Track
Track is a spring sport at Marian. Marian has received three state championships and three runners up.
Head Coach: Greg Golka
Assistant Coaches: Josh Hill, Roger Wright, Nicole Nielsen, Jimmy Jackson, Jeff Hacker, & Candice Mills
Coaching and Team Philosophy
We believe that being a part of the Track team should be a positive experience for everyone. We believe that the key ingredients to make that happen are: being a part of the team, hard work, dedication to improvement and fun. We welcome anyone to the team who is willing to live into the expectations of the team.
Feeling like you are an important part of the team and having fun motivates individuals to work hard and to make a commitment to one’s teammates and to one’s self to improve. Hard work and a commitment to improve leads to individual success. Success on the individual level makes a team competitive on the state level. SO . . .
As coaches, we strive to challenge and train our athletes physically and we are committed to learning and implementing the most effective coaching techniques. We also believe that burnout is a real issue in track and field, so our goal is for our athletes to peak at the right time without overtraining them.
Team Expectations
– you have to push yourself and your body to do things that it hasn’t done before in order to get better. Everyone, NO MATTER WHAT YOUR ABILITY LEVEL IS, can improve as the season goes along if you work at it.
– we have practice everyday from 3:30 p.m. until approximately 5:30 p.m. If you have excessive unexcused absences, you will be asked to leave the team. This means that doctor’s or other appointments and travel plans must be made around practice time. Unexcused absences are absences that you yourself did not clear with a coach, or your reason for being absent was not ok’d by the coach(es). We are willing to work with things that pop up in your life, but we need to know that you are committed to the team and to getting better. If you need to miss a practice or meet, you need to give Coach Golka a note from your parent stating the reason for the absence.
– You will be competing in several meets during the season. Which meets and how many will depend on your level of talent. The top three available performers in each event (four in the case of relays) will compete in varsity events. The “varsity” can and will change throughout the year, so a person who is not in the top three at the beginning of the year may work their way up, and a person who starts the year competing on the varsity level may drop out depending on their performance.
– When we all work hard to accomplish something, everyone wins. Peer pressure can persuade people to take the easy way out or it can make working hard something that is expected. Winning teams and true competitors thrive in an environment where hard work is encouraged and rewarded. You can make a difference and demand the best from your teammates and from yourself.
for uniform care, injury care, absences, competition day/meet routine, etc.. We set these things up to make life smoother for you and for us as coaches. Stress comes when people don’t know what is going on and the team may suffer when you aren’t where you need to be or when things didn’t get done.
– Your behavior can have a dramatic effect on the team, positively or negatively. True athletes listen to coaches’ instructions, treat their teammates with respect, and conduct themselves in a manner expected of a Marian student. Any behavior or attitude that is harmful to the team will not be tolerated.
