Illinois Wesleyan Track and Field Stories 2008

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July 14
The Illinois Wesleyan women's track team was named the 2008 Division III Women's Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Scholar Team of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. IWU had a team cumulative grade-point average of 3.40. Whitworth University had the highest overall team GPA (3.642), followed by Connecticut College (3.583). Including Wesleyan, 17 schools on the list finished in the top 25 at the Division III indoor championships and 16 schools finished in the top 25 at the Division III outdoor championships.
In March the Titans picked up the school's first NCAA women's national championship at the indoor championships. The Titans tied for the outdoor title with Wisconsin-River Falls.
There were 92 Division III women's track and field programs recognized as 2008 USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Teams. The selection of the All-Academic Indoor and Outdoor Scholar Teams of the Year award is based on a combination of academic and athletic achievements, with the top honor going to the team that had the combination of best overall finish at the Division III Indoor and/or outdoor national championships and cumulative GPA.
To be nominated, the team must carry a minimum 3.0 cumulative grade-point average.
In addition, IWU's Rachel Anderson was named one of three Division III women's track Scholar-Athletes of the Year by the USTFCCCA. IWU's Mackenzie Clemens, Ali McCoy and Brooke Halcott were among the total of 232 student-athletes representing 84 Division III colleges and universities who were named by the USTFCCCA to the women's Division III All-Academic Track and Field team.
Anderson won the indoor and outdoor titles in the 400-meter dash, the outdoor title in the 200-meter dash and also ran the anchor leg on the indoor 4x400-meter relay team that placed first at the indoor national meet. She was also the 2008 USTFCCCA Division III Track Athlete of the Year and was one of 11 finalists for the 2007-08 Division III Athlete of the Year, sponsored by the Collegiate Women Sports Awards and America Honda Motor Co., Inc.

June 25
Illinois Wesleyan track star Rachel Anderson has been chosen as the College Division Academic all-America of the Year for ESPN The Magazine’s Academic All-America women’s track and field and cross country teams. Anderson, a Clinton High School graduate, was also a repeat selection to the first team of the Academic all-America squad. She graduated in May with a 3.80 grade-point average as a business major and plans to attend pharmacy school. She was 2008 NCAA Division III Female Track Athlete of the Year as she helped her IWU women’s team win both the national NCAA Division III indoor and outdoor championships as well as the school’s first CCIW track title. She is the first Illinois Wesleyan female athlete to earn the Academic all-America of the Year distinction. Previous winners have been Keelan Amelianovich (men’s basketball, 2006), Korey Coon (men’s basketball, 1999 and 2000), James Rinne (baseball, 1998) and Lon Erickson (football, 1997).

May 30
Illinois Wesleyan senior Rachel Anderson is one of 11 candidates for the the 2007-2008 Division III Athlete of the Year, sponsored by the Collegiate Women Sports Awards and American Honda Motor Co., Inc. The award presentation will be made June 23 at Columbia University in New York City. To celebrate the nomination, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. is donating $1,000 to the Illinois Wesleyan women's athletic fund and American Honda Motor Co., Inc. will donate $5,000 to the school of the Division III Athlete of the Year recipient. Anderson was named 2008 NCAA Division III Female Track Athlete of the Year as she helped her IWU women's team win both the national indoor and outdoor championships as well as the school's first College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin track title. A 15-time NCAA Division III All-American in her career, she was the national indoor and outdoor champion in the 400 this year, the 200 outdoor champion, and ran on the indoor 4x400 relay team that placed first nationally.

