RACHEL REISER BREAKS OWN 3000 METER SCHOOL RECORD TO HELP INDIAN TRACK GIRLS TO FIFTH-PLACE FINISH AT NEIC MEET

The 2000 team season has come to an end for the Waukon Indian girls track team, as the Tribe closed out its season with its district and conference meets this past week. The Northeast Iowa Conference meet, in which the Indians finished fifth as a team at Charles City Thursday, May 11, proved to be the final meet of the season for all but one of this year's team members, as senior Rachel Reiser was the lone Indian to earn a spot in this year's State Track Meet by winning the 3000 meter run at the Tribe's Class 2A District Meet Monday, May 8.

REISER TO STATE MEET
Reiser will compete in the Class 2A season finale Friday, May 19 at approximately 12 Noon at Drake Stadium in Des Moines. She will be one of 24 Class 2A competitors in the state meet 3000 meter run, turning in the ninth fastest Class 2A district meet time in the event.

District Meet ...
The Class 2A District Track Meet proved to provide an extension of the 2000 track season for just one of the Indian track girls Monday, May 8. With her district win in the 3000 meter run, senior Rachel Reiser will now compete in her first-ever state track meet.
Although Reiser produced the only Indian event win at the district meet - resulting in automatic qualification for the state meet, several other Indian events were just shy of qualifying for the state meet, needing to be one of the top remaining 16 best performances behind those district winners.
Closest to qualifying was junior Crystal Magner in her 400 meter hurdle event, finishing less than two-tenths of a second off the qualifying cut-off of 1:11.07 with her third-place finish in 1:11.25. Magner was also part of the Tribe's shuttle hurdle relay that also finished third at the district meet in 1:11.90, just two seconds off the qualifying cut-off time of 1:09.88.
Indian sophomore Melissa Kleinow was just one second off the state meet cut-off time in finishing fifth in the 400 meter dash with a clocking of 1:04.48. That cut-off time was 1:03.47 this year.
In addition to those close-but-not-quite Indian placewinnings, the Tribe also had two other events with finishes in the top six at the district meet. Sophomore Shelby Nordheim sailed 14'5-1/4" to place fifth in the long jump, while the Tribe's sprint medley relay team of freshman Amy Nordheim and sophomores Jaime Welch, Shelby Nordheim and Melissa Kleinow finished sixth in a time of 2:04.30.
Those Indian placewinnings added up to a team score of 23 points, good enough to tie with Crestwood for ninth place overall at the district meet.

TEAM SCORES
North Fayette 80; South Winn 78; New Hampton 67.5; Decorah 65.5; Dyersville Beckman 46; MFL/Mar Mac 35; Central Garnavillo 28; Oelwein 25; Crestwood 23; WAUKON 23; Maquoketa Valley 17; Independence 14

Indian results follow:
Shot put - Sarah Snitker N/A; Jenny Grimstad N/A.
Discus - Jenny Grimstad N/A; Sarah Snitker N/A.
Long jump - 5. Shelby Nordheim 14'5-1/4"; Amy Nordheim N/A.
High jump - Rachel Piedot N/A; Lindsey Wirth N/A.
3000m - 1. Rachel Reiser 11:17.21; Lane Palmer 12:08.18.
4x800 - Jessica Kammeyer, Lisa Hansmeier, Erica Langland, Courtney Beardmore 11:05.43.
Shuttle hurdle relay - 3. Erin Daley, Crystal Magner, Jaime Welch, Lindsey Wirth 1:11.90.
Distance medley - Kristen Halse, Jessie Snitker, Jessie Palmer, Ashley Sweeney 4:57.70.
100m - Kristen Halse 14.42.
400m - 5. Melissa Kleinow 1:04.48; Katie Sickels 1:10.68.
4x200 - Amy Nordheim, Jessie Snitker, Erin Daley, Shelby Nordheim N/A.
100m hurdles - Lindsey Wirth 18.31.
800m - Lisa Hansmeier 2:42.19; Courtney Beardmore 2:48.63.
200m - Kristen Halse 29.81.
400m low hurdles - 3. Crystal Magner 1:11.25.
Sprint medley - 6. Amy Nordheim, Jaime Welch, Shelby Nordheim, Melissa Kleinow 2:04.30.
1500m - Bethany Hammel 5:41.70; Jessica Kammeyer 5:46.05.
4x100 - Melissa Kleinow, Jaime Welch, Lindsey Wirth, Crystal Magner 56.81.
4x400 - Shelby Nordheim, Amy Nordheim, Jessie Palmer, Erin Daley 4:36.45.

