CALVIN WEEKEND SPORTS WRAP FOR MAY 17, 2008
Track and Field Teams Close Out Action at Gregory Invitational at North Central College
MEN'S AND WOMEN'S TRACK AND FIELD
NAPERVILLE, IL -- The Calvin men's and women's track and field teams closed out competition at the two-day Gregory Invitational Friday night at North Central College. Hoping to improve upon times and marks for the upcoming NCAA III Track and Field Championships, the Knights were successfull in a handful of events.
On the men's side, senior Ryan Jensen (Northview HS) highlighted the Calvin charge with a school record and NCAA III provisional qualifying mark of 179-2. It marks the third time this spring that Jensen has broken his own hammer throw record. Jensen currently sits 11th on the national list and is a near certainty to gain a trip to the national meet next week at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
Jensen was part of a group of strong field event performances for the Knights as freshman Eric Michel (Naperville, IL) was third in the pole vault with a career-best vault of 15-0 3/4 while freshman Ken Echtinaw (Caledonia HS) had a season-best throw of 155-7 in the discus.
In the men's 3,000 meter steeplechase, senior Dan VandenAkker (South Christian HS) took fifth with a career-best and NCAA III provisional qualifying time of 9:18.45. Sophomore Aaron Goodman (Milwaukee, WI) also had a career-best time of 9:32.19 in the event.
In the 10,000 meters, senior Jon Gries (King of Prussia, PA) took first place with a season-best time of 31:43.45 with sophomore teammate Kyle Mast (Holland Christian HS) taking third with a time of 32:28.03. In the 5,000 meters, junior Jed Christiansen (Greenville, PA) came up with a season-best and NCAA III provisional qualifying time of 14:33.30. Senior Tim Finnegan (Los Alamos, NM) also had a provisional qualifying and season-best time of 14:41.21. In the 800 meters, freshman Alex Wrobel (Arden Hills, MN) had a season-best time of 1:53.80, just missing a provisional qualifying time. In the 1500 meters, senior Tad Hulst (Zeeland HS) had a season-best time of 3:56.33 while junior Nate DeHaan (South Christian HS) also had a season-best time, clocking in at 3:57.89.
On the women's side, sophomore Heather Koning (Kalamazoo Christian HS) took first place in the 400 meters with a career-best and NCAA III provisional qualifying time of 56.84 that places her 11th on the national list and will likely send her to the national meet in that event.
In the 400 meter hurdles, senior Sarah Wittingen (East Grand Rapids HS) clocked in with a season-best and NCAA III automatic qualifying time of 1:00.26 while also winning the 100 meter hurdles with a provisional qualifying time of 14.50. Wittingen's time in the 400 meter hurdles currently stands as the top time in Division III women's track and field this spring.
In the 3,000 meter steeplechase Friday night, sophomore Elizabeth Smit (Kirlkland, WA) took third with a career-best and NCAA III provisional qualifying time of 10:50.10 that places her 14th on the national list and will likely send her to the national meet. Junior Calah Schlabach (St. Michaels, AZ) was sixth in the race with a season-best and NCAA III provisional qualifying time of 10:58.88.
In the 5,000 meter run, junior Jesi Hale (Rehoboth, NM) had a season-best time of 17:57.45. In the 800 meters, freshman Alison Tuuk (Grand Rapids Christian HS) had a season-best time of 2:17.35 as did junior Laura Jackson (Decatur, IL) with a time of 2:17.67.
Another big highlight was the performance of junior Kelly Edwards (Grand Blanc HS) in the 10,000 meters with Edwards finishing fifth with a career-best and NCAA III provisional qualifying time of 37:25.43.
The field for next week's NCAA III Outdoor Track and Field Championships is scheduled to be released on Sunday evening at: http://www.raceberryjam.com
Jeff Febus
Sports Information Director
Calvin College
(616) 526-6169 Office
(616) 526-8551 Fax
Received on Sat May 17 11:38:34 2008
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