Pokorny Named Field MVP to Top All-Conference Selections
NSAA Track and Field All-Conference Awards
MADISON, S.D. – The Viterbo University women's track and field team had an impressive run at the North Star Athletic Association Indoor Track and Field Championships and Monday's All-Conference awards reflected that. Shania Pokorny (SO/Shell Lake, Wis.) was named NSAA Most Valuable Field Performer while 16 others earned All-Conference honors.
In order to be named all-conference, individuals must finish in the top three at the NSAA Championships. Relay teams must finish either first or second.
In her first track and field season for the V-Hawks, Pokorny has dominated this season. The sophomore earned 40 points for Viterbo by herself at the NSAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. Pokorny recorded first place finishes in the pentathlon and long jump, and second in the triple jump. Pokorny's pentathlon mark of 3099 set a new school record and qualified her for the NAIA Championships. It also currently ranks 15th in the NAIA.
With two first place finishes, Kayla King (SO/St. Croix, V.I.) also earned all-conference recognition. King grabbed both the 60 meter (7.96 seconds) and 200 meter (26.15) dash titles.
Samantha Reilly (SO/Sheboygan Falls, Wis.) recorded a pair of top three finishes at the league championships including a first place mark in the weight throw (15.64 meters). The sophomore also took third in the shot put (11.63).
Other student-athletes who earned two top three finishes include Samantha Sanchez (FR/Miami, Fla.) and Eliana Luke (FR/New Lisbon, Wis.). Sanchez grabbed second in the long jump with a school record leap of 5.13 meters while Luke took third in the pentathlon and 800 meter races.
The V-Hawks 4x800 meter and 4x400 meter relay teams both grabbed second place. Joining Sanchez in the 4x400 included Makala Teske (FR/Lyndon Station, Wis.), Jenna Gardner (FR/Black Creek, Wis.), and Karen Dascent (SO/St. Croix, V.I.). The 4x800 team earning second and an all-conference nod included Haley Swanson (SO/Sparta, Wis.), Meredith Jones (JR/Apple Valley, Minn.), Heidi Flanders (JR/Adell, Wis.), and Sarah Gibson (SR/White Salmon, Wash.).
In the high jump, Aubrey Aspen (FR/Sparta, Wis.) set new heights, knocking out a school record and qualifying for the NAIA National Championships with a mark of 1.62 meters.
Others gaining all-conference recognition include Nikkie Rasmussen (SO/Spring Green, Wis.) (pole vault), Rachel Turi (JR/North St. Paul, Minn.) (5000 meter), and Alile Browne (SO/St. Croix, V.I.) (60 meter).
Aspen, Pokorny, and Reilly all qualified for the NAIA National Championships and will head to Johnson City, Tenn. on March 3.