LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - Trinity University's Emily Loeffler, DePauw University’s Lauren Reich, and Birmingham-Southern College’s Tiarra Goode highlight an impressive list of 33 past standouts named to the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference's 30th Anniversary women's track and field team.
Loeffler, the 2007 SCAC Track & Field Athlete-of-the-Year, received all-anniversary recognition for her performances in three different events – 1,500 meters, 5,000 meters and 3,000-meter steeplechase. She won nine gold medals in SCAC competition, including three first-place finishes in both the 5,000 meters and the 3,000-meter steeplechase. She owns two of the top five times in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, including the conference-record mark of 10:44.91 she ran in 2009. Loeffler earned back-to-back all-America honors in the event in both 2008 (third-place finish) and 2009 (eighth-place finish) and added an all-American finish at the 2009 Indoor National Championships in the 5,000 meters when she placed fifth. Loeffler (Daum) is currently the head men's and women's cross country coach and assistant track and field coach at her alma mater.
A six-time all-American, DePauw’s Reich earned all-anniversary nods for her performances in the 800 and 1,500 meters – events she swept gold at the 2008, 2009 and 2010 conference championship meets. She still owns the SCAC championship record in both events, posting a finish of 2:14.51 in the 800 and 4:36.75 in the 1,500 at the 2010 conference meet. She also won the 5,000 meters in 2010 with the third-best time in the history of that event (17:46.14). Reich was a two-time all-American in the 1,500 meters, finishing fifth in 2008 and eighth in 2009 at the national meet. She added a seventh-place finish in the 800 meters at the 2009 meet to double up with AA honors. Reich capped her career with a second-place finish in the 1-mile run and a fourth-place finish in the 800 at the 2010 NCAA Indoor National Championships – earning all-America honors in both. She followed with a third-place finish in the 5,000 meters for her sixth career AA honor at the 2010 Outdoor National Championship meet. Reich (Loeffler) currently serves as an assistant cross country and track and field coach at Trinity.
Although she was in the league for just one season, BSC’s Goode, the 2012 SCAC Track Athlete-of-the-Year, made an indelible mark, setting conference records that still stand in the 100 meters (11.95), 200 meters (24.23) and the 100-meter hurdles (14.36). Goode became the league’s first women’s track and field national champion since Christyn Schumann of Trinity in 2006 (high jump) when she won the 60-meter hurdles at the 2012 Division III Indoor National Championships (8:56 – the eighth-fastest time in DIII history) and followed with a n individual title in the 100-meter hurdles at the 2012 DIII Outdoor Nationals. At that same event, she posted third place finishes in the 100 and 200 meters, giving her a conference-tying three all-America honors at the same national championship, equaling the performance of Heather Stone of Sewanee at the 2000 DIII Outdoor Nationals.
SCAC WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD – 30TH ANNIVERSARY TEAM
Tiarra Goode, Birmingham-Southern College – 100 meters
Nkolika Nweke, Trinity University – 100 meters
Kristin Forbes, Rhodes College – 200 meters
Ashley Myers, Texas Lutheran University – 200 meters
Bailey Drury, Trinity University – 400 meters
Kristin Forbes, Rhodes College – 400 meters
Lauren Reich, DePauw University – 800 meters
Ashley Rynard, Texas Lutheran University – 800 meters
Mariana Sigala, Trinity University – 800 meters
Emily Loeffler, Trinity University – 1,500 meters
Lauren Reich, DePauw University – 1,500 meters
Ashley Rynard, Texas Lutheran University – 1,500 meters
Emily Loeffler, Trinity University – 5,000 meters
Vanessa Moreno, Trinity University – 5,000 meters
Katie Sandfort, Colorado College – 10,000 meters
Taylor Stephens, Rhodes College – 10,000 meters
Tiarra Goode, Birmingham-Southern College – 100-meter hurdles
Abigail Schneebeck, Trinity University – 100-meter hurdles
Molly Buck, Rhodes College – 400-meter hurdles
Kate Dawson, Trinity University – 400-meter hurdles
Abigail Schneebeck, Trinity University – 400-meter hurdles
Emily Loeffler, Trinity University – 3,000-meter steeplechase
Molly McCullough, Trinity University – 3,000-meter steeplechase
Meredith Berger, Texas Lutheran University – Shot Put
Adrienne Cobb, DePauw University – Shot Put
Emily Niehaus, Centre College – Shot Put
Cortnee Priour, Texas Lutheran University – Long Jump
Britney Sullivan, Trinity University – Long Jump
Courtney Lauer, DePauw University – Javelin
Jane Johnson, University of the South-Sewanee – Javelin
Britney Sullivan, Trinity University – Triple Jump
Elizabeth Tweedy, Trinity University – Triple Jump
Brielle Brown, Texas Lutheran University – Discus
Hannah Kipp, Texas Lutheran University – Discus
Elana Edwards, Trinity University – High Jump
Elizabeth Hale, Oglethorpe University – High Jump
Camille Weaver, Colorado College – High Jump
Dejah Carr, Texas Lutheran University – Hammer Throw
Emily Niehaus, Centre College – Hammer Throw
Mia Loseff, Trinity University – Pole Vault
Emily Shiraki, Trinity University – Pole Vault
Kim Tryon, Rhodes College – Pole Vault
Among current members, Trinity University led the way with 13 student-athletes selected to the exclusive team. Texas Lutheran University followed with seven members and Colorado College had two honorees named to the squad. Rhodes College led former league members with four selections followed by DePauw University with three honorees. Birmingham-Southern College, Centre College, Oglethorpe University and University of the South-Sewanee had one selection each.
