Ellingson, Bak recognized by IIAC

INDIANOLA, Iowa – After helping the Simpson women's indoor track and field team to a second-place finish at the 2010 Iowa Conference Championships last weekend, middle-distance runner Catie Ellingson and field athlete Kinsey Bak earned recognition as Outstanding Weekly Performers by the Iowa Conference for the period ending Feb. 28, as announced late Monday.

A junior from Indianola, Iowa, Ellingson won both the 800-meter (2:18.93) and mile (5:10.83) runs at the Iowa Conference Championships and added a third-place finish as part of Simpson's 4x400-meter relay team. She continued her perfect streak in individual events on the year, as she has not placed lower than first in the 800 or the mile. The 2007 graduate of Indianola High School has provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships in both events, running season-bests of 2:14.84 in the 800 and 5:04.92 in the mile. Her 800 time is a school record.

A sophomore from Hinton, Iowa, Bak set the Iowa Conference record in the pentathlon with an NCAA provisional score of 3,315 points. Her effort ranks fourth in the nation. During the pentathlon competition, she cleared 5-5 ¾ in the high jump to provisionally qualify in that event as well. In addition, the 2008 graduate of Hinton High School finished third in the open high jump (5-1 ¼) and fourth in the long jump (16-11 ¼).

The Simpson track and field teams will get one final chance to qualify for the national championships when they visit the Iowa State NCAA Qualifier Saturday, March 6.