Illinois Wesleyan Track and Field Stories 2007

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June 8
Illinois Wesleyan’s Rachel Anderson, a nine-time track All-American, has been elected to the first team of the all-District V academic women’s track and field squad and will join representatives of seven other districts on the ESPN: The Magazine Academic All-America national ballot. Anderson has a 3.76 grade-point average as a business major, is an academic all-College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin selection, is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and serves as an ambassador for the IWU Admissions Office. She was the national NCAA Division III indoor 400 champion in 2006 and 2007 and was also the national outdoor 400 champion. In this spring’s outdoor meet, she was second in the 400 and sixth in 200. She ran on the second place 1,600 relay team in the 2007 NCAA indoor meet after her 1,600 relay team placed eighth indoors in 2006.

June 4
For the second straight season, Rachel Anderson and Matt Harden have been named "Most Valuable Performers" for the Illinois Wesleyan women's and men's track teams, respectively. Anderson was the national indoor champion in the 400-meter dash and finished second in the outdoor 400 at the NCAA Division III championships. At the NCAA outdoor meet, Harden finished second in the 200 with a time of 21.44 seconds and was third in the 400 with a clocking of 47.02 seconds. In other team honors, Amanda LaRocca and Mike Nicoletti were chosen as their respective squad's "Hardest Workers" while Mackenzie Clemens and Mike Smith were the "Best Newcomers" for the women and men, respectively. Harden, Azizuddin Rose and Lane Coonrod will be co-captains for the 2008 men's team while Anderson, Brooke Halcott and Mary Ellen Barron will be the women's captains. Segun Olopo was an indoor All-American as he placed seventh in the 55 and junior Cortney Walrath tied for sixth in the women's outdoor pole vault, earning her All-American status.

May 26
Illinois Wesleyan junior Matt Harden finished second in the 200 and third in the 400 and junior Rachel Anderson finished second in the 400 and sixth in the 200 at the NCAA Division III outdoor track and field championships in Oshkosh, Wis., on Saturday, May 26. The IWU men's team finished tied for 18th in the national meet with 16 points and the women amassed 13 points to finish tied for 19th. Wisconsin-Oshkosh won the men's title with 99 points and the women's with 57. Harden ran his 200 in 21.44 seconds, behind only Willie Hordge of Buffalo State at 21.15 seconds, and had a time of 47.02 seconds in the 400. Anderson, the defending 400 indoor and outdoor champion, had a 54.80 time, just losing to Amanda Donath of UW-Oshkosh at 54.68. Anderson's 200 time was 25.25 seconds. Junior Segun Olopo was ninth in the 100 with a time of 11.05 seconds and he and Harden teamed with Mike Conti and Azizuddin Rose to place seventh in the 4x100 relay. In another final contested on Saturday, freshman Chinny Ekwulugo failed to qualify for the finals of the women's triple jump with her distance of 37 feet-3 inches.

May 25
Illinois Wesleyan junior Rachel Anderson took a huge step in defending her national outdoor 400 championship by running a field record 54.64 seconds to qualify for the finals on Saturday. On Friday (May 25) at the NCAA Division III championships in Oshkosh, Wis., Anderson broke the J.J. Keller Field record of 55.45, set in 2006 by Nadine Pieske of UW-Oshkosh. Anderson's mark is also an IWU outdoor record. In a Friday final event, junior Cortney Walrath finished tied for sixth in the pole vault at a height of 11 feet 10 1/2 inches, earning her All-American status. Other Titans qualifying on Friday for the finals were junior Matt Harden in the 400 and junior Segun Olopo in the 100. Harden posted the sixth best time in the 400 at 47.68 seconds while Olopo had the ninth best time of 10.76 in the 100 and was the final qualifier for Saturday's final.

May 24
Illinois Wesleyan juniors Matt Harden and Rachel Anderson both qualified for the finals of the 200 meter dash on day one of the NCAA Division III outdoor track and field championships May 24 at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Harden posted a time of 21.07 seconds in the men's 200 and Anderson was clocked at 24.20 in the women's trials. Harden, Segun Olopo, Mike Conti and Azizuddin Rose also qualified for the 4x100 relay team with a time of 41.37 seconds. The IWU 4x400 relay teams for both men and women failed to qualify for the finals as did the women's 4x100 relay team. The women's pole vault, with Cortney Walrath from IWU as a participant, was postponed until Saturday due to south/southwest winds gusting upwards of 51 miles per hour across J.J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium. Competition continues Friday and Saturday, May 25-26.

