The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women's team will be represented by four women, in five events, at the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III Indoor Track and Field Championship March 12-13 at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana.  UW-W qualifiers include Brooke Bell (Milwaukee/Alexander Hamilton), Sara Poppe (Germantown/Kettle Moraine Lutheran), Jessa Luebke (Tomah/Tomah) and Shelby Demos (Janesville/Parker).  See Warhawk Championship Central for more information.

Bell will be looking to add a fourth All-America honor to her resume.  Bell, the UW-W record holder in the 55 meters at 7.10, won the 200 meters at the 2009 NCAA III outdoor meet.  She also placed fifth in the 100 at the same meet, and earned a seventh place in the 2008 NCAA III outdoor championship.  Her championship experience also includes qaulifying for the 55 meters indoors in 2008.

Bell, the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champion, has the fourth fastest time among the field of eighteen entrants.  Callen Martin of Wilmington College leads the field with a 6.98.  Judy Bataille of Heidelberg College won the 55 last year in 7.02, and Diana Lawson of New Jersey City College set the Division III record of 6.93 in 2004.

Bell's preliminaries are set for 5:35 Friday, with the eight finalists advancing to a 3:25 Saturday showdown.

Poppe stepped up from making the provisional list last year to earn a place in the competition this year, and she made the field in two events, the long jump and the triple jump.  She owns the school indoor triple jump record at 38-8.75, her mark fourth among qaulifiers.  Nakeisha Jones of Tufts University owns the top mark among qualifiers at 39-2.5.  Abeye Aimable of Wartburg College won the triple jump in 2009 with a 39-6, and the Division III record is held by Shimera Daniels of Wheaton College (MA) with a 41-5 in 2002. 

Poppe will compete in the long jump Friday noon and the triple jump at 9:45 Saturday.

Poppe's 18-3.25 is twelfth among long jump qualifiers, with the field led by Skye Morrison of Wartburg at 19-7.  Poppe won the 2010 WIAC long jump title.  The Division III record is 19-6.75 by Daniels, also set in 2002.  Last year's winner was Caitlin Schetter of UW-La Crosse at 18-10, and the UW-Whitewater long jump record of 18-11 was set by Becky Karls in 1993.

Jessa Luebke (Tomah/Tomah), like Poppe, has made a steady progression up the qualifying ladder in her career.  Making her first NCAA III championship appearance, Luebke will compete in the weight throw, with her mark of 54-3.75 thirteenth among qualifiers.  Claire Ray of the University of Chicago head the field at 62-6.75.  UW-Whitewater's weight throw record is 58-8, produced by Jessica Kohlman in 2001.

Luebke will compete in the weight throw at 2:30 Friday.

Whitewater's contingent will be rounded out by Demos in the high jump.  Demos, a freshman, broke the school record twice this spring, eventually reaching 5-8.  (For good measure she also broke the school recrod in the 55 meter hurdles.)  Demos is tied for the second best qualifying jump, behind only La'shonda Carter of New Jersey City, 5-8.75.  Marlee Berg of Westfield State won the event in 2009 at 5-6.5, and the D III record of 5-10.75 was set by Kristy Laramee of Middleburg College in 2000.  

Demos is scheduled to compete at 4:00 Friday.

UW-Whitewater has finished among the top ten in the NCAA III indoor meet four times, the best fifth place iin 1993.  The best finish ever in a national championship, indoor or outdoor, was the fourth place finish accomplished by the 2000 team in the outdoor meet.

For additional information:  Dave Wiederrecht, UW-W coach