Gerner qualified for the NCAA Division III Championship with her first-place performance in the shot put at the Tadd Metzger Invitational Jan. 28 in Kenosha, Wis. She remained undefeated in the shot put this season with her first-place distance of 51-11. Teammate Holly Ozanich finished second among the event’s 42 competitors with a mark of 47-1 1/2. Gerner also placed second in the 20-pound weight throw with a distance of 54-5 1/4. The toss defeated 34 other participants and surpassed the provisional qualifying mark for the NCAA Division III Championship. UW-Oshkosh’s Ozanich won the 20-pound weight throw with a distance of 64-10. Host Carthage College won the 15-team Tadd Metzger Invitational with 118.5 points. UW-Stevens Point finished second with 117 points, UW-Oshkosh third with 107 and NCAA Division II UW-Parkside fourth with 72.
Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Brittany Frederick, Junior, Green Bay, Wis. (Preble)
UW-La Crosse, Kayla Ashland, Freshman, Bloomer, Wis.
UW-River Falls, Colleen Kopel, Senior, Stillwater, Minn.
UW-Stevens Point, Jessica Litsheim, Freshman, Appleton, Wis. (East)
UW-Stout, Andrea Krueger, Freshman, Menomonie, Wis. (St. Croix Lutheran - St. Paul, Minn.)
UW-Superior, Katie Capriglione, Sophomore, Duluth, Minn. (Albrook)
UW-Whitewater, Melanie Pilon, Freshman, Waukesha, Wis. (South)