Mitchell, Rohrs, Schetter Named 2009 Division III Women’s Track & Field Scholar Athletes of the Year

NEW ORLEANS – Three student-athletes who earned five individual national titles both indoors and outdoors in 2009 add to their post-season accolades as the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announced Tuesday the Women’s 2009 Division III Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Scholar Athletes of the Year.

Those three student-athletes are Indoor Track Scholar Athlete Ayla Mitchell (University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh), Outdoor Track Scholar Athlete Sumer Rohrs (Frostburg State University), and Indoor and Outdoor Field Scholar Athlete Caitlin Schetter (University of Wisconsin, La Crosse).

OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD

Rohrs, a native of Frostburg, Maryland, earns the 2009 Outdoor Track Scholar Athlete of the Year award. She is a senior Psychology major at Frostburg State with a 3.607 cumulative grade point average. Rohrs was a double champion at the Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships, winning both the 100-meter hurdles and the 400-meter hurdles. Her winning times rank her fourth (100-meter hurdles) and tenth (400-meter hurdles) overall in Division III outdoor track & field history.

Rohrs was the 2009 USTFCCCA Outdoor National Track Athlete of the Year in Division III and the USTFCCCA Women’s Track High Point Athlete of the Meet for the 2009 Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

UW-La Crosse’s Schetter, the 2009 Division III Outdoor Field Scholar Athlete of the Year, won the NCAA Division III title in the long jump and was sixth in the triple jump. Her 13 points helped La Crosse to a third-place finish in the team standings. Schetter, a Kiel, Wisconsin native, is a senior at La Crosse, compiling a 3.75 grade point average in Communications.

INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD

UW-Oshkosh’s Ayla Mitchell is this year’s Division III Indoor Track Scholar Athlete of the Year after winning the national title in the mile in March at the Division III Indoor National Championships. Mitchell’s ten points helped Oshkosh to a third-place finish in the team standings.

Mitchell, a senior from New Richmond, Wisconsin, carries a 3.879 cumulative grade point average with a major in Elementary Education. She won the 2009 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) indoor titles in both the mile and 3,000 meters.

UW-La Crosse’s Schetter also earned the 2009 Indoor Field Scholar Athlete of the Year honor. She successfully defended her 2008 indoor title in the long jump with another winning effort in 2009. Schetter also finished second in the triple jump at the indoor championships to score 18 points and lead La Crosse to a second-place finish in the team standings.

In addition to the Scholar Athletes of the Year, the USTFCCCA also announced the women’s Division III All-Academic Track and Field Team. A total of 278 student-athletes representing 91 Division III colleges and universities made up the 2009 All-Academic team.

Calvin College led the way with the most student-athletes on the list with 13, followed by Wartburg College and University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, each with 12 student-athletes on the list. For conferences, the WIAC had the most student-athletes on the list with 35 followed by the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with 31, and the New England Small College Athletic Conference and New England Women’s & Men’s Athletic Conference, each with 19.

The USTFCCCA honors Division III individuals for their academic and athletic achievements during the indoor and outdoor track and field season.

To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 and have met the NCAA Division III Indoor or Outdoor automatic or provisional qualifying standard in their respective event.

2009 USTFCCCA Division III Women’s All-Academic Track and Field Team: