries
2007 Outdoor T&F Nationals 400 m hurdles finals

NSIC All-Conference Selections*
Miranda Boepple: women’s javelin          Amanda Madden: women’s discus
Ryan Conrad: men’s 400 dash                Bill Cameron: men’s 400 hurdles
   men’s 200 dash (HM)                         Joe Fettig: men’s 4x400 relay (HM)
   men’s 4x400 relay (HM)                     Taylor Ford: men’s 4x400 relay (HM)
Jake Hamik: men’s 400 dash                  Wade Royer: men’s pole vault (HM)
   men’s 110 hurdles                               Jeremy Van Veen: men’s 5,000 run
   men’s 400 hurdles                                   men’s 10,000 run
   men’s 4x400 relay (HM)                   Matt Walberg: men’s 3,000 steeplechase
Lance York: men’s shot put
*Note: Northern has now had 725 total All-NSIC selections in cross country and track and field under Coach Jim Fuller with 172 different athletes earning the awards.

NSIC Outdoor Championships NCAA II Final Outdoor Rankings
Men: 2nd Men: 31st
Women: 6th Women: 33rd

NSIC Athletes of the Week
Jeremy VanVeen: May 8
Jake Hamik: April 24
Paige Paulson: April 17

NSU School Records Set In 2007
400 m hurdles             Jake Hamik            50.92
pole vault                    Wade Royer           15’5.5”
4x110m hurdle shuttle Bill Cameron           1:01.59
                                  Trevor Steen
                                  Jared Mack
                                  Jake Hamik
5,000 m run               Jeremy VanVeen      14:44.01
10,0000 m run           Jeremy VanVeen      30:43.06

NCAA Div II National Indoor Qualifying Marks
Miranda Boepple Javelin (22nd in nation)
Jake Hamik 110 m hurdles (ranked 27th in nation)
Jake Hamik 400 m hurdles (ranked 3rd in nation)
Jeremy VanVeen 5,000 m run (ranked 29th in nation)
Jeremy VanVeen 10,000 m run (ranked 22nd in nation)

NSIC Awards*
MVP Track: Jake Hamik (1st 400 hurdles, 1st 110 hurdles, 1st 400 dash,
2nd 4x400 Relay)
*Note: Hamik becomes NSU’s 23 NSIC MVP and the 8th in the past four years. He was also NSIC MVP for the 2007 indoor season.

Boepple Receives NCAA Award

July 9, 2007
ABERDEEN, S.D. - Former Northern State women's basketball and outdoor track & field athlete, Miranda Boepple, has been chosen to receive an NCAA Division II Degree Completion Award. The financial award is given to selected student-athletes who have exhausted their athletic eligibility and are working toward the completion of their degree. Approximately 100 student-athletes received the award in the spring of 2007. Full Release

USTFCCCA Announces Awards

July 9, 2007
METAIRIE, La. - The U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association has announced the 2007 USTFCCCA DII All-Academic Track and Field Teams. Highlighting the selection from Northern State University is senior Miranda Boepple (Dickinson, N.D.). The USTFCCCA honors Division II individuals for their academic and athletic achievements during the indoor and outdoor track seasons. To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team, one must have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.25 and obtain an NCAA qualifying mark in their respective event. Full Release

 

Women's T&F Team Named All-Academic

July 10, 2007
NEW ORLEANS, La. - The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association has announced the 2007 USTFCCCA Division II Women's All-Academic Indoor and Outdoor teams. With a GPA of 3.124, the Northern State women's track & field team, under the direction of Brenda Fuller, has been named on the All-Academic list. The women's team has been named All-Academic every year since they joined the NCAA in 1995-06, which is 12 consecutive seasons. There were 44 Division II women's programs recognized this year. Full Release