May 21
Thirteen Illinois Wesleyan athletes are among the qualifiers for the national NCAA Division III outdoor track and field championships May 24-26 at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Juniors Rachel Anderson (200, 400) and Cortney Walrath (pole vault) and freshman Chinny Ekwulugo (triple jump) will compete in individual events for the women, while juniors Segun Olopo (100) and Matt Harden (200, 400) are IWU’s male entrants in individual events. Anderson will also run on two relay teams in the NCAA meet. She teams with senior Krystal Jenkins and freshmen Amanda LaRocca and Ali McCoy in the 400-meter relay. Anderson, McCoy, freshman Mackenzie Clemens and junior Brooke Halcott comprise the 1600-meter relay team that has the nation’s seventh top time of 3:50.74 heading into the national meet. Olopo and Harden will run in two relays, pairing with sophomore Mile Conti and junior Azizuddin Rose in the 400-meter relay and teaming with Rose and senior Mike Nicoletti in the 1600 relay.

May 4-5
The Illinois Wesleyan women's team finished fourth and the men's team finished fifth in the 2007 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin outdoor track and field championships, held on May 4-5 in Naperville. The women finished with 123.50 points as North Central won with 207.50 points. Rachel Anderson was a double individual winner in the 200 and 400 and was on the first place 4x400 relay team. Ali McCoy finished second in the 100, the 4x100 relay team placed second, while Megan Byrne was third in the 5000 and Emily Hagen tied for third in the high jump.
The men had 55.50 points as North Central won with 276.50. Matt Harden, who was named CCIW "Male Athlete of the Year," won the 400 in a conference record time of 47.66 seconds, Segun Olopo won the 100 and the 4x400 relay team placed first with a school and conference meet record time (3:14.61) and also qualified for the NCAA meet. Elias Washington got third in the high jump and Mike Smith earned a fifth place finish in the discus.
On day one, Chinny Ekwulugo placed second in the triple jump with a leap of 36 feet, 7 inches to lead IWU to 28.5 points. Cortney Walrath earned five points for IWU by placing fourth in the pole vault with a height of 11-6½. Julia Varsamis also got a fourth place finish in the javelin (121-10). Lane Coonrod and Jon Blome earned three points apiece with sixth-place finishes in the 3000-meter steeplechase and pole vault, respectively.

April 28
Illinois Wesleyan male and female competitors in the Illinois State University Invitational on Saturday, April 28, turned in a number of NCAA automatic and provisional qualifying times. Segun Olopo finished first in a school record 10.56 in the 100 (automatic qualifier) and Matt Harden had a school record in the 400 at 47.47 seconds (currently second on the NCAA list). Lane Coonrod also finished first in the 3000 steeplechase. For the women, freshmen Ali McCoy (100) and Chinny Ekwulugo (triple jump) won their events in NCAA provisional qualifying marks while Rachel Anderson's first in the 400 is an automatic qualifier. The men's 4x100 and 4x00 and the women's 4x400 relay teams also ran times that provisionally qualify them for the NCAA national meet.

April 21
The Illinois Wesleyan men's and women's track teams both got first place at the seven-team IWU Keck Ecumenical meet in Bloomington on Sat., April 21. The men amassed 165.5 points and got first place finishes from Segun Olopo (100), Matt Harden (200, 400), Lane Coonrod (steeplechase), Jon Blome (pole vault), Andrew Burton (long jump), and Mike Smith (discus) along with the 4x100 relay team. The women, who had 280 points, won both the 4x100 and 4x400 relays and 10 individual first place finishes from Cortney Walrath (pole vault), Krystal Jenkins (100 and long jump), Rachel Anderson (200), Brooke Halcott (400), Mackenzie Clemens (800), Amanda LaRocca (100 hurdles), Emily Willenbring (steeplechase), Chinny Ekwulugo (triple jump) and Julia Varsamis (javelin). IWU participates next in the Illinois State Redbird Classic on Sat., April 28.
April 12
The Illinois Wesleyan women's track team finished second and the men's team placed fifth of seven at the Washington U. Quad, held in St. Louis on Thurs., April 12. The women amassed 138 points, just behind Washington U. with 141, and had four first place finishers: Rachel Anderson (200), Emily Hagen (high jump), Cortney Walrath (pole vault), and Chiny Ekwulugo (triple jump). The 4x400 relay team, Megan Byrne (5000), and Julia Varsamis (javelin) all collected second place finishes. The Titan men's team had 83 points led by first place finishes from Matt Harden in the 400, Lane Coonrod in the 3000 steeplechase, and Jon Blome in the pole vault. Segun Olopo got second in the 200 and the 4x400 team also got second in the meet, which was won by Washington U. with 162 points.

