Conference champions and All-Americans are common in the Nebraska Wesleyan track and field program, but 2005 also yielded a first in school history as the Prairie Wolves finished the outdoor season rated No. 1 in the men’s power rankings for NCAA Division III.

The power rankings are based on the performances of every team’s top two athletes in each event and finishing the season on top is commonly referred to as being “dual meet national champions.”

“Our philosophy focuses on having a powerful team, not only on the national level, but one that is balanced and deep enough to be very tough in dual and conference meet environments,” Head Coach Dr. Ted Bulling said.

During the indoor season, that balance and depth resulted in the men winning their 15th conference team title in the last 17 years and placing fourth in the nation at the NCAA Div. III Championships. Meanwhile, the women took third at the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) meet and finished No. 12 in the indoor power rankings for NCAA Div. III.

Three men turned in meet record-breaking performances to win GPAC indoor crowns in Sioux Center, Iowa, including Levi Ashley in the 3,000 (8:39.80), Aaron Dye in the mile (4:15.21) and Blake Henning in the 800 (1:54.61). NWU’s Bret Blake (55 and 200), Katie Dobesh (55), Jed Droge (long jump), Dye (1,000), Erin Powell (long jump), Ryan Tietjen (shot put) and Amy Vanderkolk (55 hurdles) also won conference titles.

At the NCAA Div. III Indoor Championships in Bloomington, Ill., Blake fell short in his bid to three-peat as champion in the 55, but the Distance Medley Relay team did win a national title despite changing its lineup from the combination that broke the school record at the Iowa State University Qualifier.

Vince Sickler led off and Dye anchored the DMR, but Ben Thayer took the place of injured Jason Peters for the prelims of the 4x400 relay, so Evan Knight moved up to run Thayer’s 400-meter leg on the distance medley and Henning was added to run Knight’s 800 leg.

“I’m so proud of the guys, and especially Ben, who knew he was sacrificing a chance to win the national title with the DMR, but his love of the team helped us win it and get the 4x400 qualified for the finals,” Bulling said.

Every member of the men’s team who competed returned home an All-American, including Blake in the 55 (fifth), Droge in the long jump (sixth), Tyler Gingery in the triple jump (sixth), Tietjen in the shot put (fifth) and weight throw (seventh), Derek Zulkoski, who broke the school record in the pole vault (eighth) and the 4x400 of Blake, Jeff Aldrich, Knight and Chris Wolf (fourth).

“Most of our guys finished higher than they were seeded, so they really exceeded expectations in that sense,” Bulling said.

For the women, Vanderkolk placed third in the 55 hurdles to earn All-America status. Dobesh broke the school record with her time of 7.26 in the 55, and Holly Andrews performed in the 55 hurdles, but both missed qualifying for the finals by just hundredths of a second.

During the outdoor season, Nebraska Wesleyan’s men extended their streak of conference team titles to 17 and claimed crowns in nine events, while the women placed third as a team and saw Powell earn Hauff Mid-America Sports/GPAC Outstanding Athlete of the Year honors by placing in five different events at the meet held in Blair, Neb.

Powell won the long jump and 200, finished second to Dobesh in the 100 and took fourth in the triple jump. She also teamed with Andrews, Dobesh and Kristi Lockhart to win the 4x100. The NWU women’s other individual champion was Ashley Sabin in the 5,000.

For the men, Blake became a four-time GPAC outdoor champion in the 200 and 4x100. He also won the 100 and ran a leg of the winning 4x400, increasing his overall total to 18 conference titles during his career. Blake teamed with Gordie Coffin, Peters and Matt Turman in the 4x100 and ran with Knight, Thayer and Wolf in the 4x400. Wolf also won the 400, to join Blake, Dye (1,500), Austin Novotny (high jump), Tietjen (shot put) and Zulkoski (pole vault) on NWU’s list of individual event champions.

“Our men’s team featured great athletes in virtually every event, and in many events, multiple great athletes,” Bulling said. “Having the depth we had enabled us to focus on getting an athlete ready to compete at their best at the end of the year. We never had to over race an athlete because we were short on numbers.”

Nebraska Wesleyan was again well represented at the NCAA Div. III Outdoor Championships with five women and another large contingent from the men’s team competing in Waverly, Iowa. For the first time since 1987, none of the NWU women earned All-America status at the outdoor meet, but the men had more than ever with 12 All-Americans, including Blake, who became just the third athlete in team history to earn four All-America awards at one meet.

“Bret ran eight races in three days, so he was a little tired,” Bulling said. “But it was still a great finish to his career.”

Blake finished his career as a 15-time All-American, the third most ever in men’s track and field at Nebraska Wesleyan. He placed fourth in both the 100 and 200 individually and teamed with Knight, Thayer and Wolf to place third in the 4x400.

He also teamed with Aldrich, Coffin and Turman to place second in the 4x100, but in August, NWU’s relay was awarded the national title due to what the NCAA called “eligibility issues involving member institutions”. Their time of 40.47 also broke the school record. Nebraska Wesleyan’s point total increased as a result of the ruling, but their third-place team finish remained unchanged.

Others earning All-America status outdoors, included Droge (long jump), Aaron Dye (1,500), Craig Dye (steeplechase), Henning and Knight (800), Tietjen (discus) and Turman (100). Tietjen’s mark of 179-1 in the discus was also a new school record.

Prior to leading the NWU men to a third-place team finish at the NCAA Div. III Outdoor Championships, Bulling was named 2005 USTCA Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Coach of the Year for Div. III, the fifth national coaching award of his career.

Following the season, both Coffin and Powell earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Team honors. Coffin received third team honors in the men’s college division, while Powell made the women’s first team.