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Women's Cross Country |
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2011 Schedule & Results |
| DATE |
EVENT/SITE |
TIME/PLACE |
| Fri., Sept. 16 |
National Catholic Invitational/South Bend, Ind. |
15th out of 33 |
| Sat., Sept. 17 |
Knight Invitational/Grand Rapids, Mich. |
14th out of 16 |
| Sat., Oct. 1 |
Greater Louisville Cross Country Classic/Louisville, Ky. |
Blue Race: 13th out of 32
Silver Race: NTS |
| Fri., Oct. 7 |
Bethel College Invitational/Mishawaka, Ind. |
4th out of 11
Individual Results |
| Sat., Oct. 22 |
NAIA Great Lakes Invitational/Riverside Park
Meet Information |
4th out of 33
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| Sat., Nov. 5 |
WHAC Championship/Riverside Park |
1st out of 8 |
| Sat., Nov. 19 |
NAIA National Championships/Fort Vancouver, Wash. |
22nd out of 32
Individual Results |
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Roster |
| Photos |
Name |
Yr. |
Hometown/High School (College) |
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Lesley Albert |
So. |
Belding, Mich./Belding |
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Brittany Andres |
So. |
Allendale, Mich./Allendale |
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Megan Byrne |
Sr. |
Amherst, Ohio/Amherst Steele |
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Kelsey Carpenter |
So. |
Grand Rapids, Mich./West Catholic |
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Alina Dhaseleer |
Jr. |
Charlevoix, Mich./Charlevoix |
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Jessica Dippel |
Fr. |
Kentwood, Mich./East Kentwood |
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Miranda Downing |
Fr. |
Greenville, Mich./Greenville |
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Krystin Dreyer |
Fr. |
Gaylord, Mich./Gaylord |
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Jackie Katt |
So. |
Rockford, Mich./Rockford |
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Rachel Luehm |
Sr. |
St. Louis, Mich./St. Louis |
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Carly Plank |
So. |
Grand Rapids, Mich./Northview |
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Rachel Reyna |
Jr. |
Swartz Creek, Mich./Swartz Creek |
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Catie Rietsema |
Fr. |
Rockford, Mich./Rockford |
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Emily Sandula |
Sr. |
Saginaw, Mich./Nouvel Catholic |
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Jamie Sansone |
Fr. |
Joliet, Ill./Lincoln Way Central |
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Allison Scheidel |
Fr. |
Sparta, Mich./Sparta |
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Rachael Steil |
So. |
Grandville, Mich./Grandville |
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Coaches |
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MIKE
WOJCIAKOWSKI Women's Head Coach |
| A 1997 Aquinas College graduate, Mike Wojciakowski begins his 14th year as the Cross Country Coach and Assistant Track Coach at Aquinas College. “Woj’s” success with the middle distance and distance runners has been exceptional. He has directed the men’s and women’s Cross Country teams to eleven WHAC Championships, six Region VIII championships and 14 top 20 finishes at the NAIA National Championships, including a second place finish in 2004 (the highest national finish for any team in Aquinas College history) and a third place finish in 2008. An eleven time WHAC coach of the year, Woj’s success on the track has been just as spectacular. The Saints have dominated the middle distance and distance events in the WHAC for the past 13 years under Woj’s direction. He has sent numerous athletes to the indoor and outdoor national championships, 36 of them receiving All American recognition and has guided many runners to the Saints top five all time performance list. A USA Track and Field Level II certified coach in the distance events, Woj’s knowledge, personal approach and work ethic has been responsible for developing the Saints distance program into one of the best small college programs in the nation. A four year varsity letter winner in both cross country and track for the Saints, Wojciakowski captained both teams during his senior year. An outstanding student as well as a runner, Wojciakowski earned Academic All American honors in cross country his senior year. Mike and his wife, Amorena, and their daughter, Cecelia (1), reside on the northwest side of Grand Rapids. |
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DAVE
WOOD Cross Country Coordinator |
| Dave Wood begins his 16th season as the Coordinator
of the Cross Country Team and Head Track & Field Coach.
Wood's tenure has been nothing short of phenomenal. Wood has
directed the men's and women's programs from the basement in
the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) to the head
of the pack. The Saints' dominated in 2003 as they completed
a clean sweep of the men's and women's WHAC indoor titles and
captured the WHAC women's outdoor title. Success under Wood's
direction hasn't been limited to the conference level. Competing
at the NAIA National Championships both indoors and outdoors,
Saints' athletes earned All-American honors 81 times including
four NAIA National Champions and four runner-up finishes during
Wood's tenure. The Saints' success under Wood comes as no surprise.
The 1972 Michigan Class A mile champion and a middle distance
standout at Central Michigan University, Wood has been developing
team and individual champions at the high school, junior college
and collegiate level since his first coaching assignment at
Grand Rapids Union High School, his alma mater, in 1976. A USATF
Level II certified coach in the sprints and hurdles, Wood came
to Aquinas after an outstanding twelve-year stint as Head Cross
Country and Track & Field Coach at Ferris State University.