May 24
Led by senior All-American Rachel Anderson winning two events, the Illinois Wesleyan women’s team tied for the national Division III outdoor track championship, held May 22-24 in Oshkosh, Wis. The Titans amassed 35 points to finish tied for first with Wisconsin-River Falls, ahead of third place Wartburg with 34 points.
It is IWU’s second national women’s track championship, on the heels of the indoor title won in March, and the school's third NCAA Division III national title, along with men's basketball in 1997.
Anderson (Clinton, Ill. HS) placed first in both the 200 and 400 events. In the 200, she was first with a time of 24.76 seconds and sophomore Ali McCoy (Irving, Texas, Episcopal School of Dallas) was third with her run of 24.88. Anderson ran a Division III season best (and track record) time of 54.35 seconds to win the 400 meter dash. McCoy and Anderson teamed with Amanda LaRocca (Palatine, Ill., HS) and Alex Sawyer (Chicago, DeLaSalle HS) for a third place finish in the 4x100 relay at 46.62 seconds. The 4x400 relay team placed sixth with a time of 3:47.81 and included Anderson, McCoy, Mackenzie Clemens (Bloomington, Ill., HS) and Brooke Halcott (Streator, Ill., Ottawa Marquette HS).
The IWU men’s team tied for 25th nationally. In the 200 meter dash, Matthew Harden (O'Fallon, Ill., Township HS) got fifth (21.50 seconds) and Segun Olopo (Chicago, Brooks School) finished seventh (21.80). The 4x100 relay team of Olopo, Harden, Azizuddin Rose (Chicago, DeLaSalle HS) and Mike Conti (Itasca, Ill., Driscoll Catholic HS) finished fourth with a time of 41.09 seconds. The 4x400 relay team of Harden, Olopo, Conti and Noah Dunham (Pontiac, Ill. HS) placed ninth with a time of 3:18.93.

May 23
Senior Rachel Anderson was the only one of six Illinois Wesleyan track athletes to qualify for the finals in individual events at the NCAA Division III track championships on Friday, May 23 in Oshkosh, Wis. Anderson ran a Division III season best time of 55.35 to qualify for the finals of the 400 meter dash. Sophomore Amanda LaRocca fell short in qualifying for the 100 dash (12.26 seconds) and 100 hurdles (14.62) and sophomore Mackenzie Clemens’ 800 time of 2:14.96 did not send her to the finals. For the men, senior Matthew Harden ran a time of 48.74 seconds in the 400 and senior Segun Olopo also did not qualify in the 100, missing at 10.84 seconds. Late on the first day of qualifying, both the men’s and women’s 4x400 relay teams advanced to the Saturday finals. The women had the third best qualifying time of 3:48.03 and the men eked in with the ninth (of nine) time of 3:16.14.

May 22
Illinois Wesleyan sophomore Ali McCoy ran the fastest time to qualify for the finals of the 200 meter dash and teammate, senior Rachel Anderson, tied for the second fastest time at the NCAA Division III track championships on Thursday, May 22 in Oshkosh, Wis. McCoy had a time of 24.37 seconds and Anderson ran in the time of 24.59. McCoy and Anderson teamed with Amanda LaRocca and Alex Sawyer for the third best qualifying time in the 4x100 relay at 47.10 seconds. The IWU men’s 4x100 relay team of Segun Olopo, Azizuddin Rose, Mike Conti and Matthew Harden had the third lowest time in the prelims of 40.91 seconds and Olopo and Harden will also run in the 200 finals. At 21.30 seconds, Harden had the third top qualifying time and Olopo’s run of 21.50 was seventh best.

May 19
Illinois Wesleyan has four women and two men along with four relay teams qualified for the NCAA Division III national outdoor track and field championships, to be held Thursday through Saturday, May 22-24, at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. The Illinois Wesleyan women’s team, national champions at the NCAA indoor meet in March, have senior Rachel Anderson and sophomores Ali McCoy, Amanda LaRocca and Mackenzie Clemens among the female competitors while seniors Segun Olopo and Matt Harden are among the male entrants in the meet. In addition, the 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams for both the men and women are represented in the national meet. The student-athletes qualified for the national meet by reaching the automatic and provisional standards established for each event.

May 16
The Ilinois Wesleyan men's and women's track teams set three new school records at the North Central "Gregory Invitational" last chance meet on Friday, May 16 in Naperville. Sophomore Mackenzie Clemens had a time of 2:13.47 in the 800 and the men's 4x100 relay team (41.12) and 4x400 team (3:13.33) entered new school marks. On the 4x100 teams were Mike Conti, Matthew Harden, Segun Olopo (pictured), and Azizzudin Rose while the 4x400 team was Conti, Harden, Olopo, and Noah Dunham. Olopo also won the 100 with a time of 10.69 seconds. Amanda LaRocca (100, 12.20 seconds) and Rachel Anderson (200, 24.67) along with the women's 4x100 relay team (47.51) were all winners for the women and Ali McCoy placed second in the 200 (24.88), all with NCAA provisional qualifying marks. The national meet is May 22-24 at Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

May 3
The Illinois Wesleyan women's team finished third and the men's team finished fourth at the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin outdoor track and field championships, held May 2-3 at North Park in Chicago. The women scored 165 points, closely behind Augustana (171) and Wheaton (168), while the men tallied 89 points as Augustana won with 240.5. Seniors Rachel Anderson and Matthew Harden were selected as the women's and men's track athletes of the meet, respectively. Anderson finished first in the 200 and 400 and ran on the victorious 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams while Harden finished first in the 400 and on the 4x100 relay team and second in the 200 and on the 4x400 relay team. Senior Segun Olopo was a double winner for the men, taking the 100 and 200 and junior John Maloney finished fourth in the decathlon with 5231 points. Sophomore Amanda LaRocca was first in the 100 hurdles, second in the 100 and fourth in the 200 while sophomore Ali McCoy was second in both the 200 and 400. Sophomore Mackenzie Clemens was second in the 800 and third in the 1500.

May 2
After the first day of competition (Friday, May 2) in Chicago, the Illinois Wesleyan men's and women's track teams are in fourth place in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin outdoor track and field championships. The women have 26 points after six events and got a first place from Mary Ellen Barron in the 3000 steeplechase with a time of 11:16.63. Julia Varsamis finished fourth in both the hammer throw and javelin and senior Rachel Anderson set a CCIW record with a time of 24.14 seconds in the 200 qualifying. The men have 19.5 points through five events. Andrew Burton placed third in the long jump with a mark of 6.91 meters and Lane Coonrod was fourth in the 3000 steeplechase with his time of 9:38.82. John Maloney is in fourth after day one of the decathlon and the meet will conclude on Saturday, May 3 at North Park.

April 27
The Illinois Wesleyan women's 4x400 and 4x100 and the men's 4x100 relay teams all finished fourth in the college division of the Drake Relays, held in Des Moines, Iowa, on April 25-26. The women's 4x400 team of Ali McCoy, Brooke Halcott, Mackenzie Clemens and Rachel Anderson had an NCAA qualifying time of 3:49.86 while the 4x100 team (McCoy, Anderson, Amanda LaRocca and Alex Sawyer) also qualified with a mark of 47.53. The women's 4x800 team (Allison Fisher, Kerry Devitt, Ashley Heilingoetter and Ashlyn Duckwitz) placed fifth with a school-record 9:28.85. The men's 4x100 team, comprised of Mike Conti, Matthew Harden, Segun Olopo, and Azizuddin Rose, ran an NCAA time of 41.88 seconds.

April 23
The Illinois Wesleyan women’s and men’s track teams, represented in abbreviated numbers on the eve of final exams, both finished second of three teams at a triangular at Illinois College on Wednesday, April 23. Double winners for the women included Kyla Motz (shot put, discus) and Julia Varsamis (hammer, javelin) while individual event winners were Emily Willenbring (800), Kathryn Kohles (1500), Amanda Potter (5000) and Chinny Ekwulugo (triple jump). Winning events for the Wesleyan men were Adam Wentland (800), Adam Chambers (5000) and Mike Smith (discus). The Titans will compete en masse next at the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin championships May 2-3.

April 18
The Illinois Wesleyan women's team finished second and the men's team finished third in the 12-team Wheaton Twilight Meet held on Friday, April 18. The women's team amassed 138 points as Calvin won the meet with 208.5 while the IWU men had 92 points, trailing North Central (193) and Calvin (149). For the women, sophomore Amanda LaRocca won the 100 dash (12.24 seconds) and 100 hurdles (14.28) while senior Segun Olopo was a double winner for the men, taking the 100 (in 10.8 seconds) and 200 (21.44) dash events. Other Wesleyan women winners were senior Rachel Anderson (200, 24.63) and sophomore Mackenzie Clemens (800, 2:14.97), along with the 4x100 and 4x400 relays. Matthew Harden won the 400 (47.28) and Andrew Burton captured the long jump. IWU will compete next at Illinois College on Wednesday, April 23.

