MANKATO, MN – The NSIC Track & Field Championships concluded today with the Women's team finishing in 3^rd place amid many All-Conference performances.
 
USF tallied 12 All-Conferences performances by 11 different Cougars as both teams finished in the top half of the standings. The Men finished in 5^th with 66.5 points while the Women took 3^rd with 98.5 points.

The Women's team claimed the highest finish in program history at the NSIC Championships since joining Division II a dozen years ago. The feat was made possible a large pool of scoring Cougars led by All-Conference student-athletes Emily Swanson and Khot Juac who scored highly in multiple events.
 
Head Coach Eric Chilson on the NSIC Championships: "Our Men's and Women's squads truly showed up when it mattered. We performed to the best of our abilities and the results are reflected in the team scores. I'm incredibly proud of our student-athletes and staff for their dedication and effort put into building this team."
 
Breakdown of the Cougars NSIC Championships outing by scoring student-athletes:

-Emily Swanson scored in 3 events with a 7^th place finish & Personal Record in the 100m Hurdles, 2^nd place finish and school record in the Heptathlon (5264 points), and 5^th in the High Jump. She earned All-Conference honors for her finish in the Heptathlon. Swanson also broke her own school record in the 100m Hurdles (set last week) with a 13.94 second finish.

-Khot Juac took second in 2 events; the 5,000m and 1,500m, earning her All-Conference honors.

-Tamia Horton set a PR in the 100m as she earned All-Conference honors with a 3^rd place finish. During the 100m prelims she set the school record with a 11.46 second finish.

-Micade Shumway was the first Cougar to claim All-Conference honors as he took 3^rd in the 10,000m.

-Tyler Hiatt continued to be unstoppable in the Shot Put as he claimed yet another title and All-Conference honors. He also took second in the Discus Throw.

-Samuel Olson tied for 3^rd in the Pole Vault to add another All-Conference honoree for the Cougars. The 4.47m jump was also a PR.

-Abbi Webb went 1.68m in the High Jump to take 3^rd and earn All-Conference honors.

-Olivia Baumberger added another event title for USF with her clear victory in the Javelin Throw. She finished nearly 2 meters ahead of second place as she claimed All-Conference honors.

-In the Javelin Throw was Kami Wadsworth who took 3^rd place and All-Conference honors. She also took 8^th in the Discus Throw and 5^th in the Shot Put.

-Caleb Rivera took home All-Conference honors for his 2^nd place finish in the 1,500m.

-Ben Mandel scored with his 8^th place finish in the 110m Hurdles.

-Denver Decker earned the Cougars 3 points with a 6^th place finish in the 400m Hurdles. He also landed a PR in the Javelin Throw at 57.36m and secured 4^th place.

-Annika Aho set a PR and scored with her 5^th place finish in the 800m in a time of 2:12.74.

-Morgan Gehl also scored for the Coo in the 1,500m with her 4^th place finish.

-Micade Shumway hit a PR in the 5000m at 14:57.50 to take 7^th.

-In the 10,000m, Ella Kolb took 7^th with a PR time of 39:48.82.

-Chase Snyder nearly cracked 50 meters in the Discus Throw. His 49.98m toss secured 4^th place. He also placed 4^th in the Shot Put with another PR, this time at 16.41m.

-Kamry Lindsey took 4^th in the Discus Throw.

-Dani Minsaas placed 4^th in the High Jump.

-In the Women's Pole Vault McKenna Comstock took 4^th and Peyton Hanson took 8^th.

-Kayla Van Osdel placed 4^th in the Shot Put.

-The Women's 4x100 team placed 5^th.

-The Men's 4x400 team finished 7^th.
 
The Cougars will now await word on which student-athletes will be moving on to the National Championship stage. Stay tuned to USFCougars.com and the USF Track & Field social media pages for updates on that!