The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference will be announcing 30th Anniversary teams in 19 sports throughout the 2020-21 academic year. The league selected 15th Anniversary teams during the 2005-06 academic year – those selections can be found here.
The SCAC's 30th Anniversary teams were selected by present coaches, administrators and/or conference office personnel. Athletes who participated in conference competition between the fall of 2005 through the spring of 2020 and had been named to at least two All-SCAC teams and/or were a selected as a Player-of-the-Year in their respective sport were eligible for selection.
Five more former track and field student-athletes earned recognition to the all-anniversary team for two different events – Emily Niehaus of Centre, Kristin Forbes of Rhodes, Ashley Rynard of Texas Lutheran and Abigail Schneebeck and Britney Sullivan of Trinity.
Niehaus, the 2012 SCAC Field Athlete-of-the-Year, received all-anniversary accolades for his performances in both the shot put and the hammer throw. She was all-SCAC four times in the shot put, winning the event in 2010, 2011 and 2012. For the hammer, Niehaus dominated the event, posting the top four throws in league history, including her conference meet record toss of 177’ 2” at the 2012 championships. She is one of just 10 student-athletes to post a career sweep in an event, winning gold in the hammer from 2009-2012. She earned all-America honors in the hammer in both 2009 and 2011, posting eighth and fifth place finishes, respectively, at those national championships.
Forbes, who won back-to-back SCAC Athlete-of-the-Year honors in 2008 and 2009, helped jumpstart Rhodes’ streak of five consecutive conference championships from 2008 to 2012. She earned all-anniversary consideration for the 200 and 400 meters, winning each event three consecutive years from 2007 to 2009. She was particularly dominant in the 400 and still holds the three top times ever run at an SCAC championship in the event, including a record mark of 56.67 in 2007. Forbes earned all-America honors in the 400 in 2008 with a seventh-place finish at the Division III national meet.
TLU’s Rynard received her all-anniversary nods for the 800 and 1,500 meters, taking gold five times at the SCAC championship meet between the two events. She is one of just three women to earn three career wins in the 800 and her winning time of 2:16.28 in 2018 remains the fifth-fastest in the history of the event. Among her accolades, Rynard was named the 2017 SCAC Track & Field Newcomer-of-the-Year and the SCAC Track Athlete-of-the-Year a year later. She added an all-America accolade to her resume the following year when she finished sixth in the 800 meters at the 2019 Division III Indoor national championship meet.
Trinity’s Schneebeck earned all-anniversary recognition for both the 100-meter hurdles and 400-meter hurdles – events she won three consecutive times from 2017 to 2019. She is just one of four women to post three or more career in both events and the first in the 100-meter hurdles since Stephanie Hankins of Trinity picked up her third career win in 2006. Schneebeck owns a conference meet top five time in each event (14.84 in the 100 – fourth best and 1:02.56 in the 400 – third best) and capped her career with an all-America performance in the 400-meter hurdles (eighth place) at the 2019 national championships. Sullivan, the 2016 and 2018 SCAC Field Athlete-of-the-Year, earned her all-anniversary consideration for both the long jump and triple jump. She posted the conference’s third longest leap (18’ 5 3/4") in the long jump at the 2017 conference meet and shares the SCAC top mark in the triple jump (38’ 9”) from her efforts at the 2018 championships. Sullivan is one of just two women in history to win the triple jump at the conference meet three times in a career and capped her career with an all-America performance (seventh place) in the triple jump at the 2018 NCAA Division III Championships.