April 15
The Illinois Wesleyan track teams will compete at the Wheaton Twilight Meet on Friday, April 18, instead of their previously scheduled meet in LaCrosse, Wis. The Wheaton meet begins at 1 p.m. (throwing events) and at 4:30 p.m. for the running events. In a meet that actually did take place, IWU's women's team amassed 293.5 points to finish first (of seven) and the Wesleyan men's team scored 156.5 points and finished third (of nine) at the Don Luy Invitational at Millikin on Tuesday, April 15. On a breezy day, sophomore Amanda LaRocca was a triple winner, taking the high jump, 100 meter dash and the 100 hurdles. Senior Matthew Harden was a double winner for the men, capturing the 200 and 400 meter dashes.

April 12
The scheduled track invitational in Jacksonville, Ill. at Illinois College for April 12 was cancelled due to the cold and wet weather.

April 5
The Illinois Wesleyan women's team finished first and the men's team placed third at the DePauw Outdoor Invitational in Greencastle, Ind., on Saturday, April 5. The IWU women amassed 151 points and got first place finishes from senior Rachel Anderson (with a meet record 25.04 seconds in the 200 and a track record 55.62 in the 400), sophomore Ali McCoy (meet record 12.51 in the 100), and Julia Varsamis (110' 5" in the javelin) along with both the 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams. The men collected 75.50 points as senior Matthew Harden won the 200 (21.81) and 400 (48.74) in meet record times. Senior Segun Olopo got first in the 100 in a meet record 10.91 seconds and was second in the 200 and the Titans' 4x100 relay team also placed first. Indiana Wesleyan won the men's meet with 159 points.

April 3-4
Illinois Wesleyan sophomore Amanda LaRocca finished in third place in the heptathlon of the Big Blue Multis at Eastern Illinois University on April 3-4 in Charleston. LaRocca finished with 3234 points as Emily Budde of Wisconsin-Milwaukee was the winner with 3980 points. LaRocca competed in the 100 hurdles (15.15 seconds), high jump (5' 2 1/4"), shot put (22' 11"), and the 200 (26.58 seconds), javelin (52'7") and the 800 (2:56.06). In the men's decathlon, IWU junior John Maloney finished fourth with 5019 points. Indiana State's Stephen Swinford ended up in first with 5727 points. Maloney competed in the 100 (12.31), 400 (56.19), long jump, shot put (29'4") high jump (5'6"), 110 hurdles (16.97), discus (104'11"), pole vault (9'7 3/4"), javelin (135'11" and the 1500 (5:07.37).

March 25
A public celebration honoring the NCAA Division III national champion Illinois Wesleyan women’s track team will be Thursday, March 27 at the Shirk Center. The free event will begin at 7 p.m. and will feature an informal autograph session featuring members and coaches of the school’s first women’s national championship team. Head coach Chris Schumacher and senior captains Rachel Anderson and Brooke Halcott will speak, along with IWU president Richard Wilson and athletic director Dennie Bridges, who will serve as master of ceremonies. Free popcorn and soft drinks will be available during the reception along with a limited supply of free souvenir team photographs suitable for autographs. Anderson won the 400 for the third straight year and she and Halcott each ran legs on the winning 4x400 relay team. Other team members honored are Mackenzie Clemens, who was third in the 800; Amanda LaRocca, fifth in the 55 hurdles; Ali McCoy of the 4x400 relay; and Alex Sawyer, an alternate on the 4x400 relay team.

