St. Thomas Dynasty Reaches 25th Year

The St. Thomas men's team's hold on the MIAC indoor track and field title has now reached the quarter-century mark. After winning the 2009 title over the weekend, the Tommie men have now won each and every one of the 25 MIAC indoor titles contested.

The St.Thomas women, winners as well this weekend, won their 22nd MIAC indoor title. Concordia College's wins in 1988, 1998, and 1999 are the only blemishes in the women's programs' own sterling run at the meet.

Men's Meet ... The Tommie men won this year's meet with178.5 points. Hamline University finished second with 111 points followed by Bethel with 98 and St. Olaf with 90.5.

Individual highlights for the men included St. Thomas' Joe DeFrance winning the 200 dash in a meet-record time of 21.96, St. Thomas's Brian Sames winning both the 800 and 1000, Carleton's Charlie Gamble sweeping the 3,000 and 5,000, Gustavus' Tyler Geyen breaking the meet record in the 55 hurdles with a time of 7.59, and Saint John's Eric Buss automatically qualified for the NCAA Championships with a leap of 48-1 1/4.

The St. Thomas men won both the 800 and 4x400 Relays; St. Olaf won the DMR.

Women's Meet ... The St. Thomas women won their 10th consecutive team title with a 161 points. Gustavus finished second with 107.3, Saint Benedict's scored 97.3, Bethel's tallied 79.3, and hosts Concordia finished fifth with 77.5.

St. Thomas' Nikki Arola won both the 55 and 200 meter dash, Bethel's Marie Borner won both the 600 and mile run, Carleton freshman Simone Childs-Walker swept the 3,000 and the 5,000, winning the latter in a meet record time of 17:15.31, and Gustavus' Kaelene Lundstrum won the pentathlon and the high jump, both in meet records.

Bethel also won the 800 Relay and DMR, St. Thomas won the 4x400 Relay with a meet record time of 3:56.85.