Horizon League Outdoor Track and Field Release #2

April 8, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Youngstown State sophomore thrower Aaron Merrill and Butler senior distance runner Genni Gardner were selected Horizon League men's and women's outdoor track Athletes of the Week. Both athletes hit NCAA regional qualifying marks this past weekend.

Male Athlete of the Week
Aaron Merrill
Youngstown State
So., Leetonia, Ohio
Merrill broke his own school record and hit the NCAA Regional qualifying mark in the shot put over the weekend at the Pepsi Florida Relays. Merrill, who was coming off of a redshirt outdoor season, threw the shot 55 feet, 2.75 inches to finish second among collegiate competitors and third overall. Merrill holds the League's top shot put distance by more than feet feet.

Female Athlete of the Week
Genni Gardner
Butler
Bramley, U.K.
Gardner was the seventh collegian in the top section of the women's 5,000 meter run at the Stanford Invitational. She placed 17th overall in 16:35.42. It was the third-fastest time of her career and topped the NCAA Regional qualifying mark. Gardner's time also placed her among the top 15 in the NCAA in the women's 5,000.

Other Men's Top Performers for the Week
Andy Baker
Butler
Jr., Minehead, U.K.
Baker turned in a NCAA regional-qualifying performance of 13:55.87 in the 5,000-meter run at the Stanford Invitational on Saturday. His time was a lifetme best by more than 40 seconds and moved him into NCAA's top ten in the event. He was the seventh-fastest collegian in his race.

Pat Liederbach
Detroit
Fr., Petoskey, Mich.
Liederbach set a UDM rookie record with a time of 3:58.72 in the 1,500-meter run to finish sixth while competing at the Nikoloff Invitational. The mark was also the sixth-best run on the Detroit all-time list. Liederbach also took 14th in the 800-meter run clocking a time of 1:57.55.

Ben Reifenberg
Loyola
Fr., Fort Wayne, Ind.
Reifenberg recorded a personal-best outdoor time of 3:57.23 in the men's 1,500-meter run at the Duke Invitational, improving his previous time by one second. Reifenberg also competed in the 800-meter run and posted a time 1:58.52.

Tyler Bucholz
Milwaukee
So., Crystal, Minn.
Bucholz won two events over the weekend at the Big Blue Classic. The UWM sophomore ran a personal-best time of 21.39 to win the 200-meter dash. Bucholz also ran on the winning 4x100-meter relay team which clocked a time of 40.87, which was the second-best mark in school history.

Mike Savegnago
UIC
Jr., Winfield, Ill.
Savegnago won his second career Chicagoland Championships decathlon title scoring a career-best 6,204 points this past weekend. He also broke personal-best performances in the 110-meter hurdles (17.00), pole vault (4.75m), and the javelin (37.16m). Savegnago leads the League with the highest decathlon score.

Chris Honig
Valparaiso
Sr., Glen Ellyn, Ill.
Honig finished second in the 1,500-meter run after he posted a time of 3:59.46 on Saturday at the DePauw Invitational. The Valpo senior surpassed the meet record of 3:59.94 in the event.

Other Women's Top Performers for the Week
Amanda Smith
Detroit
Sr., Coopersville, Mich.
Smith earned the top finish on the day for UDM with a fifth-place showing in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:05.43 while competing in the Oliver Nikoloff Invitational.

Jordan Rohlfing
Loyola
Fr., Omaha, Neb.
Rohlfing set personal-records in the women's shot put, discus and javelin over the weekend at the Chicagoland Championships. The freshman from recorded a mark of 36 feet, 1.25 inches in the shot put. She then posted a 73-6 mark in the javelin throw and finished the day by registering a toss of 112-8 in the discus.

Erin Havener
Milwaukee
So., Ashwaubenon, Wis.
Havener set the school record in the pole vault with a height of 12 feet, 1.50 inches this past weekend at the Big Blue Classic. Havener's performance in the event was good enough for third place and surpassed the previous school standard by one inch (Lynda Thiel, 12-0.50, 2003).

Idara Essien
UIC
Sr., Wheaton, Ill.
Essien captured her first event title of the outdoor season by winning the triple jump with a leap of 39 feet, 5.75 inches at the Chicagoland Championships on Saturday. Her mark moved her into first place among League performances in the triple jump.

Melanie Wilson
Valparaiso
Sr., St. Louis, Mo.
Wilson captured event titles in the 100-meter hurdles (14.49), long jump (17 feet, 10.75 inches) and triple jump (35-7.75) this past weekend at the DePauw Invitational. The Valpo senior's time in the 100-meter hurdles broke the school record.

Bethany Anderson
Youngstown State
Sr., Jamestown, N.Y.
Anderson broke her own school record and hit the NCAA Regional standard in the hammer throw at the Pepsi Florida Relays on Friday. Anderson posted a mark of 190 feet, 5 inches to finish fifth at the meet and top her school record from last season by 1.50 feet. According to trackshark.com's national rankings through the end of March, Anderson has the 22nd longest toss in the hammer throw.