Titans Three Points Short At National Championship

Christy Cazzola achieved a triple crown and Samantha Loew added an individual title as UW-Oshkosh placed second at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championship on Thursday-Saturday (May 23-25) in La Crosse.

The Titans counted 43 points to list second for the fourth time in the past five years. Wartburg College won the championship with 46 points, while Buffalo State University and Ramapo College tied for third with 41.

Cazzola started her historical Saturday afternoon by capturing the 800-meter run in 2:05.93. Then one hour later, she prevailed in the 1,500-meter run with a mark of 4:17.22. It was the third straight year that Cazzola won the 1,500-meter race.

After minimal rest time, Cazzola took the track again for the 5,000-meter competition. She remained in the lead pack for the first 10 laps before making her move. With about 300 meters to go, Cazzola kicked it into top gear and cruised to a winning school-record time of 16:31.17.

Loew finished second in the hammer throw last year and sixth during 2011. This season, she posted a 191-0 to win the national title.

McKenzie Kelly was UW-Oshkosh's other All-American. Kelly placed sixth in the 1,500-meter run with a time of 4:24.42.

By Jon Feyen