WAVERLY, Iowa (Duhawks.com) – After the dust cleared and the final results were settled, the Loras Track & Field programs both placed fourth out of the eight teams in the Iowa Conference Indoor Championships. Conference titles were won by sophomore Elizabeth Brandenburg in the women's pole vault and the men's 4x400 relay, which was made up of senior Zac Gassman, juniors Stedman Foster and Zach Frey and sophomore Brandon Gradoville.

Stiff competition through Friday and Saturday from other Iowa Conference schools proved this meet to be one of the toughest the Duhawks have competed in during the 2015 season. The men scored 91 team points and the women scored 93 team points.

All-Conference performers from the women's team consisted of junior Maggie Saenz-Ruiz who finished third in the women's 5K with a time of 18:37.53 and junior Shay Coleman in the triple jump with a mark of 10.36m, which puts her eighth on the all-time list.

Senior Morgan Steere earned All-Conference honors in the women's shot put with a throw of 13m. Brandenburg, who cleared 3.66m in the pole vault, improved her mark of second all-time on the women's top-10 list. The Aurora, Illinois native also finished second in the 60m hurdles with a time of 8.98 seconds, which is first all-time in Loras history.

The women's 4x200 relay team of freshman Alyssa Simon, Brandenburg and fellow sophomore Alexis Hanson, and junior Bree Powers earned All-Conference honors by finishing third with a time of 1:45.61 seconds.

On the men's side, All-Conference honors were won by senior Kyle Ward who placed second in the 60m dash with a time of 7.01 seconds, which improves upon his previous best mark, putting him second on the Loras all-time list. Junior Zach Frey also earned All-Conference honors, finishing second in the 800m with a time of 1:53.60 putting him in third place on the Loras all-time list.

The men's 4x200 team of Gassman, Ward, Gradoville, and Foster took third place and finished in 1:31.11 seconds. The 4x400 relay team consisting of Gassman, Gradoville, Foster and Frey took first with a time of 3:22.84 seconds.

Loras 4x800 relay team finished second and took home All-Conference honors with a time of 8:03.24. The team consisted of junior Matt Marter and sophomores Brien Nugent, Nate Kimbrell, and Tim Wittman.

In the field events, Devan Kennedy earned All-Conference Honors in the pole vault clearing a height of 4.24m, good for third place. Senior Nathan Maiers placed third in the men's weight throw with a personal best of 16.65m, placing him fourth all-time at Loras.

The Duhawks will be sending a select group to the Last Chance meets next weekend in an attempt to qualify for the NCAA National Championships, which will be held on March 13 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

As of Sunday, Frey ranks 13th nationally in the 800m, while Brandenburg ranks 11th in the nation in the 60m hurdles, and 17th in the pole vault. Morgan Steere also ranks 21^st in the nation in the women's weight throw.

The outdoor season begins for the Duhawks on March 28 when they travel to Galesburg, Illinois for the Knox College Outdoor Open.