Wood was honored with a total of 10 Great Lakes Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference (GLIAC) "Coach of the Year" awards
while guiding the Bulldogs to 11 GLIAC Championships in cross
country and track & field. In addition to having his teams
consistently ranked in the NCAA Division II top 20, Wood was
recognized four times as NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region
"Coach of the Year." His success at the national level
was highlighted by 35 All-Americans, three National Champions
and a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track
& Field Championships during his tenure as Ferris State's
coach. |
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Season Outlook |
The women's cross country team will look for their third straight WHAC Championship during the 2011 season. The Saints concluded 2010 with a 13th place finish at the NAIA National Championships in Fort Vancouver, Washington; the highest finish in school history for the women's cross country program. The Saints were led by WHAC Runner of the Year, Rachael Steil. The freshman led the Saints in every meet and placed 6th at the National Championships to claim All-American honors. Katy Cramer, Samantha Rinkus and Alina Dhaseleer were rewarded with All-WHAC honors for their performance at the WHAC Championships. The squad ran five of the top ten team times of all-time, including the school record performance from the 2010 WHAC Championships (Steil – 18:07, Cramer – 18:31, Rinkus – 18:47, Dhaseleer – 18:50 and Boynton – 19:00).
The Saints will look to veteran leadership and a strong work ethic to continue to elevate themselves to one of the premier teams in the nation in 2011. Rachel Luehm, Emily Sandula and Megan Byrne return as the seniors on the 2011 squad, while juniors Alina Dhaseleer and Rachel Reyna have come into the season in great shape. The sophomore class looks very strong, spearheaded by the past two WHAC Runners of the Year, Carly Plank and Rachael Steil. Jackie Katt, Brittany Andres, Lesley Albert and Kelsey Carpenter join Plank and Steil as the heart of the team. First year runners who are looking to make a splash in the maroon and white include Catie Rietsema, Jamie Sansone, Allison Scheidel, Krystin Dreyer, Jessica Dippel and Miranda Downing.
The ladies will start the competitive season on September 16th at the National Catholic Championships hosted by the University of Notre Dame. The Saints will also take part in the Calvin Knight Invitational which will take place the following day. Aquinas will then travel to the University of Louisville and Bethel College for some early October competitions. The Saints will close the season with the annual NAIA Great Lakes Challenge hosted by Aquinas College, the WHAC Championship and the NAIA National Championships contested once again in Fort Vancouver, Washington. |
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Top Ten Times |
1. 93:15, Riverside Park, 11/6/10 Rachael Steil 18:07, Katy Cramer 18:31, Samantha Rinkus 18:47, Alina Dhaseleer 18:50, Alicia Boynton 19:00 |
| 2. 93:17, Riverside Park, 10/23/10 Rachael Steil 17:37, Katy Cramer 18:26, Alina Dhaseleer 18:44, Samantha Rinkus 19:11, Alicia Boynton 19:22 |
| 3. 94:14, Bush Park, Salem, OR , 9/29/07 Amanda Strouse 17:56; Kelsey Webb 18:47; Katy Cramer 19:05; Jesse Lord-Wilder 19:10; Samantha Rinkus 19:16 |
| 4. 95:16, Grand Woods Park, 10/7/00 Val Kunde 18:39; Nichole Gummere 18:55; Christine Gow 19:12;
Audrey Remsberg 19:12; Kristy Debski 19:18 |
| 5. 95:16, Calvin College, 9/15/07 Amanda Strouse 18:04; Jesse Lord-Wilder 19:07; Katy Cramer 19:11; Kelsey Webb 19:21; Kaitlyn Meernik 19:33 |
| 6. 95:27, Riverside Park, 11/5/11 Catie Rietsema 18:43, Alina Dhaseleer 18:59, Carly Plank 19:10, Emily Sandula 19:16, Megan Byrne 19:16 |
| 7. 95:27, Montrose Beach Metro Park, Chicago, 10/2/10 Rachael Steil 18:16; Katy Cramer 19:03; Alicia Boynton 19:16; Alina Dhaseleer 19:22; Samantha Rinkus 19:30 |
| 8. 95:34, Riverside Park, 11/3/07 Amanda Strouse 17:56; Jesse Lord-Wilder 18:55; Katy Cramer 19:24; Jessica Karl 19:40; Samantha Rinkus 19:52 |
| 9. 95:36, Katke Cousins Golf Course, Rochester, 10/08/10 Rachael Steil 18:00, Katy Cramer 18:55, Alina Dhaseleer 19:21, Alicia Boynton 19:35, Samantha Rinkus 19:44 |
| 10. 95:45, Calvin College, 9/19/09 Carly Plank 18:23; Katy Cramer; 18:53; Samantha Rinkus, 19:27; Alina Dhaseleer 19:29; Emily Popma 19:33 |
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