Franklin Chosen as HCAC Women’s Track & Field Favorite

GREENWOOD, IN – Franklin College’s women’s track and field team has been selected as the front runner to win the 2010 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference championship. The Grizzlies held off second place Rose-Hulman by eight points, receiving three more first place votes than the Engineers in a poll of the conference’s nine head coaches. 

Rose-Hulman will look to claim its first HCAC championship at the meet this spring, as Rose totaled a second-best 67 points and two first place votes.  The College of Mount St. Joseph placed third in the poll with 65 points and the final two first place votes.  Defiance College finished fourth with 52 points and was followed by defending champion Manchester College (50 points), Hanover College (36), Anderson University (33), Transylvania University (17), and Bluffton University (10).

Franklin fell just short of its first women’s track and field championship last spring, finishing three points behind conference champion Manchester.  The Grizzlies placed three on the All-HCAC squad, including the HCAC’s Most Outstanding Track Athlete Heather Waterman (Shelbyville, Ind./Morristown).  Waterman won the 800, 1,500, and 5,000 meter runs at the championship, and was the only female athlete to win three events at the meet.  Kristi Brown (Greenwood, Ind./Muncie South) and Shannon Egold (Cloverdale, Ind./South Putnam) also return this spring after earning All-HCAC honors a year ago.

Rose-Hulman placed third at the 2009 HCAC championships and return key athletes from that squad.  Senior Melissa Rogers (Crawfordsville, Ind./Southmont) placed second in the 1,500 meters and fifth in the 5,000 meters to pace the Engineers.  Senior Rebecca Fehribach (Columbus, Ohio/Hilliard Darby) was the top field performer for Rose, placing second in the discus. Freshman Liz Evans (Bicknell, Ind./North Knox) joins the squad after earning All-American status with a second place finish in the high jump at the indoor nationals last weekend.

Four athletes from the All-HCAC squad return to help Mount St. Joseph try for its first HCAC track and field title.  The Lions finished sixth at the championship meet a year ago and look to improve on their standing at their home track this year.  Sophomore Lauren Hastings (Okeana, Ohio/Ross) won the long jump and placed third in the triple jump a year ago.  Hastings teamed with Abby Modras (Dayton, Ohio/Northridge), Kristin George (Dayton, Ohio/Northmont), and Emily Babel (Cincinnati, Ohio/McAuley) to claim the top spot in the 4 X 100 meter relay.

The 2010 HCAC Women’s Track and Field Championships are set for Friday, April 30 and Saturday, May 1.  The event will be hosted by the College of Mount St. Joseph.

The 2010 women’s outdoor track and field season is set to begin on March 20.

Athletes to Watch