April 7
Illinois Wesleyan freshman Chinny Ekwulugo was an individual winner and both the men's and women's 4x400 relay teams won at the Cougar Classic on Saturday, April 7 in Edwardsville, Ill. Ekwulugo won the triple jump with a distance of 35 feet, 10 1/2 inches. The men's 4x400 relay won with their time of 3:21.95 while the women took first in a run of 4:01.84. Other high finishers for the Titans at the non-scored meet included Elias Washington (second in the high jump), Jon Blome (fourth, pole vault), Lane Coonrod (fourth, 5000 run) and Mackenzie Clemens (third in the 800 with a time of 2:22.76). IWU competes next in the Washington U. quadrangular in St. Louis on April 13.
March 24
The Illinois Wesleyan women's track team finished first of 19 teams and the men's squad was 11th of 23 at the Emory University Invitational, held March 24 in Atlanta, Ga. Getting first place finishes for the women, who scored 134 points, were freshman Amanda LaRocca (double winner in 100 and 100 hurdles), freshman Ali McCoy (200), junior Rachel Anderson (400), freshman Chinny Ekwulugo (triple jump), sophomore Cara Downs (discus) and junior Julia Varsamis (weight throw). The women's 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams also won. Jon Blome got second in the men's pole vault and Segun Olopo got third in the 100. The 4x100 relay team got second and the 4x400 squad got sixth for the men, who amassed 31 points. The host school, Emory, won the men's title with 122 points.
March 10
Junior Rachel Anderson defended her title by winning the 400 at the national NCAA Division III indoor track and field championships on Sat., March 10 at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Ind. Anderson ran a time of 55.46 seconds in taking first place and helping the IWU women’s team to an overall 10th place finish in the national meet. Anderson also teamed with Brooke Halcott, Mackenzie Clemens and Ali McCoy on the 4x400 relay team that finished second with a time of 3:52.21. For the men, Segun Olopo placed seventh in the 55 meter dash with a time of 6.47 seconds and ran with Matt Harden, Mike Nicoletti and Nick Burge on the 4x400 relay team that placed ninth with a time of 3:21.10. In action on March 9, Cortney Walrath placed 13th with a height of 11 feet 7 3/4 inches in the pole vault and Clemens narrowly missed earning a spot in the women's 800 meter run. Harden did not finish in his effort to qualify for the men's 400.
March 9
Illinois Wesleyan's Rachel Anderson (in the 400) and Segun Olopo (in the 55) have advanced to the finals of their events at the NCAA Division III track and field championships on Fri., March 9 at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Ind. Anderson, the defending national indoor champion in the 400, turned in the second fastest qualifying time (55.92 seconds) to earn a spot in Saturday's final while Olopo's time of 6.43 seconds made him the seventh qualifier for the finals. Cortney Walrath finished 13th in the pole vault with a height of 11 feet 7 3/4 inches and freshman Mackenzie Clemens narrowly missed earning a spot in the women's 800 meter run. Junior Matt Harden did not finish in his effort to qualify for the men's 400.
March 9
Illinois Wesleyan junior Matt Harden has been chosen as Midwest region men's indoor track “Athlete of the Year,” the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announced on Thursday, March 8. Harden won the 400 meters and set a meet record of 48.69 seconds at the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin championships, making him the fourth-fastest Division III performer this season. He is competing in the 400 and also running a leg on the 4x400 relay team at this weekend's NCAA Division III men's and women's indoor track and field championships at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Ind. Men's and women's coaches, track athletes and field athletes were honored in eight regions around the country.
March 5
Nine Illinois Wesleyan student-athletes will be participating in the NCAA Division III indoor track championships this weekend at Rose-Hulman in Terre Haute, Ind., including three women and two men in individual events. The IWU women’s team finished fourth in the 2006 national meet and has juniors Rachel Anderson (400) and Cortney Walrath (pole vault) and freshman Mackenzie Clemens (800) in the meet this year. In addition, the women’s 4x400 relay team, consisting of Anderson, Clemens, junior Brooke Halcott and freshman Ali McCoy has also qualified. Juniors Segun Olopo (55) and Matt Harden (400) are among the male entrants, along with the men’s 4x400 relay team with Olopo, Harden, junior Azizuddin Rose and senior Mike Nicoletti.
February 24
The Illinois Wesleyan women's team finished second and the men's team finished fourth in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin indoor track championships, held at the Shirk Center on Sat., Feb. 24. The women scored 149 points, behind only North Central (202), while the men amassed 78 points. North Central also won the men's meet with 197.83 points and has won every indoor CCIW team title since 2001. Rachel Anderson got first in the 200 with an NCAA automatic qualifying time of 25.10 seconds and won the 400 in 57.03 seconds (provisional qualifier). The women's 4x200 and 4x400 relay teams also got first while freshman Mackenzie Clemens got second in the 800 and Krystal Jenkins got second in the 55. For the men, Segun Olopo got first in both the 55 (6.35 seconds, automatic NCAA time) and the 200 (22.12) while Matt Harden won the 400 (48.69, CCIW record) and got second in the 55. The 4x200 finished first and Jon Blome got second in the pole vault at 15 feet, 1/4 inch.
February 16
The Illinois Wesleyan men's and women's track teams turned in impressive performances at the Hoosier Hills Invitational, held Feb. 16 at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind. In the unscored meet against many Division I competitors, Segun Olopo got fourth place in the 60, Matt Harden placed third in the 400 (in 49.41 seconds), and Jon Blome got an eighth place finish in the pole vault (4.62m). For the women, freshman Mackenzie Clemens got second in the 800 (2:15.08), junior Rachel Anderson placed third in the 400 (55.74), Cortney Walrath got fourth in the pole vault, Krystal Jenkins jumped to a sixth place finish in the long jump and the women's 4x400 relay team placed fifth.

