Evans, Palkie, Mokaya, Stelten & Litzinger Named Track & Field Athletes of the Week
Liz Palkie
Heidi Evans of North Dakota, Liz Palkie of Minnesota Duluth and Denise Mokaya of Minnesota State have been named the North Central Conference Outdoor Track Athletes of the Week while Laura Stelten of Minnesota State and Matt Litzinger of North Dakota have been named the North Central Conference Outdoor Field Athletes of the Week.
Evans, a senior from Roseau, Minn. won the 1500-meter run in a time of 4:35.90 at the Vance Butler Invitational. It is the fifth fastest time in NCAA Division II competition this season.
Palkie, a junior from Carleton, Minn., won the 1500-meter run at the 23-team Central College Invitational with a time of 4:36.46. Less than 90 minutes later Palkie won the 800-meter run in 2:18.64. She was also a member of the second-place 4x400-meter relay that finished second, only behind Drake, with a 4:00.41 clocking.
Mokaya, a sophomore from Ngong, Kenya, won the 1500-meter run with a time of 3:49.25 at the Vance Butler Invitational. His time was only .23-second off an automatic-qualifying time for the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Stelten, a freshman from Cologne, Minn., won the pole vault with a height of 11-10 as the Mavericks grabbed three of the top six spots. The height is the second highest of the season in NCAA Division II competition with teammate Kaitlin Rains holding the top spot.
Litzinger, a senior from Grand Forks, N.D., took second place with a javelin toss of 69.51 meters and placed second with a distance of 42.25 meters in the hammer throw at the Vance Butler Invitational. His javelin performance is an automatic-qualifying distance for the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Others nominated: Track Male: Austin Vande Berg, Augustana; Terry Liggins, South Dakota; Corey Hehling, North Dakota; John Kallemeyn, Minnesota Duluth. Track Female: Kaycie Merrihew, Minnesota State; Annaliese Pepin, Augustana; Kaylen Harris, Nebraska-Omaha; Shaneaka Parkes, South Dakota. Field Male: Josh Robertson, Minnesota State; Bryan Prairie, Augustana; Jason Beutz, Minnesota Duluth. Field Female: Lindsey Schultz, Augustana; Amanda Kunkel, St. Cloud State; Sarah Fegley, North Dakota; Melissa Smith, Minnesota Duluth.