March 15
The 2008 Illinois Wesleyan women’s track team has become the school’s first women’s national championship team, claiming first place in the NCAA Division III championships at Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio, March 14-15. The Titans amassed 30 points to win the title, topping second place Wartburg who finished with 27 points and third place Washington (Mo.) with 23. Senior Rachel Anderson won the 400 meter run for the third straight season as she set an ONU fieldhouse record with a Division III national best time of 55.66 seconds. She then ran the anchor leg in a come-from-behind victory in the 4x400 relay, finishing with a time of 3:52.21. Others on the victorious relay team were sophomores Ali McCoy and Mackenzie Clemens and senior Brooke Halcott. Clemens also placed third in the 800 meter run with a time of 2:14.74 and sophomore Amanda LaRocca finished fifth in the 55 hurdles with a time of 8.34 seconds. The IWU men’s team finished tied for 14th in the national meet with 11 points. In the finals, senior Matthew Harden placed fifth in the 400 with a time of 49.62 and Segun Olopo was sixth in the 55 with a time of 6.37 seconds. The men’s 4x400 relay team of Harden, Olopo, Mike Conti and Noah Dunham also finished fifth with a time of 3:21.64. Illinois Wesleyan’s other national championship came in 1997 for men’s basketball and the women’s track team’s highest finish was fourth in 2006.

March 14
Illinois Wesleyan has five individuals racing in their event finals at the NCAA Division III indoor track and field championships on Saturday, March 15 at Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio. In results of Friday, March 14, senior Rachel Anderson set a fieldhouse record in the 400 with a time of 55.87 seconds, the best time in Division III this season as she looks to defend her title in the event. Sophomore Amanda LaRocca qualified for the finals of the 55 hurdles with a time of 8.37 seconds (eighth best) but failed to qualify for the 55. Sophomore Mackenzie Clemens turned in the sixth best time in qualifying for the 800 (2:14.32). Seniors Segun Olopo and Matthew Harden both qualified for their events – Olopo turned in the third best time in the 55 at 6.37 seconds and Harden had the fifth best time in the 400 at 49.43 seconds. Both the men’s and women’s 4x400 relay teams will also run in the Saturday finals.

March 13
Illinois Wesleyan University track and field coach Chris Schumacher has been chosen as the 2008 national women’s indoor track Division III “Coach of the Year” by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. The award was announced at the NCAA Division III annual banquet on Thursday, March 13, the eve of the national meet at Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio. Earlier in the week, Schumacher was one of eight coaches to earn a USTFCCCA women’s regional honor, being chosen as the Midwest Region "Coach of the Year" for the 2008 Division III indoor season. In his 10th season at IWU, Schumacher coached the Titans’ women's team to its first-ever College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin women’s track championship, scoring 187½ points. IWU qualified three women, two men and two relay teams for the NCAA indoor championships, including two-time defending champion Rachel Anderson in the 400 meters. The USTFCCCA selects the top track athlete, field athlete and coach for the eight regions in Division III track and field. A national committee then selects the national winner from the regional honorees.

March 10
Three women and two men from Illinois Wesleyan have qualified in individual events for the NCAA Division III national indoor track and field championships, to be held this weekend at Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio. The IWU women’s team, which finished 10th in the national indoor meet last year after placing fourth in the 2006 national meet, have senior Rachel Anderson (Clinton, Ill. HS), who qualified for the 400, the event she won in 2007 and 2006 and was second in the 2005 indoor meet; and sophomores Amanda LaRocca and Mackenzie Clemens among the 200 female competitors this year. LaRocca (Palatine, Ill., HS) qualified in both the 55 and 55 hurdles and Clemens (Bloomington, Ill., HS) will participate in the 800. Seniors Segun Olopo (Chicago, Brooks School) and Matt Harden (O'Fallon, Ill., Township HS) are among the 200 male entrants in the meet, competing in run in the 55 and 400 meter events, respectively. The women’s 4x400 relay team, comprised of Anderson, Clemens, senior Brooke Halcott (Streator, Ill., Ottawa Marquette HS) and sophomore Ali McCoy (Irving, Texas, Episcopal School of Dallas), has also qualified for the national meet with the nation’s best time of 3:51.61. It is the same relay team that placed second in last year’s indoor championships with a time of 3:52.21. The IWU men's 4x400 relay team also qualified for the NCAA meet with a run of 3:18.82. The relay team consists of Olopo, Harden, junior Mike Conti (Itasca, Ill., Driscoll Catholic HS) and freshman Noah Dunham (Pontiac, Ill., HS).

