Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Junior Steve Bartholomew (Valparaiso, Ind./Morgan Township) has been named the Mid-Continent Conference Men's Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Week, while sophomore Laura Rolf (Rochester, Mich./Lutheran Northwest) received the same honor on the women's side after the duo registered outstanding performances last Saturday at the Boilermaker Invitational.

Bartholomew earns his first league accolade of the season after breaking the Valpo record in the weight throw in West Lafayette. The junior registered a mark of 58'3 ¾" in the event, breaking the previous school record by over a foot and improving on his personal best in the event by nearly three feet. Bartholomew now owns three school records, having set two during the 2006 outdoor season. His mark also stands as the second-best effort in the weight throw by a Mid-Con athlete this season.

Rolf earns the conference award for the third time this year for her winning performance last Saturday in the mile run. The sophomore crossed the line in 4:44.96, almost eight seconds faster than the next-closest runner. The time was the second-fastest in school history, and is the 17th-fastest in Division I this year, while also provisionally qualifying Rolf for the NCAA Indoor Championships. Rolf has now earned the league's Athlete of the Week honors each of the last three times the Crusaders have competed, and owns the top time in the Mid-Con in both the mile and 3,000m run, having provisionally qualified for the national meet in both events.

The two honors are the perfect springboard for the Crusaders as they head into the Mid-Con Indoor Championships. The two-day meet, being held in Bloomington, Ill., begins Sunday, February 25 at 2 p.m.