UW-SP track teams head to nationals in search of individual titles Twelve individuals have their eyes on All-American status as the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point men's and women's track and field teams head to the NCAA Division 3 National Championships this week. The meet, which started Thursday and runs through Saturday in Naperville, Ill., will feature nine participants from the men's side and three from the women's team. The top six finishers in individual races receive the NCAA All-American honor and the top eight are named All-Americans by the track and field coaches association. The UW-SP men finished fourth indoors, their highest in school history. In the outdoor meet, coach Rick Witt hopes the Pointers can be among the top 10 teams. "We want to be in the top 10. After that, whatever happens is great," Witt said. "There's a lot more events outdoors, more opportunities for other teams to score." Dan Schwamberger and Mike Mead won indoor national titles earlier this spring and are both looking to become the first-ever Pointer athletes to win indoor and outdoor championships in the same event during the same year. Tom Morris is the last UW-SP athlete to win an outdoor title, after capturing the 10,000-meter run in 1988. Schwamberger won the indoor 5,000 meters and has the fifth-best outdoor time (14:30.80). Mead won the indoor high jump and is second nationally in the outdoors (6-10-3/4). "While neither are considered a favorite in seeding, they have the opportunity," Witt said. "We have a lot of guys who have an opportunity to place too." Other contenders for the Pointers include Jesse Drake, who ranks sixth in both the 5,000 and 10,000 meters, and Shawn Hau in the 100 and 200 meters. Eric Miller also qualified in the 100 meters, Chris Horvat will compete in the 800 meters and Craig Gunderson could challenge for a top spot in the 400 meters after winning the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title. Shane Suehring, who won the WIAC title in the 3,000 steeplechase, will challenge this weekend, along with the 4x100 relay team of Gunderson, Hau, Miller and Kyle Newman, which won the WIAC title in a record-setting time of 41.46 seconds. The 4x400 relay team of Gunderson, Hau, Horvat and Miller will also compete this weekend. On the women's side, Leah Juno has the best chance to compete for a title with the fifth-best qualifying time in the 800 meters. Juno finished sixth at this year's indoor meet and was seventh at last season's outdoor nationals. Becky Lebak will compete in the 5,000 meters and Katie Eiring will take part in the first-ever women's pole vault competition with a qualifying height of 11-0-3/4. "I think Leah and Becky obviously have a good shot at All-American," UW-SP women's coach Len Hill said, adding a top 20 finish in the team standings would be nice. "The leader is only a second faster than Leah. It's really close. Some of the other runners will be doubling and Leah isn't," Hill said. "A lot of people are doubling in Becky's race too. I think their chances are very good." Postseason honors UW-SP junior softball player Kelly Rutta, a 1996 Pacelli High graduate, was selected to the first team of the All-Great Lakes Region team. Rutta joins three other Pointers, all who were named to the second team. Senior catcher Michelle Gerber (Kenosha/Bradford), junior outfielder Cari Briley (Creston, Iowa) and freshman pitcher Karen Guckenberger (South Milwaukee) are UW-SP's second team honorees. Rutta hit .361 and set a single-season school record with 11 stolen bases. She led the team with 33 runs scored, five home runs and 78 total bases. Rutta also posted a .968 fielding percentage and started every game at second base. UW-SP's four selections on the first two teams were the most of any school. * * * The WIAC tri-champion UW-SP baseball team landed two players on the All-Midwest Region baseball team as junior pitcher Troy Bielmeier and sophomore shortstop Pat McCann each garnered second-team honors. Bielmeier, a Wautoma native, finished the season with a 1.19 ERA and was 6-1 with 35 strikeouts and eight walks in 60-1/3 innings pitched. McCann, an Antigo native, hit .372 and led the Pointers with 39 RBIs and 36 runs. He also had a .919 fielding percentage while starting all 39 games at shortstop.