Horizon League Outdoor Track and Field Release #1

April 1, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Valparaiso senior thrower Steve Bartholomew and Milwaukee junior distance runner Holly Nearman were selected Horizon League men's and women's outdoor track Athletes of the Week based on their performances this past weekend.

Male Athlete of the Week
Steve Bartholomew
Valparaiso
Sr., Valparaiso, Ind.
Bartholomew helped the Crusaders to a third-place finish at the Ted Haydon Invitational in Chicago, this past weekend. The Valpo senior took top honors in the discus with a mark of 166 feet and in the hammer throw with a performance of 182 feet, 4 inches. Bartholomew's toss in the discus was more than 22 feet past the runner-up, while his mark in the hammer was over 36 feet farther than the second-place performance.

Female Athlete of the Week
Holly Nearman
Milwaukee
Jr., Monroe, Wis.
Nearman earned the League's first female Athlete of the Week award for the outdoor season after she posted a pair of top-four finishes this past weekend at the Southern Illinois Spring Classic in Carbondale, Ill. The UWM junior placed second the 1,500-meter run (4:40.56). Nearman's time in the event was the eighth fastest performance in school history. She also placed fourth in the 800m in a time of 2:19.66.

Other Men's Top Performers for the Week
Lesley Hanna
Detroit
Fr., Exuma, Bahamas
Hanna led the way with a pair of victories in the 400-and 200-meter dash events at the Detroit Classic. The UDM freshman posted a time of 49.9 in the 400 and 22.6 in the 200.

Joe Mahalick
Loyola
Sr., Joliet, Ill.
Mahalick paced the Ramblers with a sixth-place finish in the men's 800-meter run at the Raleigh Relays in Raleigh, N.C. His time of 1:52.04 was his fastest outdoor mark by 1.7 seconds. The senior then came back 40 minutes later and led off the 4x800m relay with a 1:55 split.

Tyler Bucholz
Milwaukee
So., Crystal, Minn.
Bucholz ran a time of 47.93 seconds in the 400-meter dash on Saturday to take second at the Southern Illinois Spring Classic in Carbondale, Ill. The sophomore's time eclipsed Jeremy Major's school record time of 48.09.

Joe Bailey
UIC
Sr., Chicago, Ill.
Bailey took second place in the hammer throw on Saturday at the Ted Haydon Invitational in Chicago. The senior posted a mark of 44.32 meters.

Kyle Fetters
Wright State
So., West Milton, Ohio
Fetters posted a personal best in the 5,000-meter run as he ran a 16:00.75 to place 11th at the Alabama Relays. Fetters posted the winning time in his heat and led all WSU finishers across the finish line.

Other Women's Top Performers for the Week
Amanda Smith
Detroit
Sr., Coopersville, Mich.
Smith took first place in the 400-meter hurdles over the weekend at the Detroit Classic. The Michigan native clocked a time of 1:06.8 to claim the event.

Jordan Rohfling
Loyola
Fr., Omaha, Neb.
Rohfling won the women's discus throw with a mark of 33.64 meters while competing at the Viking Classic in Omaha, Neb. She also placed first in the women's hammer throw with a mark of 37.26m and garnered a second-place finish in the women's shot put with a toss of 10.17m.

Erin Clark
UIC
Fr., Forrest, Ill.
Clark made her outdoor debut on Saturday with a fifth place finish in the hammer throw at the Ted Haydon Invitational in Chicago. The UIC thrower posted a mark of 38.03 meters.

Rachael Button
Valparaiso
Sr., Farmington Hills, Mich.
Button won the 5,000-meter run on Saturay at the Ted Haydon Invitational. The Valpo senior posted a time of 18:24.60.

Jennifer McWhinney
Wright State
Fr., New Paris, Ohio
McWhinney posted a pair of solid times at the Alabama Relays on Saturday, competing in the 100-and 400-meter hurdles. In the 100, the rookie posted a 16.05 time and followed that with a 1:07.60 in the 400.