Wheaton women on verge of making history with fifth straight NCAA Division III Championship in sight

March 14, 2003

GREENCASTLE, IN- The four-time defending national champion Wheaton College women's indoor track and field team is in search of an unprecedented fifth straight indoor title this weekend at DePauw University. With a national crown, the Lyons will tie Louisiana State University for the second-longest winning streak in NCAA women's indoor track and field history.

If Friday's first day of competition is any indication of what's to come on Saturday, then the women may very well maintain their status as the nation's greatest current track and field dynasty. In last year's competition, the Lyons finished with the second-highest point total in championship meet history, as the Blue and White defeated runner-up Wisconsin-Oshkosh by 37 points. That gap marked the widest margin between a first and second place team in the 18-year history of the meet.

At the completion of day one alone, the Lyons witnessed a National Champion in the long jump as well as several athletes advancing to tomorrow's finals. Freshman Aquila Williams-Judge (Boston, MA/Scituate) started the meet with an incredible performance in the long jump, as she captured the individual title by leaping 19' 2", outdistancing the next closest competitor by more than four inches.

Williams-Judge rounded out an outstanding first day by advancing to tomorrow's finals in both the 55-meter high hurdles and 55-meter dash events. Entering the competition with the fastest time nationally in the 55M hurdles, Williams-Judge posted a DePauw track center record with a time of 8.02. She and junior Amber James (Woodbury, MN/Woodbury) finished the 55M dash in 7.21, which also bettered the old track center record. Looking to defend her two-time title in the 400-meter dash, James continued to shine with a track center record and fastest time in today's 400M preliminaries at 56.42.

Other athletes advancing to the finals included senior Noreen Kordzeil (Chittenango, NY/Chittenango) in the 55-meter high hurdles and junior Vernick Smith (Camden, NJ/Woodrow Wilson) in the 400-meter dash. Kordzeil finished the race with a time of 8.42, while Smith bettered the old track center mark in 57.46. Wheaton's 4x400-meter relay team also did not disappoint anyone in defending their championship, as Amber James, Smith, senior Jana Bromell (Spencer, MA/David Prouty) and freshman Oly Wirtz (Fitchburg, MA/Fitchburg) recorded the fastest time of the day in 3:53.73, advancing the foursome to tomorrow's finals.

Other Wheaton athletes of note were Smith and freshman Aspen James (Woodbury, MN/Woodbury), who missed qualifying for the finals in the 55-meter dash. Junior Kim Spence (Barrington, NH/Dover) ran the 800-meter event, while classmate Kristen Cullen (Stoneham, MA/Stoneham) competed in the 55-meter hurdles. Sophomore Tessa Donoghue (Springfield, MA/Cathedral) did not advance in the 400M dash and high jump events. Classmate Kathrine Wallace (Glenmoore, PA/The Hill School), who is competing in her first national competition, also fell short of qualifying for the finals in the high jump.

On the men's side, junior Erik Benson (Southbury, CT/Pomperaug) advanced to the finals in the 400-meter dash with a time of 49.67, while sophomore Adam Walker (Westfield, NJ/Westfield), who is seeing his first action at the national championship, finished fourth in his heat in 50.50. Junior Terry Panetta (Hicksville, NY/St. Anthony's) placed sixth in his heat of the 1,500-meter run.

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