Throughout the 2018-19 academic year, the Great Lakes Valley Conference is celebrating its 40th anniversary by recognizing 40 teams that made a significant impact both on campus and at the Conference level. Our next featured team is the 2016 Lewis women’s outdoor track and field squad.
40 TEAMS | 40 YEARS
WEEK 36: 2016 Lewis Women’s Outdoor Track and Field
SEASON SUMMARY
The 2016 Lewis University women’s outdoor track and field program captured the GLVC Championship and finished ninth at the NCAA Championships, which marked both a season sweep of indoor and outdoor GLVC titles for the Flyers, as well as top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships. After finishing fourth at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships a few months prior, the Flyers responded with three All-America finishes at the outdoor meet, including senior Amber Cook’s national title in the triple jump. Cook was not the only Flyer to earn All-America accolades in the triple jump as sophomore Cierra Pulliam placed fifth in the event, just months after she secured a national runner-up finish at NCAA Indoors. After winning the national title during the indoor season, senior Amanda Farrough placed second overall in the 5,000-meter run. Senior Chantel Stennis ended her Flyer career in style with her seventh and eighth All-America awards with a pair of sixth-place finishes in the 200-meter dash and 400-meter dash. At the GLVC Championships, Lewis finished with 213 points, while its nearest competitor Bellarmine totaled 102 on the weekend. It was the most points scored in a GLVC Championship since Indianapolis took home the 2010 title with 218. The title was Lewis' second in a three-year span. The Flyers earned 14 first-team All-GLVC honors and eight second-team accolades en route to the title. Multiple first-team honorees included Cook, Stennis, Pulliam, and Zoe Mead. Stennis and Cook were named GLVC Track and Field Athletes of the Year, respectively, while Pulliam was tabbed Freshman of the Year and Dana Schwarting was voted by his peers as Coach of the Year.
IMPRESSIVE INDIVIDUALS (Notable honors)
Chantel Stennis
- Six-Time USTFCCA Outdoor All-America (2014-15-16)
- Three-Time GLVC Track Athlete of the Year (2014-15-16)
- Ten-Time All-GLVC First Team (2014-15-16)
- All-GLVC Second-Team (2016)
Amber Cook
- NCAA Triple Jump Champion (2016)
- USTFCCA Midwest Region Field Athlete of the Year (2016)
- USTFCCA All-Midwest Region (2013-15-16)
- Three-Time GLVC Track Athlete of the Year (2014-15-16)
- Five-Time All-GLVC First Team (2014-15-16)
- Three-Time All-GLVC Second Team (2014-16)
Cierra Pulliam
- USTFCCA All-America Second Team (2017)
- GLVC Freshman of the Year (2016)
- Eleven-Time All-GLVC First Team (2016-17-18)
- Three-Time All-GLVC Second Team (2016-17-18)
Zoe Mead
- GLVC Freshman of the Year (2015)
- Six-Time All-GLVC Second Team (2015-16-17)
- Two-Time All-GLVC Second Team (2015-16-17)
Dana Schwarting
- Six-Time GLVC Coach of the Year (2011-13-15-16-17)
- Coached four NCAA Champions
- Mentored 44 student-athletes to 115 All-America awards since 2005
- Taught five GLVC Track Athlete of the Year winners, three GLVC Field Athlete of the Year recipients, and eight Outdoor GLVC Freshman of the Year honorees over last nine years
LASTING LEGACY
The Lewis Flyers have become a staple at the top of the Conference standings in women’s track and field. In the outdoor season specifically, the 2016 squad tied the University of Indianapolis for the GLVC record with seven, but has since gone on to win the last four titles for a league-best 10 overall crowns. After falling just four points shy of the GLVC women’s title in 2015, in what was the second-closest title race in Conference history, the Flyers left no doubt in 2016 as they secured the win by 111 points – the fourth-largest victory in the 20-year history of the event. It was also the largest victory since former member SIU Edwardsville defeated Indianapolis 323-138 to win the 2008 title. The Flyers have also been on the close end of league crowns as well. In fact, they were trailing UIndy by 3.5 points in the 2019 GLVC Outdoor Championships, but won the final event to win the title by half a point in the second-closest finish in league history. Lewis and UIndy have now been a part of the top-two closest finishes in league history as the two programs tied for the 2002 GLVC Outdoor Championships with 216.5 points each.