GREENWOOD, IN – Hanover College’s women’s track and field team has been selected to repeat at the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference outdoor championships.  In a poll of the ten HCAC head coaches, the Panthers received 100 total points and all ten first place votes. 

Franklin and Rose-Hulman will look to claim the outdoor championship, as the Grizzlies and Engineers totaled a second-best 83 points.  Manchester College placed fourth in the poll with 65 points.  Anderson University finished fifth with 64 points and was followed by Defiance College (51 points), Bluffton University (39), Earlham College (28), Transylvania University (27), and the College of Mount St. Joseph (10).

Hanover earned its first women’s track and field championship last spring at the HCAC outdoor championships.  The Panthers also placed first at the HCAC indoor championships in February, holding off Rose-Hulman by a single point.  Hanover returns the HCAC Freshman of the Year from this year’s indoor season.  Briahna Chambers (Bell, Tex./Ellison) earned a second place finish in the long jump, a fourth place finish in the 60-meter dash, and a fifth place finish in the 200-meter dash in February.

Rose-Hulman placed fifth at the 2011 HCAC outdoor championships, but finished second at the women’s indoor championship this February.  Junior Liz Evans (Bicknell, Ind./North Knox) was named the HCAC’s Most Outstanding Field Athlete last spring and this winter after earning the title in the high jump, long jump, and triple jump.  Evans went on to win her third national championship in the women’s high jump at the NCAA Indoor Championships over the weekend, clearing 5’ 10.5”.  RHIT’s Creasy Clauser (Crawfordsville, Ind./Southmont) was also honored by the conference at the indoor meet, earning the conference title in the 400-meter dash and 800-meter run.

After a third place finish at last spring’s outdoor championships, Franklin College has been selected to place second at the upcoming outdoor championships.  The Grizzlies placed third overall at the indoor championships and will look for similar results at the outdoor meet in April.  Freshman Hillary Cain (Rushville, Ind./H.S.) earned All-HCAC recognition and was named Co-Freshman of the Year for her efforts in the 5,000-meter run in February.

The 2012 HCAC Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships are set for Friday, April 27 and Saturday, April 28 at Franklin College.

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

Athletes to Watch