Also making the 30th anniversary track and field team were Katie Sandfort and Camille Weaver of Colorado College, Adrienne Cobb and Courtney Lauer of DePauw University, Elizabeth Hale of Oglethorpe University, Molly Buck, Taylor Stephens and Kim Tryon of Rhodes College, Jane Johnson of University of the South-Sewanee, Meredith Berger, Brielle Brown, Dejah Carr, Hannah Kipp, Ashley Myers and Cortnee Priour of Texas Lutheran and Kate Dawson, Bailey Drury, Elana Edwards, Mia Loseff, Molly McCullough, Vanessa Moreno, Nkolika Nweke, Emily Shiraki, Mariana Sigala and Elizabeth Tweedy of Trinity.
Katie Sandfort, the 2017 SCAC Track Athlete-of-the-Year, received an all-anniversary nod for the 10,000 meters, an event she earned all-SCAC honors three times including victories in 2016 and 2017. She capped her career with a third-place finish in the 10,000 meters at the 2017 Division III Championships – becoming the league’s first woman to earn all-American honors in the event. CC’s Camille Weaver earned her all-anniversary recognition for her performances in the high jump, and event she won at the SCAC championship meet in 2018 and 2019. Her winning leap of 5’ 5” at the 2019 championships is tied for the fourth-best in the history of the conference meet and capped a weekend when she raked in all-SCAC honors in five events and earned Athlete-of-the-Meet honors. The following winter, Weaver earned all-America honors in the high jump at the 2020 Division III Indoor national championships.
DePauw’s Adrienne Cobb was a four-time all-SCAC honoree in the shot put, taking home gold at three conference meets (2006, 2008 and 2009) – making her one of just three women to accomplish that feat. She owns the two of the four longest tosses in conference meet history and added an all-American certificate to her resume when she finished seventh in the shot put at the 2006 Division III Indoor national meet. Courtney Lauer, the 2011 SCAC Field Athlete-of-the-Year, earned all-anniversary consideration for the javelin, an event she achieved all-SCAC recognition three times with victories at the conference meet in 2010 and 2011. An incredible all-around athlete, Lauer was a three-time all-American, earning outdoor honors in the heptathlon in 2010 and in 2011 when she finished third in the nation and indoor honors in the pentathlon in 2011 when she finished fourth.
Oglethorpe’s Elizabeth Hale was a three-time all-SCAC recipient in the high jump – the event she earned an all-anniversary nod – winning gold in 2007 and 2009. A five-time all-SCAC honoree, she was one of just two Oglethorpe women to win multiple individual titles at the conference championship meet in the institution’s time in the conference.
In addition to Forbes, a trio of former Rhodes’ student-athletes who each played key roles in the Lynx winning five straight SCAC team titles earned slots on the all-anniversary team. Molly Buck dominated the 400-meter hurdles from 2008 to 2011 and remains the only female to complete the career sweep with four victories at the conference championship meet. She still owns the meet record in the event with a 1:01.85 finish in 2011 and earned all-America honors in 2010 with at third-place finish at nationals. Taylor Stephens received an all-anniversary nod for her performances in the 10,000 meters, an event she earned all-SCAC honors four times with victories in 2010 and 2011. Her winning time of 37:07.20 remains the second-fastest time posted in conference meet history. Kim Tryon won the pole vault competition for three consecutive years (2007-2009) and still holds two of the three highest clearances in conference meet history, including a mark of 11’ 4 1/2", which stood as the league mark for a decade before being broken in 2019.
An all-anniversary recipient for her performances in the javelin, Sewanee’s Jane Johnson earned all-SCAC honors four times with three gold medals in 2005, 2006 and 2008. She still owns the top two tosses in conference championship history, including a record heave of 136’ 7” at the 2006 SCAC meet.
