May 1, 2019 - After a busy week last week that featured three meets (two on the same day), the Concordia-Chicago track and field team is all together for one meet this week, The Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Outdoor Championships will be contested at Benedictine University in Lisle, IL on Friday and Saturday.

While the Cougars performed well at last year's outdoor meet, finishing second (women) and fifth (men) while earning three of the meet's special awards, CUC head coach Phil Kopinski says that "I believe we are collectively stronger this year, and I think we have enjoyed this year, despite struggles with the weather, practice schedules and other things. We have a group that is going to do their best this weekend and enjoy the experience."
 
The CUC women will enter this weekend as the 22nd-ranked Division III team in the country, up three spots from last week and six spots from two weeks ago as selected by the United States Track and Field/Cross-Country Coaches Association. CUC finished second at last year's outdoor conference championships, and three of their national qualifiers from last May should give the Cougars an excellent chance to approximate that finish. Kayla Armstrong is dominating the conference at the moment, ranked #1 in the 100, 200 and 400-meter dashes. Simone Wilson, named Freshman of the Year at the 2018 meet, turned in her season-best time of 1:02.31 in the 400-meter hurdles at last week's Drake Relays to take over the top spot in the NACC rankings. She is also second in the 100-meter hurdles by just six-hundredths of a second. Jessica Wilson is ready for the NACC meet after taking over the #1 spot in the discus at the Cougar Invitational last week with a school-record throw. Her hammer throw was also her best since last year's national qualifier, and she sits at second place in the NACC for this event.

While Armstrong, Wilson and Wilson are expected to rack up a lot of team points between them, Kopinski notes that there are many others capable of turning in that top effort of the season. Maybe it will be the Freshman of the Meet from the indoor season, Molly Cullinane, who is currently fourth in the 10,000 meters. Maybe it will be jumper Dejah Sartin, who won the long jump at last week's Cougar Invitational. Or one of the relay teams - the 4 x 100 of Armstrong, S. Wilson, Sartin and Crystal Holden, or the 4 x 400 of Armstrong, S. Wilson, Holden and Maddie Vojacek - who both enter the meet ranked third in the conference.
 
Likewise, many of the CUC athletes on the men's side are capable of stepping up with a big effort or two. While the Cougar men have only one top-ranked athlete in the NACC - Tyrique Thomas in the 110-meter hurdles - many others are in a good position to rise up and make an impression this weekend.

Last week, four CUC athletes ran a good race and had a positive experience in the sprint medley relay at Drake. While the sprint medley relay will not be contested at Benedictine, the foursome of Thomas, Adam Gray (400 meters), Tanner Swonson (high jump) and Thomas McNamara (1,500 meters) are expected to carry over that good feeling into their individual events. Carrying over good feeling could also be said for Jacob Mills, who had the top performances of his freshman year in both the discus and hammer and will come in as the #5 NACC athlete in the discus.

Might CUC have a potential winner in the 400-meter hurdles?  Max Woywod moved into the #2 spot last week with a 58.21 in front of the home crowd, and he will look for a winning effort tht would take down the top-ranked athlete from Wisconsin Lutheran. Woywod will also be part of the 4 x 400 relay team that includes Gray, Brandon Ellis and Shemar Casteel-Payne; they come in ranked fourth.

While anything can happen at a conference meet (and often does), Kopinski can count on at least one thing happening this weekend. "We are all going to be excited for each other whatever their result is, whatever goal they are pursuing,"