Brooke Bell (Milwaukee/Alexander Hamilton) set a Don Drumm Stadium record in the finals of the 200 meters at the 2009 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championship with a time of 24.25 seconds to the earn title "National Champion". Bell bested the previous stadium record, which she set on Thursday, by one one hundredth of a second. Bell beat her nearest competitor, Nora Kuiper of Hope College, by one tenth of a second. The win in the event earns Bell All-America honors for the second straight year. In 2008 Bell finished seventh in the event. The top eight finishers in each event earn All-America status. UW-W Championship Central website
Complete Women's Results
Bell also went on to finish fifth in the 100 meters on Saturday and earn another All-American award at the Championship. Bell recorded a time of 12.28 seconds, just sixth one hundredths of a second off the pace of the fourth place finisher Faith Burt of Wartburg. Burt also competed in the 200 and finished third. The winner of the 100 meters was Kuiper of Hope College in a time of 11.84 seconds, a Division III season best and stadium record.
Bell earned ten points for the UW-W women's team with her win in the 200 meters and she earned four more for her fifth place finish in the 100. The fourteen total points were good enough to tie the team for 16th at the Championship with Tufts University. The team has only finished better five other times since 1980, the most recent an 11th place finish in 2001 (4th in 2000, 6th in 1999, 11th in 2000, and 15th in 1993 and 1995). Wartburg won the 2009 Championship with a total of 52 points.
The last time a women's track athlete won two All-America awards at the National Championship was in 2001 when Kara Krumenauer finished second in the 1,500 meter run and seventh in the 800 meter run. Krumenauer earned three All-American awards at the 2000 championships in 1,500 meters, 800 meters, and 1,600 meter relay. Krumenauer is currently an assistant coach for the UW-W women's team.
Bell is only the third woman from UW-W to win an individual championship at the National meet. The first was in 1999 when Tabitha Fendrick finished first in the discus and the second was in 2008 when Dana Thompson (Belleville/Belleville) won the discus. Only two other athletes have earned All-America in the 200 meters (Camille Ross in 1999 and 2000; Karla Eggerson in 1995). Both Ross and Eggerson earned All-America honors in the 100 meters and 200 meters, like Bell, in those three years.
The conclusion of the National Championship is the conclusion of competition for the UW-Whitewater women's track and field team this season.
For additional information:
Dave Wiederrecht, UW-W head coach
