Timp believes the 2010 season looks to be a good opportunity to continue with the success that was experienced last year with the men's team finishing in third place at the indoor conference meet. 

Bethel has been climbing in the national rankings (currently #10 – 2/25 USTFCCCA poll) thanks to strong performances from the 4 x 400 meter relay team, Taylor Ferda (Sr., Whitefish, Mont.) in the 55-meter hurdles, Dan Greeno (Sr., St. Michael, Minn.) in the mile run, and Jay Quick (Jr., Johnston, Iowa) in the high jump. Each of the aforementioned athletes has earned at least an NCAA provisional mark in their respective event heading into the conference meet. 

The team will look for good leadership this year, as there are a lot of new faces on the team which will add the depth needed to compete with the rest of the conference.

Carleton had a series of impressive individual performances on route to a seventh-place finish last year. The Knights were hit hard by graduation, including three-time All-American Tom Ballinger, but have found plenty of individuals looking to recover those lost points. 

Seniors Michael Sanders and Evan Franco each tasted success at last year’s MIAC Championships and are back for more. Sanders earned MIAC Honorable Mention running a leg of the 4X400 relay team and finished in the top-eight of the 600-yard and 800-meter races. Franco earned All-MIAC honors for his third-place showing in the pole vault. His vault of 4.43 meters was the second-highest in school history.

This year, Sanders has won the 600-yard race, 800-meter race and the 1000-meter run at three different meets. He currently holds the fourth-best 800-meter, seventh-best 600 meter, and eighth-best 1000-meter times in the MIAC. His performance in the longest distance was the fastest at Carleton in seven years.  Franco is once again a top-10 MIAC performer with a season-best vault of 4.05 meters. 

Ty Martin is also building off a strong showing at last year’s MIAC Championship. Martin ran a personal best to make into the finals of the 55-meter hurdles and has continued to improve his time this year. In his final tune-up, he ran a season-best 8.03 seconds, which ranks fifth among MIAC runners. 

The Knights hope a group of highly successful rookies can deliver impressive performances at the MIAC Championships. Joe Concannon will join Ty Martin as one of the top 55-meter hurdles in the conference with a top time of 8.32 seconds. Dylan Cheever has competed in a wide array of events this season for the Knights from distance running to long jump to shot put. However, his best event is the high jump, where he ranks fifth in the conference. C.J. Dale could also make some noise with the 14th best long jump in the MIAC this year.

The 2010 MIAC Indoor Track and Field Championship Meet could be very interesting for the Concordia-Moorhead men’s team. The Cobbers have a couple of rising stars in the conference and also have the deepest team in years. Both those key team characteristics could add up to one of the best finishes in recent history as Concordia looks to improve on last year’s sixth-place finish.

Cobber junior distance runner Tom Sederquist (Moorhead, Minn.) has been in the spotlight for Concordia the entire 2010 season. Sederquist has posted times in the 3000 and 5000 meters that rank in the top 10 on the school’s all-time list and is currently ranked in the top five of the conference in both events. Sederquist ran an 8:39.72 in the 3000 meters at the Bison Open which was the fastest in school history since 1981. Overall it was the third fastest time in program history. In the 5000 meters, Sederquist has a season-best time of 15:12.96 which is the fourth fastest in Cobber history. He will enter the conference meet ranked fifth in both events and has a chance to claim a top 3 finish and multiple team points. Sederquist is also ranked 10^th in the 1000 meters as he continues to make his mark as one of the top distance runners in the conference.

Sophomore Tommy Mammen (Worthington, Minn.) has improved in all five meets this season and sits on the cusp of a really big meet. Last week Mammen sped his way to a 23.15 in the 200 meters at the St. Olaf Qualifier. That time is the third fastest time in school history. Mammen’s most-improving event is the 55-meter dash where he has improved in each of the five meets he has raced this season. Mammen recorded a time of 6.71 is the 11^th fastest in the MIAC this season and ninth best in school history.

Last year the Cobbers only had eight athletes with marks in the top 11 of the conference heading into the championship meet. This year they have 14 different marks in the top 11 and will be hoping that the increased number will lead to a jump in conference places.

