2008 Woodie Awards
Wiszowaty snubbed from NCAAs
Tony Casey
Issue date: 3/14/08 Section: Sports
Originally published: 3/13/08 at 3:49 PM EST
Last update: 3/13/08 at 2:47 PM EST
Last year at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships junior Toni Wiszowaty placed third overall in the 5000-meter run with a time of 16 minutes, 55.56 seconds.
The top returning distance runner looked for similar success this year at the same championships.
That was until Monday night when the declaration lists came out and Wiszowaty learned that she had been overlooked by the NCAA Indoor Track committee.
"I was really upset," Wiszowaty said. "It's my senior year and it's really disappointing."
The field chosen was the smallest list in years, only consisting of 12 athletes, instead of the traditional 15 to 16.
Head Coach John Lynch did not hide his disapproval of the selected field being so small.
"They took the smallest field in the past seven years," Lynch said.
After learning about the news Lynch did two things. He faxed a letter of protest to the press room that contained the selection committee and he grabbed Wiszowaty to run a workout and boost her confidence.
Lynch had her run a 3000-meter time trial on their home track.
Wiszowaty initially didn't want to do it, but went along with it
"We planned it Sunday before we knew anything about the NCAA Championships, we wanted to get my legs hurting for races," Wiszowaty said. "When I found out...I didn't want to do it. But I wound up doing it and it went pretty well."
By the time Wiszowaty was done, exactly nine minutes, 46 seconds later, she had just ran the second fastest time in the nation and a personal and school record.
Since it wasn't a race or a sanctioned event, it didn't do anything on the national level, but it helped prove to Wiszowaty that she belonged at the NCAA Championships.
She has been coming back into form and had a previous season's best 3000 time of 10 minutes, 19 seconds.
"Hopefully the workout will boost her confidence so we can auto in the 5K in Arizona and show the NCAA that they messed up," Lynch said.
The top returning distance runner looked for similar success this year at the same championships.
That was until Monday night when the declaration lists came out and Wiszowaty learned that she had been overlooked by the NCAA Indoor Track committee.
"I was really upset," Wiszowaty said. "It's my senior year and it's really disappointing."
The field chosen was the smallest list in years, only consisting of 12 athletes, instead of the traditional 15 to 16.
Head Coach John Lynch did not hide his disapproval of the selected field being so small.
"They took the smallest field in the past seven years," Lynch said.
After learning about the news Lynch did two things. He faxed a letter of protest to the press room that contained the selection committee and he grabbed Wiszowaty to run a workout and boost her confidence.
Lynch had her run a 3000-meter time trial on their home track.
Wiszowaty initially didn't want to do it, but went along with it
"We planned it Sunday before we knew anything about the NCAA Championships, we wanted to get my legs hurting for races," Wiszowaty said. "When I found out...I didn't want to do it. But I wound up doing it and it went pretty well."
By the time Wiszowaty was done, exactly nine minutes, 46 seconds later, she had just ran the second fastest time in the nation and a personal and school record.
Since it wasn't a race or a sanctioned event, it didn't do anything on the national level, but it helped prove to Wiszowaty that she belonged at the NCAA Championships.
She has been coming back into form and had a previous season's best 3000 time of 10 minutes, 19 seconds.
"Hopefully the workout will boost her confidence so we can auto in the 5K in Arizona and show the NCAA that they messed up," Lynch said.
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