– Our goal is to make being a part of the Track team a positive experience. If you work hard, compete well, get better, enjoy and encourage your teammates, this season will be fun.
Marian's Top 5 Track Records
100m
1. Candice Mills 12.1 2002
2. Victoria Wilson 12.3 2007
3. Neeia Cooperwood 12.34 2009
4. Nikki Meadows 12.5 1989
5. Andrea Benak 12.8 1983
5. Audra Neppl 12.8 1988
200m
1. Candice Mills 24.9 2002
2. Neeia Cooperwood 25.51 2009
3. Victoria Wilson 25.88 2008
4. Nikki Meadows 26.5 1989
5. Edna Johnson 26.7 2007
400m
1. Ali Jones 59.64 1999
2. Edna Johnson 59.98 2007
3. Mary Lenz 1:01.57 1998
4. Christine Buechler 1:01.9 2006
5. Lisa Clifford 1:02.1 1991
5. Kasha Tafoya 1:02.1 2006
800m
1. Anna Jones 2:15.49 1998
2. Laura Spanheimer 2:15.96 2000
3. Emily Sisson 2:18.63 2007
4. Whitney Jones 2:20.13 2005
5. Krissie Spanheimer 2:20.45 1997
1600m
1. Krissie Spanheimer 5:05.22 1997
2. Laura Spanheimer 5:06.46 1998
3. Emily Sisson 5:07.0 2007
4. Kelli Budd 5:10.71 2009
5. Sara Prince 5:13.33 2004
3200m
1. Emily Sisson 10:47.28 2007
2. Laura Spanheimer 11:01.18 1998
3. Kelli Budd 11:05.43 2007
4. Megan Millea 11:07.21 2003
5. Krissie Spanheimer 11:10.96 1997
100m High Hurdles
1. Emmy Brock 15.5 1985
2. Noelle Mapes 16.16 2009
3. Amy Gradoville 16.2 1983
4. Chelsea Kropp 16.3 2004
5. Liz Lenihan 16.47 1999
300m Low Hurdles
1. Chelsea Kropp 46.8 2005
2. Korie Lebeda 47.17 2004
3. Liz Lenihan 47.65 1999
4. Noelle Mapes 48.49 2009
5. Sarah Carlson 48.89 2007
400m Relay
1. 2007 49.61 (L. Boulay, C. Buechler, E. Johnson, V. Wilson)
2. 2008 50.5 (N. Cooperwood, C. Buechler, A. Rogers, V. Wilson)
3. 2009 50.68 (N. Cooperwood, J. Johnson, C. Sehn, V. Wilson)
4. 2005 51.1 (L. Boulay, L. Sanley, A. Johnson, C. Kropp)
5. 2003 51.16 (C. Gregory, M. Hinrichs, A. Shaw, B. Cain)
1600m Relay
1. 1977 4:06.14 (G. Hungerford, T. Vollmer, M. Delorenzo, C. Shelton)
2. 2009 4:06.58 (L. Nelson, M. Neary, M. Ogorzaly-Eaton, V. Wilson)
3. 2007 4:07.82 (L. Boulay, C. Buechler, E. Knowles, E. Johnson)
4. 1998 4:07.97
5. 2005 4:09.0 (L. Boulay, A. Johnson, C. Kropp, K. Lebeda)
3200m Relay
1. 2000 9:21.47 (A. Sibbernsen, An. Jones, M. Lenihan, L. Spanheimer)
2. 1998 9:22.69 (An. Jones, Al. Jones, A. Sibbernsen, L. Spanheimer)
3. 1999 9:30.03 (An. Jones, Al. Jones, A. Sibbernsen, L. Spanheimer)
4. 2005 9:33. 24 (W. Jones, K. Esch, K. Kersenbrock, S. Prince)
5. 1997 9:37.5 (An. Jones, Al. Jones, K. Lotspeich, K. Spanheimer)
Long Jump
1. Candice Mills 19’9 1/4” 2002
2. Neeia Cooperwood 17’4 1/2” 2009
3. Nikki Meadows 17’3” 1989
4. Cathy Harrison 16’11 1/2” 1983
5. Rhonda Miller 16’10 1/4” 1987
5. Lindsay Kelley 16’10 1/4” 1999
Triple Jump
1. Candice Mills 37’10” 2002
2. Korie Lebeda 36’1” 2003
3. Lauren Nelson 35’6 3/4” 2009
4. Lauren Boulay 33’5” 2007
5. Angie Worthington 32'11 1/2" 2008
High Jump
1. Katie Stanzel 5’ 1999
1. Lauren Nelson 5’ 2009
3. Emmy Brock 4’9” 1985
4. Stacey Koesters 4’8” 2004
4. Kelly Esch 4’8” 2005
4. Beth Grove 4’8” 2005
4. Megan Tessmer 4’8” 2009
Pole Vault
1. Molly McCandless 10'4" 2008
2. Mary Hinrichs 9’10” 2004
3. Emily Clayton 9’ 1999
3. Laura Haller 9' 2009
5. Kayla Sorensen 8’6” 2007
Discus
1. Ronda Motykowski 125’7” 1980
2. Maggie Horan 114’2” 2005
3. Ann Marie Pesavento 112’ 2004
4. Elise Jones 99’9” 2007
5. Johanna Hilbers 99’ 2004
Shot Put
1. Ronda Motykowski 39’8 1/2” 1980
2. Elise Jones 34’6” 2007
3. Ashley Smith 34’ 2002
4. Cindy Cernech 32’11” 1988
5. Sheila Kelly 30’9” 2006
RECORDS ARE BASED ON INCOMPLETE INFORMATION. IF YOU KNOW OF ANY CORRECTIONS OR ADDITIONS, PLEASE EMAIL GREG GOLKA (golkag@marian.creighton.edu).