The top field athlete for the Cobbers this season has been Felix Okoth (So., Mombasa, Kenya) who has the sixth-best marks in both the long jump and triple jump in the MIAC this year. Okoth’s season best mark in the long jump is 21-02.00 and he uncorked a 42-03.25 in the triple jump at the St. John’s Quadrangular. Okoth will be a part of a strong Concordia contingent in the long jump at the conference meet. Joining Okoth in the top 10 of the league are Seth Lage (Fr., Pelican Rapids, Minn.) and Luke Hvidston (Jr., Fargo, N.D./Oak Grove HS).

The Cobber men’s team will also be looking to break new territory in the relay races. The 4x200-meter relay squad of Mammen, Hvidston, John Bye (Fr., Moorhead, Minn.) and Jason Sather (Jr., Plymouth, Minn./Armstrong HS) has a chance to break the eight-year-old record in the event as they have recorded a season-best time of 1:32.87 and are currently seeded fourth heading into the MIAC Meet.

The Pipers recently broke into the USTFCCCA top 25 and will look to a strong throwing corps and a deep sprint crew to help the team battle for the top position in the 2010 championships.

Derall King (Jr., Inver Grove Heights, Minn.), Andrew Schlichting (So., Shoreview, Minn.), and Aaron Wilkerson (Sr., Roseville, Minn.) have led an impressive string of Piper throwing performances through the 2010 indoor season. The trio has ensured that a Piper has tossed an NCAA provisional qualifying mark in every meet this year, with Schlichting twice earning the MIAC field athlete of the week honor.

King is a returning indoor All-American, having placed fifth in the shot put at last year’s NCAA indoor championships while Wilkerson is the defending champion in the weight throw. Last year, the Pipers placed six throwers in the top nine in the weight throw – and all six athletes return to the 2010 championships.

Hamline also returns a veteran corps of sprinters who have already run an NCAA provisional qualifying time in the 1600-meter relay. Brent Nelson (Sr., New London, Minn.), Andy Marnach (Sr., Hokah, Minn.), Tyson Molitor (Jr., Belgrade, Minn.), and Brant Luehman (Sr., Amery, Wis.) lead a pack of sprinters that also include returners Clarence Suttle (Jr., Saint Paul, Minn.) and Christian Swanberg (Jr., Lindstrom, Minn.) Newcomer Christian Willman (Fy., Rosemount, Minn.) has also shown success at longer distances.

All-American cross country runner Ian Bauer (Roseville, Minn.) returns for his senior season looking to lead the distance runners in points at the indoor championships. He is joined by Ian Campbell (Jr., Blooming Prairie, Minn.).

Ben Johnson (So., Roseville, Minn.) and Dan Johnson (Jr., Granite Falls, Minn.) – no relation – had shown great improvement in the jumps this year and will be looking to score for the Pipers. They have added depth in this event, with Nik Hawley (Jr., Saint Paul Park, Minn.) and Christian Kibler (Fy., Burnsville, Minn.) also showing potential to add points to the Piper tally.

Led by a veteran group of athletes with All-American experience, the 2010 Hamline University men’s track and field team looks to contend for the title this season after finishing second in 2009.

Last season, Saint John’s finished fifth out of 11 teams at the MIAC Indoor Championships.

SJU is led by junior thrower Tim Juba (Cottage Grove, Minn./Park), who has provisionally qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships in the weight throw with a toss of 16.82 meters.

Other throwers at the top of the MIAC are sophomore Wade Powers (Hawick, Minn./New London-Spicer) and junior Griffin Hayes (Mendota Heights, Minn./St. Thomas Academy), who are sixth and eighth, respectively, in the shot put.

Two-time All-MIAC pole-vaulter Andrew Norman (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove) is fourth with a mark of 4.29 meters. To provisionally qualify, Norman needs to vault at least 4.65 meters. Along with Norman, senior Tyler Etheridge (Eau Claire, Wis./North) is fourth in the 600-meter dash with a time of 1:25.33, while sophomore Rob Floren (Kenyon, Minn./Kenyon-Wanamingo) is fourth in the long jump with a distance of 6.51 meters.

Junior Matt Reeve (Fairmont, Minn.) has the eighth-best time in the 55-meter hurdles (8.12). He claimed fifth place (6.58) at the MIAC Indoor Championships last season.