Saturday
UW-Whitewater's Melanie Pilon (Waukesha/South) competed in the pole vault at the NCAA III Outdoor Track and Field Championship Saturday at Bush Stadium at Claremont Mudd Colleges in Claremont, California.  Pilon cleared 11-1.75 to tie for eighteenth place.  Catherine Street of Linfield College won the event with a height of 13-9.25.

Saturday was the third and final day of competition.  Wartburg College of Iowa won the team title.  Shelby Demos (Janesville/Parker)' second place finish in the high jump provided all of UW-Whitewater's eight points, tied for twenty-eighth in the team standings.

Friday UW-Whitewater junior Shelby Demos (Janesville/Parker) finished second in the high jump Friday at the NCAA III Track and Field Championships hosted by Claremont Mudd Scripps Colleges at Bush Stadium in Claremont, California. 

Demos earns All-America honors by placing among the top eight, the fifth time she has earned the distinction.  She is now among a select group of UW-Whitewater female athletes to earn All-America honors at least five times.  That group includes Karla Eggerson (sprints), Camille Ross (sprints), Tabitha Fendrick (throws), and Kara Krumenauer (middle distance). 

Demos jumped 5-8 in Friday's competition.  The winner, Elizabeth Evans of Rose-Hulman, also went 5-8, as did third place finisher Julia Baranek of UW-Eau Claire.  Evans passed on her first nine opportunities to jump and was charged with three misses.  Demos passed on the first three jumps, and was edged by Evans because Demos had four misses.  Baranek had seven misses in third.

UW-W's Amanda Brom (Jefferson/Jefferson) also competed Friday, running a 2:16.38 in the 800 meters.  She finished twentieth in the preliminaries and will not advance to Saturday's final.  The top time in the 800 prelims was turned in by Emily Schudrowitz of Saint Norbert, 2:07.84.

Thanks to Demos' points, eight, UW-W is tied for fifth place after two days of competition.  Wartburg College leads the women's scoring with 29 points. 

The NCAA III Track and Field Championship will conclude Saturday.  UW-W will be represented by Melanie Pilon (Waukesha/South) in the pole vault.

For additional information:  MIchael Johnson, UW-W track and field coordinator

Thursday
Thursday brought two events for the UW-Whitewater women's track and field team competing in the 2012 NCAA III Outdoor Track and Field Championship hosted by Claremont Mudd Scripps Colleges in Claremont, California Thursday-Saturday. Meet information including links to live stats and video are available here.

In the lone final of the day for the Warhawk women, Lexie Sondgeroth (Rochelle, IL/Township), the eighth place finisher in the indoor competition this year, jumped 17-8 in the long jump for twenty-first. Ashlynn Chavis of Methodist won the event with a distance of 20-1.75.

UW-W's 4x400 meter relay team of Beth Dreikosen (Sheboygan/North), Kelsey Jones (Janesville/Parker), Simone Koenen (Burlington/Burlington) and Amanda Brom (Jefferson/Jefferson) stopped the clock at 3:53.99 for fiteenth place in the preliminaries, but failed to qualify for the finals in the event.

Shelby Demos (Janesville/Parker) will take to the high jump Friday afternoon at 2:15 Pacific time in the lone event for the Warhawk women Friday. Two more events Saturday will include Warhawk women including Melanie Pilon (Waukesha/South) in the pole vault and Amanda Brom (Jefferson/Jefferson) in the 800.

Preview
UW-Whitewater will have entries in five events at the NCAA III Outdoor Track and Field Championship at Claremont McKenna Harvey Mudd Scripps Colleges Thursday-Saturday in Claremont, California.  The Warhawks tied for ninteenth at last year's outdoor meet, and tied for twenty-first at the 2012 NCAA III Indoor Track and Field Championship.

Official NCAA Division III Championship program can be found here

Shelby Demos (Janesville/Parker), a four time All-American in the high jump, leads the Whitewater contingent. 

*** Note:  All event times are pm ***

Event:  800 meters
UW-W participant(s):  Amanda Brom (Jefferson/Jefferson), qualified 22nd, 2:12.12
Previous NCAA places: none
Leading qualifier:  Carmen Graves, Roanoke, 2:07.32
When:  Saturday 4:20
2011 winner:  Keelie Fennel, Coe, 2:08.48
UW-W record:  2:11.13, Megan Kieler, 2006
NCAA III record:  2:06.87, Marie Borner, Bethel, 2010

Event:  4x400 relay
UW-W participant(s):  Beth Dreikosen (Sheboygan/North), Simone Koenen (Burlington/Burlington), Lexie Sondgeroth (Rochelle, IL/Township), Amanda Brom (Jefferson/Jefferson), 3:51.25, qualified 15th
Previous NCAA places:  none
Leading qualifier:  Wartburg, 3:38.85
When:  9:00 Thursday preliminaries, 6:20 Saturday finals
2011 winner:  Wartburg 3:41.02 
UW-W record:  3:46.96, Zulegar, Logan, Seaquist, Greathouse, 1985
NCAA III record:  3:40.76, Massachusetts-Boston, 1988

Event: high jump
UW-W participant(s):  Shelby Demos (Janesville/Parker), 5-8.75, qualified 2nd
Previous NCAA places:  third outdoors 2011, second indoors 2012 and 2011, sixth indoors 2010
Leading qualifier:  Elizabeth Evans, Rose Hulman, 5-9.,25
When:  2:15 Friday
2011 winner:  Elizabeth Evans, Rose Hulman, 5-8
UW-W record:  Shelby Demos (Janesville/Parker), 5-11.75, 2011 and 2012
NCAA III record:  5-11.25, Kristy Laramee, Middlebury, 1989

Event:  pole vault
UW-W participant(s):  Melanie Pilon (Waukesha/South), 12-2, qualified 13th
Previous NCAA places:  none
Leading qualifier:  Abigail Schaffer, Moravian, 13-10
When:  12:30 Saturday
2011 winner:  13-7, Abigail Schaffer, Moravian, 2011, and Catherine Street, Linfield, 2011
UW-W record: 12-2 by Melanie Pilon (Waukesha/South), 2012
NCAA III record: 13-7, Abigail Schaffer, Moravian, 2011, and Catherine Street, Linfield, 2011

Event:  long jump
UW-W participant(s):  Lexie Sondgeroth (Rochelle, IL/Township), 18-9.25, qualified 14th
Previous NCAA places:  eighth indoors 2012
Leading qualifier:  Skye Morrison, Wartburg, 21-3.5
When:  3:00 Thursday
2011 winner:  20-3 by Ashlynn Chavis, Methodist, 2011
UW-W record: 19-7.5 by Becky Karls, 1993
NCAA III record:  20-3 by Ashlynn Chavis, Methodist, 2011

The top eight finishers in each event, including relays, earn All-American status. 

UW-W competitors are joined by 55 others from the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference -- the largest conference representation in the championship.  The WIAC leads with 60, followed by the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with 42.