March 1
The Illinois Wesleyan women’s track team won the school’s first-ever College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin track championship at the league indoor meet on Saturday, March 1 at Kenosha, Wis. The Titan women amassed 187.50 points to outdistance second place North Central (160). Senior Rachel Anderson was chosen as the women's "Athlete of the Meet" as she placed first in both the 200 (25.24 seconds) and 400 (56.65) and fifth in the 55 while sophomore Amanda LaRocca was first in the 55 hurdles, second in the 55, third in the high jump, fourth in the 200 and fifth in the long jump. Sophomore Mackenzie Clemens got first in the 800 (2:18.98) and the women’s 4x200, 4x400 and distance medley relay teams all won. Wesleyan's women's coaching staff also won the league's top coaching honors. The IWU men scored 91 points to finish third as North Central took the men’s title with 220 points. Senior Segun Olopo was named as the men's "Athlete of the Meet" as he set conference meet marks in winning the 55 (6.34) and 200 (21.93) and senior Matthew Harden won the 400. The men’s 4x200 relay team also won and sophomore Andrew Burton got second in the long jump. Go here for all results.

February 16
The Illinois Wesleyan men’s and women’s track teams both finished second overall but were the top Division III teams at the DePauw Invitational on Saturday, Feb. 16 in Greencastle, Ind. The IWU men’s team scored 67 points, second only to Division II Indianapolis with 76.5 while the women amassed 131 points to trail only Division I Austin Peay. Senior Segun Olopo won the 55 and took second in the 400 while Matthew Harden won the 400 in a meet record 49.64 seconds. Andrew Burton tied for first in the long jump at 22 feet-8 inches. For the women, four sophomores were winners - Kerry Devitt (mile), Ali McCoy (400), Mackenzie Clemens (800 in meet record time of 2:14.36) and Amanda LaRocca (55 hurdles). Both the men’s and women’s 4x400 relay teams got first place along with the women’s 4x200 relay team.

February 9
The Illinois Wesleyan women's track team finished first (of 10) and the men's team was fourth (of nine) at the Bob Keck Invitational, held at IWU's Shirk Center on Feb. 9. The women amassed 138.5 points and got first place finishes from senior Rachel Anderson (school record in the 200) and sophomores Ali McCoy (400), Mackenzie Clemens (800) and Amanda LaRocca (55 hurdles). Anderson also got second in the 55 and LaRocca was third in the long jump, the 55 and the high jump. Senior Segun Olopo won the 55 and senior Matthew Harden (pictured) won the 400 in 48.99 seconds, the best this season in Division III. Titan second place finishers included senior Azizuddin Rose (55), freshman Noah Dunham (800), senior Lane Coonrod (5,000) and sophomore Andrew Burton (long jump). The men's team had a total of 87.5 points as Augustana won the meet with 142 points. On "Seniors' Day", both the women's and men's 4x400 relay teams finished first.

February 2
Both the Illinois Wesleyan men's and women's track teams finished first in the Titan Open held at the Shirk Center on Saturday, Feb. 2. The men amassed 70 points to defeat 12 other teams and seniors Matt Harden and Segun Olopo finished first-second in both the 55 and 400. Their 400 times were both NCAA provisional qualifiers. Harden also finished second in the 200 (22.40 seconds). For the women, sophomore Amanda LaRocca had provisional qualifying times in winning the 55 (7.25 seconds) and finishing second in the 55 hurdles (8.29 in the prelims). Senior Rachel Anderson's winning 400 time of 56.20 seconds is an NCAA automatic qualifier and she joined senior Brooke Halcott and sophomores Ali McCoy and Mackenzie Clemens for a win in the 4x400 relay with an NCAA provisional time. The distance medley relay team of Ashley Heilengoetter, Alexandria Sawyer, Allison Fisher and Kerry Devitt had a school record (12:33.60) in a third place finish. The IWU women had 104 points to win the 11-team meet.

