Carthage College Athletics

The Carthage College women’s track and field team (22-13) played host to the 2009 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championship at Art Keller Field in Kenosha, Wis., and the Lady Reds finished fifth. Illinois Wesleyan University won it first-ever outdoor title with 227 points, followed by North Central (Ill.) College second at 149, Wheaton College (Ill.) third at 135, Augustana College (Ill.) fourth at 121, Carthage fifth at 117, Millikin University sixth at 33, Elmhurst College seventh at 19 and North Park University eighth with 16 points.

Carthage’s Christine Nelson (Fr., Rock City, Ill./Dakota) won the heptathlon (3,958 points) at the 2009 CCIW Outdoor Track and Field Championship, and Heather Gilmore (So., Des Moines, Iowa/Pleasant Hill-Southeast Polk) won the 100-meter high hurdles (14.45). Shacuána Gaines (So., Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township) finished second in the triple jump (36-9 ½). Mindy Harrington (So., Spring Grove, Ill./Richmond-Burton) tied for second in the shot put (41-7 ¼). Julie Rendino (Sr., McHenry, Ill./East) finished third in the hammer throw (150-9), as did Ashura Jenkins (So., Aurora, Ill./Christian) in the 100-meter dash (12.33).

Carthage College had one qualifier for the NCAA Division III Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championship. Heather Gilmore qualified for the women’s championship in the 100-meter high hurdles. This year’s championship was conducted on Thursday-Saturday, May 21-23 at Marietta College’s Don Drumm Stadium in Marietta, Ohio. Gilmore did not reach the finals in the event.

Carthage (61-12 indoor record) finished third at the 2009 CCIW Indoor Track and Field Championship at the Illinois Wesleyan University Shirk Center in Bloomington, Ill. Illinois Wesleyan won its second-consecutive CCIW indoor title and second overall with 202 points, followed by North Central (Ill.) College second at 176, Carthage third at 103, Augustana College (Ill.) fourth at 86, Wheaton College (Ill.) fifth at 49, Millikin University sixth at 23, Elmhurst College seventh at 13 and North Park University eighth with 11 points.

Carthage’s Morgan Wiechmann (Fr., Sleepy Hollow, Ill./Carpentersville—Dundee-Crown) finished second in the 3,000-meter run (10:30.36) at the 2009 CCIW Indoor Track and Field Championship, while finishing fourth in the one-mile run (5:10.70). Ashley Johnson (Sr., Romeoville, Ill.) finished second in the 800-meter run (2:18.32), as did Julie Rendino (Sr., McHenry, Ill./East) in the shot put (42-2 ¼). Stephanie Moy (So., Des Plaines, Ill./Maine West) finished third in the pentathlon (2,892 points). Ashura Jenkins (So., Aurora, Ill./Christian) was fourth in the 55-meter dash (7.40), as was Shacuána Gaines (So., Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township) in the triple jump (35-3 ¼), Mindy Harrington (So., Spring Grove, Ill./Richmond-Burton) in the shot put (41-3) and Sarah Thompson (Fr., Byron, Ill.) in the pentathlon (2,836 points).