February 3
The Illinois Wesleyan women's track team finished first of 13 squads and the men's team placed fourth of 16 at the Titan Open on Sat., Feb. 3 at the Shirk Center. Individual winners for the women, who scored 114 points, were freshman Ali McCoy (200), junior Rachel Anderson (400 in an automatic qualifying time) and freshman Chinny Ekwulugo (triple jump) along with the 4x400 relay team. The men, who scored 42 total points, also got a win from the undefeated in 2007 4x400 relay team (in a school record time) along with a multiple win day for junior Matt Harden, who took both the 200 and 400 meter dash events. Harden's 400 was a school record and NCAA provisonal qualifying time.
January 27
The Illinois Wesleyan women's track team placed second (of seven) and the men's team was sixth at the Midwest Invitational, held in Monmouth, Ill. on Sat., Jan. 27. The Titan women scored 122.33 points, behind first place Wartburg's 223, while the men tallied 42 points as Augustana won with 194. Matt Harden was the lone IWU individual winner, taking the 55 in 6.36 seconds, and the men's and women's 4x400 relay teams were both winners. For the women, winners were senior Megan Byrne in the 5000, freshman Emily Hagen in the high jump, and freshman Chinny Ekwulugo in the triple jump.The Titans will host a home meet at the Shirk Center beginning at 10 a.m. next Sat., Feb. 3.

January 20
The Illinois Wesleyan women's team placed first and the men's team finished third in the five-team U. of Chicago indoor track invitatonal on Sat., Jan. 20. The women amassed 125 points to best second place Valparaiso (109). First place finishers for IWU were Rachel Anderson (200), Brooke Halcott (400), Emily Hagen (high jump), Krystal Jenkins (long jump) and Cortney Walrath (pole vault), along with the 4x400 relay. The men's 4x400 relay team also finished first along with Jon Blome (pole vault), Matt Harden (400) and Azizuddin Rose (200). TheTitan men scored 80 points while first place Augustana had 163.

January 13
The Illinois Wesleyan men's and women's track teams both finished first in the five-team IWU Relays, held at the Shirk Center on Sat., Jan. 13. The Titan men amassed 174 points and topped second place Olivet Nazarene (167) while the women's team racked up 229 points to top No. 2 Augustana (173). Male winners were Segun Olopo (55), Azizuddin Rose (200), Matt Harden (400), Jon Blome (pole vault), Aaron Massey (triple jump), and Mike Smith (shot put). Women winners were Chinny Ekwulugo (triple jump), Emily Hagen (high jump), Mackenzie Clemens (600), Rachel Anderson (400), Ali McCoy (300) and Krystal Jenkins (55).
October 10
Illinois Wesleyan University track and field coach Chris Schumacher  is one of five who will be inducted inducted into the University of LaCrosse's Wall of Fame during Homecoming weekend Oct. 21-22.
Schumacher will join two other track stars from the late '80s and early '90s - David Coates, Jr., (1991-94) and Bill Schroeder (1990-93) - and three-sport letter winner Fritz Pongratz (1958-61), along with Wis.-LaCrosse swim coach Rich Pein, who has headed swim teams from 1979-87 and 1990 to the present.
The Wall of Fame pays tribute to former athletes and coaches for their exceptional ability and enhancement of school tradition. This year's inductees will be honored during a brunch at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 22, in the Cleary Alumni & Friends Center.
Schumacher excelled in football and track and field for the Eagles from 1987-90, earning letters in both sports all four years. In football, he helped the team earn the second place NAIA title and the conference title in 1989. In track and field, he helped the team run a streak of four straight conference titles and NCAA III championships in the indoor in 1987, and both indoor and outdoor in 1988. With a personal best long jump, he placed third as a freshman in the 1987 NCAA III indoor championships. Since Schumacher came to Illinois Wesleyan in 1997, he has produced 71 track and field All-Americans through the 2006 season.