BLOG: Coach Greg Hipp
With our 2012 season complete we can start to look back at some of the great improvements made by our program this spring semester. Through the indoor and outdoor seasons NIU track and field athletes broke 24 different school records and in all amassed 117 different personal bests. Within the middle and long distance events the the difference a year makes was quite evident. Here is a look at NIU’s top performers for 2012 compared to 2011.
The indoor season also saw Courtney Oldenburg run a NIU record 4:54 One-Mile, Juliane Totzke run an indoor best 9:56 3,000-meters and Oldenburg, Rebecca Cronin, Julie Cronin and Jamie Burr run a NIU record 11:42.28 Distance Medley Relay (the old NIU record was 12:18).
With a great recruiting class and continued improvement the program can be optimistic that a great cross country campaign is ahead this fall.
A look back at the sprint and field event performances will be coming soon.
AUSTIN, Texas – The Northern Illinois 4x100 relay of Chanel Kellyman, Janay Mitchell, Roneisha Frye and Rasheta Butler posted a solid performance Saturday at the NCAA West Preliminary Round, but fell one spot shy of moving on to the NCAA Championships.
The quartet crossed the finish line in fourth place in the third heat and 13th overall with a time of 45.33 – a mark that stands as the second-fastest clip this season. However, their time fell four tenths of a second short of advancing to Des Moines, Iowa, as Washington State took the final spot in the top 12 at 44.92.
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DeKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois track & field team will have a program-record four entries in the NCAA West Preliminary Round on May 24-26, the NCAA announced Thursday.
Janay Mitchell will compete in both the 100 meters and 200 meters, while Roneisha Frye runs in the 100 hurdles and the quartet of Chanel Kellyman, Mitchell, Frye and Rasheta Butler represent NIU in the 4x100 relay.
“Our ladies have worked hard to achieve this opportunity to compete at the NCAA Preliminary Round,” said Huskie head coach Connie Teaberry. “The staff is proud of their efforts thus far and we are expecting to see continued improvements at the NCAAs. Their efforts have definitely given Northern Illinois exposure and now we are hungry to be recognized nationally.”
2012 Cross Country Schedule | 2012 Cross Country Printable Schedule 
DeKALB, Ill. - The Northern Illinois cross country team unveiled their 2012 schedule Thursday. The eight-meet schedule features two meets in DeKalb and a total of five within the state of Illinois.
“We have a great schedule that progresses toward and prepares us for our championships,” said Huskie Head Coach Greg Hipp. “While our schedule is very regional early on, we are excited about our post-season opportunities at the MAC meet in Buffalo and the regional meet at Missouri State.”
MT. PLEASANT, Mich. – The Northern Illinois track & field team brought home two event titles Saturday at the Mid-American Conference Outdoor Championships, as Janay Mitchell won the 100 meters and the 4x100 relay successfully defended their conference title.
As a team, NIU finished in eighth place with a program-best 55.33 points. Kent State won the team championship, edging out Toledo in the final event of the day.
“The ladies definitely placed an exclamation mark on the regular season with their MAC performances this weekend,” said Huskie head coach Connie Teaberry. “The family and fan support aided our athletes in achieving greatness. Their belief in themselves and each other helped them execute. The staff is extremely proud of the student-athletes and their achievements academically and athletically. This is a sign of promising performances in the future.”
MT. PLEASANT, Mich. - The Northern Illinois track & field team set itself up for a big finish at the Mid-American Conference Outdoor Championships Friday, as seven different Huskies advanced to the finals in their respective events.
Janay Mitchell and Chanel Kellyman moved on in both the 100 meters and 200 meters, while Roneisha Frye (100 hurdles), Rasheta Butler (200 meters), Erin Milner (400 hurdles), Rebecca Cronin (800 meters) and Courtney Oldenburg (1500 meters) will also take part in Saturday’s finals.
“We had some great performances today,” said Huskie head coach Connie Teaberry. “Every lady competing entered their events with confidence and conviction. Some of those efforts have led to positions in the finals. If the ladies continue competing as they did today, we will fare well tomorrow in the finals.”
NIU athletics held it’s annual Victors Show last night at the Egyptian Theater in downtown DeKalb. Track and field won the Victors Cup which is the award that goes to the top all-around team (athletics, academics, community service, etc…).
This was my first Victors SHOW and it certainly was much more than the typical vanilla athletics award ceremony most universities host. This was a real ESPY’s like night complete with skits, jokes, videos, music and even our athletic director shaving his head in celebration of NIU’s four MAC team championships this year. The thing I enjoyed most about the Victors is how evident it is that our entire athletic department, more so than any I have ever seen before, supports each other. The other thing I have noticed all year long is how well all of our student-athletes, regardless of what team they are on, know each other. We have a great athletic community here and while most of our student-athletes will never truly understand how unique NIU really is in this regard, I think they are all certainly a proud to be Huskies.
Here is little evidence of that and of one of the great experiences our NIU student-athletes have had this year.
DES MOINES, Iowa - The Northern Illinois track & field team put the finishing touches on their regular season in impressive fashion, breaking school records in all three events in which the Huskies competed.
The 4x100 relay mark was broken for the second-straight day, while the sprint medley relay and triple jump standards also fell.
“Today was a record day for our athletes,” said Huskie head coach Connie Teaberry. “Jenner’s (Sio) jump was explosive and she was confident. Our relays went to battle today and both showed great competitive drive and executed well.”
“The coaches are proud of the ladies and we are looking forward to competing at the MAC Championships.”
DES MOINES, Iowa - The Northern Illinois track & field team kept their record-breaking season going Friday at the Drake Relays, as the team set three new school records.
The Huskies’ new standards came in the 4x100, 4x200 and distance medley relays, which now makes 22 new school records that have been set during the entire 2011-12 season.
“The 4x100, distance medley and 4x200 relay competitors rose to the occasion, producing great times with strong finishes,” said Huskie head coach Connie Teaberry. “In these relays, we produced our highest places at the Drake Relays. The 4x100 will be our first running event to compete in a final and we are excited. Our individual efforts in the 100 (meters) and 100 hurdles showed good execution, but the ladies didn’t have enough to produce times to advance to finals.”
LAWRENCE, Kan. - The Northern Illinois track & field team closed out their weekend in Kansas on a big note Saturday, breaking two school records and posting four top five finishes.
Junior Rebecca Cronin broke the NIU mark in the 800 meters, while Roneisha Frye set a new standard in the 100 hurdles.
“The athletes competing today gave great efforts,” said Huskie head coach Connie Teaberry. “Our 200 (meters) competitors started off strong, but we couldn’t close the end of the race. Sidra (Sherrill) continues to improve, extending her discus throw to another personal best. Roneisha’s (Frye) hurdle race was explosive and she has the potential to run faster. Rebecca’s 800 (meters) race was confident from start to finish.”
“We’re extremely proud of the ladies’ performances.”
