Belling and Dilling Named Outstanding Athletes While Clay and Schuck Honored As Coaches
Molly Belling of Nebraska-Omaha and Jim Dilling of Minnesota State have been named the Outstanding Athletes for their efforts at the North Central Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships held May 11-12 in Duluth, Minn. Dick Clay of North Dakota and Mark Schuck of Minnesota State have been named the North Central Conference Outdoor Track and Field Coaches of the Year. The award is voted on by the league's coaches. It is the second consecutive year that Belling, only a sophomore, has recieved the honor.
Belling, a sophomore from Omaha, Neb, won the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes with times of :11.49 and :23.64, respectively. The time in the 100-meter race set a new NCC record which compliments the 200-meter record that Belling set in the 2006 championships. She was also a member of the first-place 4x100 relay teams for the fourth-place Mavericks. Belling has now swept the 100 and 200 in each of her first two seasons.
Dilling, a senior from Fond du Lac, Wis., won the high jump for the fourth consecutive year and set a new NCC meet record when he cleared 7-1 3/4 to cap his stellar NCC career. Dilling's mark is the top mark in NCAA Division II competition this year, beat the second-place finisher at the meet by over nine inches and was the highest jump since 1998 when Marc Sondreal of North Dakota State tied the existing NCC mark of 7-1 1/2 that had been set by Minnesota State's Lester Mitchell in 1992. Dilling also won the long jump at the championships with a mark of 22-2 1/2.
Clay guided the North Dakota women's track & field team to a second-place finish at the recent NCC Outdoor Track and Field Championships as the Fighting Sioux accumulated 142.5 points, 27 points behind champion South Dakota. UND captures individual titles in the 1500 (Heidi Evans) and 10,000 (Kristy Keithley) at the championships. It is the second time that Clay, in his 21st year at UND, has been honored as the NCC Outdoor Track & Field Coach of the Year with his first nod coming in 1988. He has also been honored as the NCC Cross Country Coach of the Year on three occasions and the NCC Indoor Track & Field Coach of the Year in 2000.
Schuck guided the Minnesota State men's team to the North
Central Conference championship with a 233-217.5 edge of
second-place South Dakota, completing the indoor-outdoor sweep for
the year. It is the first time that Schuck, a two-time indoor and
three-time cross country honoree, has been named the Outdoor Track
& Field Coach of the Year. The Mavericks took championships in
10,000 (Jeff Stuckenbroker), 3000 Steeplechase (Dan Ristau), 4x400
Relay, High Jump (Jim Dilling), Pole Vault (Nick Wilson), Long Jump
(Jim Dilling) and Triple Jump (Melvin Matlock).