Oakland's Girodat, Valparaiso's Taylor, Milwaukee's Johnson, Holmes Secure #HLTF Weekly Honors

INDIANAPOLIS – Milwaukee junior Marquis Johnson (Lac du Flambeau, Wis.) and Milwaukee sophomore Leah Holmes (Superior, Wis.) have been named Horizon League Men’s and Women’s Runners of the Week while Oakland sophomore Nicholas Girodat (Ann Arbor, Mich.) and Valparaiso senior Jazmin Taylor (Rock Island, Ill.) have been named Horizon League Men’s and Women’s Athletes of the Week for the period of Jan. 13-19.

At the Mike Lints Open, Johnson started the season with a first-place finish in the 400-meter dash. Johnson is the defending League indoor and outdoor champion in the event. His time of 48:00 seconds topped a field of 44 competitors. Johnson also placed fourth in the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.90 seconds.  He was also a member of the 4x400 relay team that placed third. The team of Jordan Schmidt, Kyle Becker, Taylor Koss and Johnson posted an opening time of 3:18.86 to take third. To date, their time is nearly 5 seconds faster than the second best finish in the League.

Holmes posted a fifth and sixth-place finish at the Mike Lints Open. In the one-mile, her time of 5:00.15 marks a personal-best and is over four seconds faster than the second best time in the League. Her time placed fifth and also equals the fifth best time in Milwaukee school history. In the 800-meter run, Holmes posted a time of 2:20:30 to place sixth.

Girodat, the 2014 Horizon League Indoor Track Freshman of the Year, displayed depth in both track & field events at the Jack Skoog Dual. The sophomore placed second for the second consecutive week with a long jump of 6.82 meters. Girodat also placed first in the 60-meter dash crossing the finish line in 6.92 seconds. That time is .02 seconds faster than his winning time at the 2014 Horizon League Indoor Track & Field Championship.

Also competing at the Mike Lints Open, Taylor best a field of 16 competitors in the high jump with a mark of 1.64 meters. This is Taylor’s third straight title in the high jump this season. She also registered victories at the Mastodon Open (1.59 meters) and the Lewis Open (1.65 meters).

Valparaiso, Oakland and Milwaukee all return to action Jan. 23. The Crusaders and Golden Grizzlies are slated to participate in the IPFW Duals in Fort Wayne, Ind., while Milwaukee hosts the Tierney Triangular.

Other Top Athletes of the Week:
Colin Cashner, Detroit (Sr., St. Louis, Mo.) - At the Simmons-Harvey Invite, placed fourth with a weight throw of 17.65 meters.
Brett Pozolinski, Milwaukee (Jr., Kimberly, Wis.) - Last season’s League champion in the high jump, Pozolinski picked up where he left off with a first-place finish (1.98 meters) at the Mike Lints Open.
Justin Zosso, Valparaiso (Jr., Chesterton, Ind.) - Zosso placed seventh in the pole vault with a mark of 4.65 meters at the Mike Lints Open. Zosso captured the pole vault title at last year’s indoor track & field championship.
Kamry Gipson, Milwaukee (So., Sun Prairie, Wis.) - Moved into sixth place in school history with a shot put of 13.24 meters at the Mike Lints Open. Gipson also registered a throw of 12.19 meters in the weight throw.

Other Top Runners of the Week:
Adam Bruno, Valparaiso (So., Bloomington, Ill.) - Registered a pair of seventh-place finishes at the Mike Lints Open in the 800 meter run (2:00.19) and the one-mile (4:21.93).
Ben Kendell, Detroit (Fr., Huntington Woods, Mich.) - Making his collegiate debut at the Simmons-Harvey Invite in the 3,000 meter run, Kendell placed first with an adjusted time of 8:23.92.
Allison Garner, Detroit (Jr., South Bend, Ind.) - Crossed the finish line in 7.70 seconds in the 60-meter dash, good for a fourth-place finish at the Simmons-Harvey Invite.
Hannah Reynard, Valparaiso (Fr., Jackson, Mich.) - Saw a new personal-best in the 400-meter dash at the Mike Lints Open with a time of 1:00.98. Also registered a time of 27.23 seconds in the 200-meter dash.
Sydney Sterling, Oakland (So., Farmington, Mich.) - Took home a first-place finish in the 400-meter dash at the Jack Skoog Dual with a time of 1:01.58.