Wheaton women win fifth national championship; men finish in tie for eighth

March 15, 2003

GREENCASTLE, IN]-The Wheaton women's indoor track and field team won the national championship today at DePauw University while the college's men's team finished eighth. The women's victory puts Wheaton in a tie with Louisiana State University for the second-longest winning streak in NCAA women's indoor track and field history.

Wheaton's victory came in the final event of the meet, the 4x400-meter
relay, long one of the program's strongest suits. That proved true today. The Lyons sped to victory in 3:45.01, a full six seconds faster than second-place finisher Lehman College. Wheaton finished the meet with 54 points.

"When we started this program, my dream was to win a national championship," said Head Coach Paul Souza. "To win five in a row is just beyond my wildest dreams. I am so impressed with our scholar athletes. They just continue to find ways to win."

The team's accomplishments are all the more impressive to those who know that the college's track program only began competing at the varsity level in 1995, and is without the use of an outdoor facility. The program's success has brought Souza to the attention of the United States World Indoor Track and Field team, which named him one of three assistant coaches for the 2004 team that will compete in Budapest, Hungary.

"I am so proud of this team," said Souza. "They pulled themselves together, got into the driver's seat and pulled to the head of the pack to get this win."

Wheaton's championship 4x400-meter relay team-freshman Aquila Williams-Judge(Boston, MA/Scituate), junior Amber James (Woodbury, MN/Woodbury), junior Vernick Smith (Camden, NJ/Woodrow Wilson) and senior Jana Bromell (Spencer, MA/David Prouty)-boasted two athletes who also won individual championships.

Aquila Williams-Judge jump-started Wheaton's race to the championship with an outstanding leap in the long jump. Her 19' 2" jump outdistanced the next closest competitor by more than four inches. Williams-Judge continued her winning ways in the 55-meter hurdles, finishing first in 7.99-a new DePauw Indoor Tennis and Track Center. Her teammate, senior Noreen Kordzeil (Chittenango, NY/Chittenango), also scored points in that event, finishing sixth in 8.43.

Meanwhile, Amber James continued her national dominance in the 400-meter dash. She turned in the fastest performance in the event this year in NCAA Division III competition while earning a first-place finish with a 55.47. Close on her heels was teammate Vernick Smith, who took second place in 56.24. The Lyons also scored points in the 55-meter dash. Williams-Judge finished seventh in 7.27; James, eighth in 7.29

Other Wheaton athletes competing included freshman Aspen James (Woodbury, MN/Woodbury), who ran in a preliminary heat of 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) competed in the 400-meter dash and high jump events. Captain Kerry Teamey (Klamath Falls, OR/Henley) recorded a 10' 5-1/4" effort in the pole vault. Classmate Kathrine Wallace (Glenmoore, PA/The Hill School), competing in her first national competition, competed in the high jump.

The college's men's team finished with 12 points in a four-way tie for eighth with Muhlenberg, Monmouth and Keene State colleges. Sophomore Dan Olson (Voorheesville, NY/Albany Academy) won the high jump with a 7' 1-3/4", which represented the best performance of the season in the NCAA Division III as well as a DePauw center record. Junior Erik Benson (Southbury, CT/Pomperaug) scored points in the 400-meter dash with a time of 49.6 in the finals heat. Sophomore Adam Walker (Westfield, NJ/Westfield), who is seeing his first action at the national championship, finished fourth in his preliminary 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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News Headlines

Wheaton reorganizes track and field staff, Souza and Mangiacotti named co-head coaches (more)

Three Wheaton track and field athletes earn national academic honors, both men's and women's squads draw accolades from USTFCCCA (more)

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