January 26
The Illinois Wesleyan women's team finished second and the men's team finished fifth in the Midwest Invitational held at Monmouth (Ill.) College on Saturday, Jan. 26. The Titan women amassed 138. 50 points and got first place finishes from senior Rachel Anderson in the 300, senior Brooke Halcott in the 400, sophomore Mackenzie Clemens in the 600 (school record), sophomore Amanda LaRocca in the 55 hurdles, and sophomore Chinny Ekwulugo in the triple jump. Both LaRocca and Ekwulogo had NCAA provisional qualifying marks along with Anderson in the 55. The women's 4x400 relay team of Clemens, Halcott, Anderson and LaRocca also placed first with an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 3:58.98. The Titan men gathered in 87 points and had first place winners in senior Matt Harden in both the 55 and 300 and senior Segun Olopo in the 200. Harden's school record and NCAA automatic qualifying time of 6.3 seconds in the 55 is tied for the lowest in the nation this winter.
Darien West had a school record in the men's weight throw.
Augustana's women's and men's teams both won the meet with scores of 168 and 158.5, respectively.

January 19
The Illinois Wesleyan women's team finished second and the men's team finished fifth in the eight-team Phoenix Invitational, held on Saturday, Jan. 19 at the University of Chicago. The women scored 143 points and the men amassed 64.5 points. Amanda LaRocca won the 55 hurdles with an NCAA provisional time of 8.51 seconds and also got second in the 55. Senior Rachel Anderson got first in the 200 and second place finishes came from sophomore Ali McCoy (200), freshman Ashlyn Duckwitz (800), sophomore Mackenzie Clemens (mile), senior Mary Ellen Barron (5000), sophomore Emily Hagen (high jump), sophomore Sarah Casey (pole vault) and sophomore Chinny Ekwulugo (triple jump). Senior Segun Olopo won the 55 and senior Matthew Harden took first in the 400 for the men while sophomore Brandon Patrick placed second in the high jump. Both the men's and women's 4x400 relay teams finished first in the meet, which was won by the host school, who had 167 points in both the men's and women's meets. The men's relay team consisted of Harden, Aaron Ball, Mike Conti and Noah Dunham, while the women's relay team was Clemens, Duckwitz, Alexandria Sawyer and Brooke Halcott.

January 12
The Illinois Wesleyan men's and women's track teams each got first place in the six team IWU Relays, staged at the Shirk Center on Jan. 12. The men amassed 143 points while second place Olivet Nazarene got 123. The Titan women claimed 214 points while Olivet Nazarene was second with 122. Winners for the women included senior Rachel Anderson in the 400 (in an NCAA provisional time of 57.08 seconds), freshman Ashlyn Duckwitz (600), sophomore Chinny Ekwulugo (triple jump), freshman Kyla Motz (shot put) and senior Julia Varsamis (weight throw) along with the 1600 relay team and the distance medley relay team. Senior Segun Olopo set a school record and had an NCAA automatic qualifying time in winning the 55 at 6.31 seconds. Other male winners were senior Matthew Harden (400), sophomore Brandon Patrick (high jump) and sophomore Mike Smith (shot put).

November 27
The Illinois Wesleyan men's and women's track teams return numerous letterwinners from the 2007 squad as they enter the new season, which gets underway with a dual indoor meet against Millikin on Saturday, Dec. 1 at 11 a.m. At the national outdoor meet in May, the IWU men's team finished tied for 18th with 16 points and the women amassed 13 points to finish tied for 19th. The women finished 10th in the national indoor meet in March. Among the returners is senior Rachel Anderson has been the national NCAA Division III indoor 400 champion in 2006 and 2007 and was also the national outdoor 400 champion in 2006 and finished second in the 400 outdoors and sixth in the 200. In this spring’s outdoor meet, she was second in the 400 and sixth in 200. Also back is senior Matthew Harden, who, at the NCAA outdoor meet, finished second in the 200 with a time of 21.44 seconds and was third in the 400 with a clocking of 47.02 seconds