The record was nice. Qualifying for nationals was a definite bonus. But Rose Tepper had something else on her mind.
“We knew it was her best jump ever, but Rose’s first question was, ‘Did I beat that girl from Northern Michigan?’ ” Lawrence University track and field coach Jason Fast said.
Tepper jumped 5 feet, 5.75 inches (1.67 meters), at last Saturday’s UW-Stevens Point Invitational and tied Northern Michigan’s Bailey Franklin for first place. The jump broke Lawrence’s school record of 5-5.25 and made Tepper a provisional qualifier for the NCAA Division III Championships in March at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio.
“More than just the fact that she’s succeeding, Rose brings a great attitude to every competition. She just hates to lose,” Fast said.
“She brings a great competitive aspect to our team that hasn’t been seen in a while. It’s nice to see that and be able to build around that since she’s only a sophomore.”
A native of Mount Vernon, Iowa, Tepper won the high jump at the Midwest Conference Championships during the 2010 outdoor season, but a trip to the NCAA Championships eluded Tepper during her rookie campaign.
“Qualifying for nationals was the main goal (for this season),” Tepper said. “I actually didn’t realize that I was breaking the record until after I jumped.”
Tepper nearly became an automatic qualifier for the NCAA meet but narrowly missed clearing 1.72 meters (5-7.75) last Saturday.
“She was born to jump,” Fast said of Tepper. “She has steadily been improving as we’ve been able to work with her more and get her more involved with the weight room. That’s one of the biggest changes we’ve made this year. Getting her stronger is already paying dividends.”
Tepper said working with assistant coach Lyndsey Thoma, a national qualifier herself during her days at UW-Oshkosh, has paid big dividends.
“I do feel like coach Thoma has definitely been working on some key things in my approach and that has affected how I’ve been jumping,” Tepper said.
“What I have been working on is getting my last three steps shorter to get my power up. When I shorten those last steps, I’m pounding into the ground to get my momentum up and over.”
And Fast believes Tepper has the physical ability and mental makeup to get up and over even greater heights.
“I have no doubt that she can go higher. It’s just a matter of her getting the opportunity. This is a huge barrier out of the way. She talked about how nervous she was clearing 1.67 and now that’s out of the way,” Fast said.
Tepper currently is tied for the eighth-highest jump in the nation, and Fast said that 1.67 meters has always been good enough to reach the NCAA meet. Getting Tepper to the national stage is an exciting prospect, according to Fast.
“Rose has shown the propensity, in her short career, to jump well at big meets,” Fast said.
Sheridan, Thoren honored
Lawrence standouts Jon Sheridan and William Thoren have earned Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association weekly awards.
Sheridan was named the Defensive Player of the Week and Thoren was chosen as the Freshman of the Week.
Sheridan, a senior defenseman, recorded two assists in Lawrence’s 5-0 win over Northland last Friday and then scored the game-winning goal in a 4-2 victory over the Lumberjacks on Saturday. Sheridan was a plus-four on the weekend.
Thoren, a freshman defenseman, had a pair of assists in the shutout win and another assist in Saturday’s victory. He was a plus-three on the weekend.
Battle of Highway 41 this weekend
The Lawrence and Marian hockey teams play in the Battle of Highway 41 this weekend.
Friday’s game is at Marian and Saturday’s game is at the Appleton Family Ice Center. The winner of the series receives the prodigious Battle of Highway 41 trophy.
Should the teams split the two games, a shootout to determine the winner will take place immediately following Saturday’s game.
Editor’s Note: Inside LU Athletics is a weekly notes package written by Lawrence University Sports Information Director Joe Vanden Acker. It will feature teams and individual players, recap weekly awards or highlights and take a look at what’s ahead for the Vikings.