GREENWOOD, IN – Hanover College’s women’s track and field team has been selected as the front runner to win the 2012 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference indoor championship. The Panthers held off second place Rose-Hulman by seven points, receiving seven first place votes in a poll of the conference’s ten head coaches. 

Rose-Hulman will look to claim their second indoor championship at the meet this February, as the Engineers totaled a second-best 82 points and three first place votes.  Franklin College placed third in the poll with 78 points.  Defiance College finished fourth with 77 points and was followed by Manchester College (65 points), Anderson University (50), College of Mount St. Joseph (45), Earlham College (28), Bluffton University (20), and Transylvania University (16).

Hanover placed third at the indoor championship last winter, but is coming off the school’s first outdoor crown.  The Panthers will look to ride the momentum from outdoors to indoors as HC strives for its first indoor championship.  Seniors Sara Lucas (Avon, Ind./H.S.) and Rachel Moreland (Lawton, Mich./H.S.) return after earning indoor All-HCAC honors last February.  The pair was  a member of HC’s winning distance medley team last year.  Lucas also placed fourth overall in the mile run and third in the 800-meter run, while Moreland earned a fifth place finish in the mile run and a sixth place showing in the 5,000-meters.

Rose-Hulman earned the title as last year’s inaugural indoor championships and will look to repeat in 2012.  The Engineers return the HCAC’s Most Outstanding Field Athlete and Most Outstanding Freshman Athlete this winter.  Liz Evans (Bicknell, Ind./North Knox) earned the title in the high jump and placed fourth overall in the long jump, while Erin Cox (West Harrison, Ind./Franklin Co.) was the top freshman at the meet with first place finishes in the 200-meter dash and 800-meter and 1,600-meter relays.

After a second place finish at last winter’s indoor championships, Franklin College has been selected to place third at the upcoming indoor championships.  The Grizzlies will look to replace the HCAC’s Most Outstanding Track Athlete after losing Heather Waterman to graduation.  Junior Kerri Kinker (Batesville, Ind./H.S.) earned All-HCAC honors last season after placing first in the long jump, while adding a third place showing in the 400-meter dash and a fifth place effort in the triple jump and 200-meter dash.

The 2012 HCAC Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championships are set for Saturday, February 18 at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.

The 2012 women’s indoor track and field season gets in full swing this weekend.

Athletes to Watch