NEIC meet ...
The season finale for the Indian girls track team came at the 2000 Northeast Iowa Conference meet, and the Indian track girls ended their season on somewhat of a high note. The Tribe placed fifth overall at the meet, but secured a number of personal best or season best performances along the way.
"This was a pretty good way to end a very enjoyable season," Waukon girls track coach Don Steffens said. "We had a number of personal best performances, and in most cases, the kids who turned in those performances were all underclassmen who will be coming back next year for us. We were shooting for a fourth-place finish, but just didn't quite get there. Overall, I was very pleased with how we did compete. The girls really went out after most of their events, and it showed."

TEAM SCORES
Decorah 125; Waverly-Shell Rock 109; New Hampton 82; Charles City 62; WAUKON 47.5; Oelwein 45.5; Crestwood 32

Indian senior distance runner Rachel Reiser continued to be the brightest of the bright spots for this year's team, finishing out her invitational season undefeated in the 3000 meter run and making Waukon girls track history again in the process. Reiser earned herself the NEIC 3000 meter crown with yet another win in the event, this one coming in a school record time of 11:06.06, more than three seconds better than the previous mark of 11:09.61 she set a week earlier at Waverly.
"Another exceptional run for Rachel," Coach Steffens said. "She pretty much ran by herself once again, with no one within 45 seconds of her at the finish."
The Indians also got one of their three third-place finishes at the meet in that 3000 meter run, as freshman Lane Palmer finished six seconds behind second-place finisher Kristin Sparks of Oelwein with her third-place time of 11:58.08.
The other two third-place Indian finishes were both in relay events. The shuttle hurdle relay team of junior Crystal Magner, sophomores Erin Daley and Jaime Welch, and freshman Lindsey Wirth finished third in a time of 1:10.31, which was their best effort of the year, and the Tribe's distance medley relay team of freshmen Kristen Halse, Jessie Snitker and Erica Langland, and junior Jessie Palmer also finished third in a time of 4:54.48.
Magner also managed the Indians' only runner-up event finish at the meet, finishing second in the 400 meter hurdles in a time of 1:09.79, the best time of her career. The Indians also got season best performances from their 4x100 and sprint medley relays teams.
A pair of personal best efforts were also recorded by Reiser and freshman Bethany Hammel in the 1500 meter run, Reiser finishing fourth in 5:23.90 and Hammel coming in sixth in 5:27.46. "Bethany Hammel took off about 18 seconds from her previous best time in the 1500," Coach Steffens said. "She ran it pretty well at the district meet, so I gave her another chance to run it at the conference meet and she did very well, very promising for the future."
Fellow freshman Sarah Snitker also recorded a personal best distance in the discus, tossing the implement 102'3" for fifth place in the event.
Indian NEIC results follow:
Shot put - Sarah Snitker N/A; Jenny Grimstad N/A.
Discus - 5. Sarah Snitker 102'3"; Jenny Grimstad N/A.
High jump - Lindsey Wirth N/A.
Long jump - Shelby Nordheim N/A; Amy Nordheim N/A.
3000m - 1. Rachel Reiser 11:06.06; 3. Lane Palmer 11:58.08.
4x800 - 6. Jessica Kammeyer, Lisa Hansmeier, Ashley Sweeney, Courtney Beardmore 11:01.97.
Shuttle hurdle relay - 3. Erin Daley, Crystal Magner, Jaime Welch, Lindsey Wirth 1:10.31.
Distance medley - 3. Kristen Halse, Jessie Snitker, Jessie Palmer, Erica Langland 4:54.48.
100m - Kristen Halse 17.36.
400m - Melissa Kleinow 1:03.97; Katie Sickels N/A.
4x200 - 5. Amy Nordheim, Jessie Snitker, Kristen Halse, Shelby Nordheim 1:57.26.
800m - Jessica Kammeyer 2:38.80; Lane Palmer 2:48.60.
200m - Kristen Halse 30.40.
400m hurdles - 2. Crystal Magner 1:09.79.
Sprint medley - 5. Amy Nordheim, Jaime Welch, Shelby Nordheim, Melissa Kleinow 2:02.61.
1500m - 4. Rachel Reiser 5:23.90; 6. Bethany Hammel 5:27.46.
4x100 - 5. Melissa Kleinow, Jaime Welch, Lindsey Wirth, Crystal Magner 55.74.
4x400 - 4. Shelby Nordheim, Amy Nordheim, Jessie Palmer, Erin Daley 4:33.45.