ST. LOUIS -- The William Woods University women's track and field team was named the 2023 American Midwest Conference outdoor track and field champion by a landslide.
The Owls tallied 215.5 points -- over 80 more than second-place Columbia College. The team walked away with three NAIA Standards, the AMC Outstanding Field Athlete of the Year, the Coaching Staff of the Year, five event wins, 16 top three-finishes, 19 all-AMC recipients and 51 top-10 finishes.
Senior Katie French was tabbed the AMC Outstanding Field Athlete of the Year with event wins in all three she competed in.
The coaching staff, comprised of Dan Schwab, Ryan Bontz and Austin Bestgen, was named the 2023 AMC Coaching Staff of the Year.
The Owls had 19 all-AMC recipients, with five earning first-team all-AMC, 10 earning second-team all-AMC and four making third-team all-AMC.
All-AMC honors are awarded based on the finish at the conference championship.
First place earns first-team all-AMC, second place earns second-team all-AMC and third place earns third-team all-AMC.
First-team all-AMC
- Alicia Engelbrecht -- 5,000-meter run.
- French -- shot put, hammer throw and discus.
- Mekayla Gibson -- 10,000 run.
Second-team all-AMC
- Myra Baker -- 4x800 relay.
- Emma Clifford -- 4x800 relay.
- Ellie Emerson -- javelin.
- Gibson -- 4x800 relay.
- Mary Grover -- 10,000 run.
- Nia Hawkins -- 100 dash.
- Harley Nale -- 1,500 run and 4x800 relay.
- Trinity Thomas -- long jump and triple jump.
Third-team all-AMC
- Grover -- 5,000 run.
- Heather Harbison -- pole vault.
- Nale -- 3,000 steeplechase.
- Crystal Ruden -- high jump.
Up next
The Owls send five to the NAIA National Championships in four events starting May 24. Emerson, Natalie Thomas, Ellie Dimond and Nale compete on May 24, and French competes on May 25-26.
WWU results
100 dash (semifinals): Hawkins placed eight (13.27 seconds).
100 dash (finals): Hawkins finished second (13.15).
100 hurdles: Gracie Wallgren took ninth (personal record of 20.77).
200 dash (semifinals): Trinity Thomas placed fifth (PR of 27.00) and Hawkins sixth (PR of 27.04).
200 dash (finals): Trinity Thomas finished fifth (27.40) and Hawkins sixth (27.58).
400 dash: Baker took eighth (PR of 1:04.04), Emma Clifford 12th (1:07.11) and Lauren Imler 15th (1:09.68).
400 hurdles: Wallgren placed sixth (1:15.58).
800 run: Nale finished fourth (2:28.21), Baker sixth (2:33.51) and Emma Clifford 14th (2:45.88).
1,500 run: Nale took second (5:04.40), Gibson fourth (PR of 5:09.57), Ruden sixth (PR of 5:13.39) and Hailey Gerard seventh (PR of 5:15.10).
3,000 steeplechase: Nale placed third (11:44.99).
5,000 run: Engelbrecht finished first (PR, third in the WWU record book at 18:32.31), Grover third (PR of 19:41.77), Gerard fifth (PR of 19:47.26), Gibson sixth (19:57.50), Tara Lowe 10th (20:41.45) and Kyah Weirich 12th (22:16.13).
10,000 run: Gibson took first (40:42.23), Grover second (PR of 40:54.27), Lowe fifth (43:03.03) and Mikaela Lemelin ninth (PR of 47:31.64).
4x100 relay: The team of Trinity Thomas, Heidi Baranuskas, Wallgren and Hawkins placed fifth (52.52).
4x400 relay: The team of Wallgren, Hawkins, Emma Clifford and Baker finished sixth (4:28.80).
4x800 relay: The team of Emma Clifford, Gibson, Nale and Baker took second (third in the WWU record book at 10:05.32).
Long jump: Trinity Thomas placed second (PR, third in the WWU record book at 17 feet, 2.69 inches), Hawkins fourth (16-08) and Baranauskas ninth (15-08.58).
Triple jump: Trinity Thomas finished second (PR, fourth in the WWU record book at 35-08.74), Hawkins fourth (34-08.14) and Baranauskas seventh (PR of 33-07.94).
High jump: Ruden took third (4-11.06), Hawkins eighth (4-05.15), Emma Clifford ninth (4-07.12) and Imler 10th (4-01.21).
Pole vault: Harbison tied for third (8-04.39) and Ashley Strode sixth (8-04.39).
Shot put: French finished first (44-10.58), Allison Kenneavy fifth (37-09.54) and Emerson sixth (PR of 35-01.65).
Hammer throw: French placed first (157-00.25) and Kenneavy eighth (104-02.79).
Discus: French took first (NAIA B Standard at 141-01.7), Kenneavy sixth (102-06.71) and Emerson eighth (PR of 95-01.73).
Javelin: Natalie Thomas finished first (NAIA A Standard at 138-08.17), Emerson second (NAIA A Standard, PR, second in WWU record book at 134-10.11), Lexi Clifford eighth (98-11.01) and Emma Clifford 11th (85-01.65).
Courtesy of WWU Athletics. (Contributed Photo)
Courtesy of WWU Athletics. (Contributed Photo)