WEBSITE LINKS: NCAA / OHIO WESLEYAN / USTFCCCA
DELAWARE, OHIO --
Sophomore Liz Evans (Bicknell/North Knox)
became the third student-athlete in Rose-Hulman Institute of
Technology history to earn multiple national championships by
winning the high jump national title on Saturday.
Evans completed a sweep of the 2011 NCAA Division III Indoor and Outdoor National Championships in the high jump with a vault of 5' 8" at Ohio Wesleyan University to claim her second career national title and fourth All-American award.
Her effort marks just the eighth time in 27 years that a student-athlete has swept the NCAA Division III Indoor and Outdoor high jump national titles in the same season. Crystal Blamy of Keene State was the last athlete to accomplish the feat in 2008.
The mathematics and electrical engineering double major joins three-time javelin national champion Chris Trapp and two-time pole vault national champion Ryan Loftus as the only multiple national champions in Fightin' Engineer athletic history.
Julia Baranek of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and Shelby Demos of Wisconsin-Whitewater joined Evans by clearing 5' 7". On her third and final attempt, Evans cleared 5' 8" to seperate herself from the field and capture the national championship.
The honor marks the fourth career All-American award for Evans, who recorded runner-up finishes in the high jump both indoors and outdoors in 2010.
The historic Saturday also included a pair of All-American honors for Rose-Hulman junior hurdler Sutton Coleman (SEE RELATED STORY).
Andrew Schipper holds Rose-Hulman's career record for All-American honors with six, and Evans joins a group of five Engineers with four All-American awards. Honorees include Tony Allen ('78), Ryan Loftus ('98), Phil Reksel ('00), current junior Sutton Coleman and Evans.
The decorated Rose-Hulman track and field history includes 42 All-American awards, seven individual national championships and seven national runner-up efforts after Evans performance on Saturday.
(photos by Linda Striggo)