Six more Bulldogs join Rynard on the all-anniversary team, including Meredith Berger – the league’s Field Athlete-of-the-Year in 2015 and 2017. Berger, who earned her nod from her performances in the shot put, was all-SCAC four consecutive years in the event with victories in 2015 and 2017. She was the Athlete-of-the-Meet in 2017 when she won both the shot put and the hammer throw, finished second in the javelin and fifth in the discus. Brielle Brown is the only female in conference history to win the discus three consecutive years (2015-2017) and is one of just four to earn all-SCAC honors in the event four times. Dejah Carr earned her nod on the team for her performances in the hammer throw – an event she has won three times (2018, 2019 and 2021). The SCAC Track & Field Newcomer of the Year in 2018, Carr is the only current track and field student-athlete to earn all-anniversary recognition. Hannah Kipp posted back-to-back victories in the discus in 2018 and 2019, charting two of the top three tosses in the history of the event in the process, including a toss of 134’ 4” to win in 2019. Ashley Myers earned her nod on the all-anniversary team with her performances in the 200 meters, an event she won three straight years from 2017 to 2019. She is one of just three women in league history to post three victories at the conference meet in the event. Cortnee Priour, the 2019 SCAC Field Athlete-of-the-Year, earned all-anniversary recognition for the long jump, an event she tallied four all-SCAC honors with victories in 2017 and 2018. Her winning jump of 18’ 8 1/2" in 2017 was the second-longest leap in the history of the conference meet and she also shares the conference mark in the triple jump with Trinity’s Sullivan (38’ 9”). Priour earned all-America honors in 2018 with a seventh-place finish in the long jump at the Division III national championships.
Joining Trinity’s Loeffler, Schneebeck and Sullivan as all-anniversary recipients are 10 more Tigers, including 2015 and 2017 SCAC Track Athlete-of-the-Year, Bailey Drury, who earned a slot on the team for her performances in the 400 meters. She won the event three times (2013, 2015 and 2016), one of only two women in league history to accomplish that feat. She garnered Athlete-of-the-Meet in 2015 when she posted all-SCAC honors in three individual events and was a member of the winning 4x100 and 4x400 meter relay teams. One of only four women to earn three conference titles in the event, Kate Dawson won three consecutive 400-meter hurdles from 2005 to 2007 and was all-SCAC in the event each of her four years at Trinity. Elana Edwards received an all-anniversary nod for the high jump, an event she won at the conference meet in 2011 and 2013. She added victories in the triple jump those same years. One of just two women to complete the career sweep in the pole vault at the conference championships, Mia Loseff won the event each year from 2016 to 2019 and her winning clearance of 12’ 2 3/4" remains the conference standard. When Molly McCullough won the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the SCAC championships as a senior in 2019, she became the first woman to earn gold in the event each of her four years and just the second conference student-athlete (Simon Flory of DePauw swept the event on the men’s side from 2001-2004). The 2019 SCAC Track Athlete-of-the-Year, McCullough capped her career with an all-America performance at the 2019 Division III national meet with a fourth-place finish. Vanessa Moreno earned her all-anniversary nod for the 5,000 meters, an event she won at the conference championship meet three consecutive years from 2012 to 2014. The 2013 SCAC Track Athlete-of-the-Year, Moreno also picked up a pair of career victories in the 1,500 meters at the conference meet (2012 and 2013). Nkolika Nweke received all-anniversary consideration for her dominant performances in the 100 meters. The 2015 SCAC Track & Field Newcomer-of-the-Year, Nweke is the only woman to sweep the 100 meters each of their four years at the conference meet and only the second student-athlete to accomplish the feat (Don Moody of Trinity won the 100 on the men’s side each year from 1994 to 1997). She has two of the top three times ever run in the event at the SCAC championship (12.04 in 2017 and 12.12 in 2018) and, coupled with two wins and two second place finishes in the 200, Nweke was consistently the league’s fastest woman from 2015 to 2018. Emily Shiraki earned all-anniversary accolades for the pole vault, an event she received all-SCAC recognition each year from 2010 to 2013, which included gold medal performances at the conference championships in 2010, 2011 and 2013. Her winning vault of 11’ 1/4" in 2011 is the fourth highest in conference championship competition history. Mariana Sigala was a three-time winner of the 800 meters (2013, 2014 and 2015), the event she was selected for all-anniversary consideration, and received all-SCAC honors at the conference meet each of her four years at Trinity – one of just three women to accomplish that feat. Elizabeth Tweedy earned all-SCAC for four consecutive years in the triple jump, which included gold medal performances at the conference meet in 2008 and 2009. She is one of just four women over the last 15 years to earn all-conference in the event four times and, among those four, one of just two with multiple victories over that span.
