MARIETTA, Ohio - Wartburg completed a sweep of the 2009 Division III indoor and outdoor track and field team championships – thanks again to its late-blooming senior triple-jumper and to a sweep of the relays.
Akeya Aimable, who won the indoor triple jump crown in March just weeks after competing in the event for the first time, overcame an midseason injury to repeat the feat at the outdoor championships at Marietta. Wartburg then overcame an eight-point deficit entering the meet-ending 1,600-meter relay by winning the event.
"We knew coming into the race that we had to win to clinch the team title, so that just kind of fueled us," said relay squad member Jenny Kordick. "We knew we could do it."
Kordick ran on both of Wartburg's relays, also helping claim the 400-meter relay before the Knights successfully defended their 2008 crown in the 1,600. A pair of freshmen also played key roles in the sweep as Faith Burt sparked the 400 by running the first leg and classmate Nevada Morrison played the same role in the title-clinching race.
"This feels really great – indoor and outdoor national champions," Morrison said. "It's a great honor."
The team title was Wartburg's second since 2005.
"This was a total team effort," said coach Marcus Newsom. "There were some peaks and valleys at times this year, but in the end, the team just believed they could reach this goal. It's something really special to see a group of individuals do what they did in 4½ hours."
The Knights scored all 52 of their points on the final day of competition, getting off to a great start with Aimable's win and the 400-meter relay early in the day. Aimable's championship may have been the most improbable, even after her indoor victory. She was injured during the Drake Relays and did not qualify for the outdoor championships until just a week before the event, entering competition seeded ninth.
"My expectations coming in were to just be on the podium, get some kind of trophy and get All-American," she said. "I never thought I would be national champion again."
