Impressive Marks Highlight #HLTF Weekend

Jack Jennett Invitational
Simbi Laaro broke her own school record and won two events to lead the Milwaukee Track & Field team during the second day of action at the Jack Jennett Invitational at the UNI Dome on Northern Iowa's campus.

Laaro broke her own school record in the 60m dash for already the second time this season. The junior blazed past the field with a blistering time of 7.47 in finals to win the event by a clear margin. That time moves her into the top-50 in all of the NCAA this season.

Laaro also topped the field in the 200m in the first time she competed in the event this year. She posted a time of 25.28, nearly a half of a second faster than the second-place finisher. Milwaukee actually posted three of the top-five times in the event as Sherice Hewett was fourth in 25.78 and CherRay Dixon was fifth at 25.82, both season-best times.

Freshman Leah Holmes tallied the first win of her collegiate career Saturday, crossing the line first in the mile with a winning time of 5:12.46, a full second and a half faster than the next runner. Gayana Wanniarachchi was fifth in 5:19.98.

In the 60m hurdles, Hewett advanced to finals and posted a season-best time of 9.07 seconds for fifth place.

Milwaukee's 4x400m relay came in fifth overall Saturday with a time of 3:59.35, just shy of a season best.

On day two, the Panther men's track & field team won one event and finished runner-up in four more events.

"I think things went really well," Milwaukee head coach Pete Corfeld said. "We won a bunch of events, which is awesome, but the main thing for me is that we're really getting off to a great start this season. In past years, there are more things to work on than less, usually. We do have things to work on this year, but it seems like we're starting off stronger than most seasons in memory in regard to the depth of the team. Considering that we're a young team, this is a great feeling. We also have great team chemistry right now and that positive attitude really carries over week-in and week-out."

Marquis Johnson won the 800m in the first time ever competing in the event. The sophomore posted an impressive time of 1:57.37 to just edge out teammate Jeff Pigg (1:57.59) to give UWM a 1-2 finish in the event.

Milwaukee also showed its depth in the 60m hurdles. Durell Busby just missed the top spot with an impressive time of 8.04 to finish second overall. Dexter Schleis was third overall in 8.25. Freshman Nate Pozolinski was fourth at 8.32, a career-best time, and Jordan Schmidt was fifth in 8.36.

Schleis also finished runner-up in the 400m hurdles, a relatively new event to college indoor track & field. The senior just missed a win with a time of 54.27.
Matt Ferry just missed his personal-record time in the 60m dash, taking third overall with a blistering time of 6.96 seconds.

In the 3000m, sophomore Weston Brusky came in third overall with an impressive finish of 8:43.28, not far from his PR.

Brett Pozolinski finished second overall in triple jump. The sophomore posted a leap of 13.25m (43-5 ¾), just shy of his season best.

One day after moving into fourth place in UWM history in weight throw, Alex Chollet had another strong outing, this time in shot put. The junior posted a mark of 15.09m (49-6 ¼) for fourth place out of 16 competitors.

Shawn Bohler came in fourth overall in the heptathlon with a score of 4275. The freshman fell just shy of the all-time top-five finishes in UWM history in the first time competing in the event.

Aaron Dillon came in fifth in long jump with a leap of 6.72m (22-0 ¾), with teammate Nate Havener(6.40m, 21-0) just behind in sixth.
In the mile run, Tony Sustachek took fifth, crossing the finish line in 4:20.41.

The Panthers return to action next weekend, heading to the Meyo Invitational. The national meet is scheduled to get underway from the Notre Dame campus Friday, Feb. 7 and wraps up the following day.

Carthage Invite
The UIC Track & Field teams completed competition at the Carthage Invite Friday afternoon, as the women’s squad took home third place and the men’s team placed sixth.

Junior Tess Ehrhardt had an outstanding performance setting two meet records and one school record while competing in the 1,000 meter run.  Ehrhardt crossed the finish line in 2:56.15, which was more than 20 seconds faster than her nearest opponent.

“Tess is such a tough runner who can win a race any way she wants,” said head coach Jim Knoedel.  “I continue to be amazed by her performances.”
Junior Rebecca Zaiter captured top honors in the 1-mile run with a time of 5:03.23.  Teammate Emma Preston finished close behind with a time of 5:10.72, she also placed second in the 200-meter run finishing in 2:21.13.

“I am so amazed that Rebecca was able to run so fast in her first attempt at the mile this season,” said Knoedel.  “Although Preston didn’t win a race, I was pleased with all of her races, she’s a competitor and is willing to do anything to help the team.”

Other contributors to the women’s third-place finish included Sharon Mwale who finished second in the women’s high jump leaping 1.55 meters, and Valere Guertin who finished the 5,000-meter run with a time of 19:34.44.

On the men’s side, Seyi Ogunleye accounted for 20 of the 29 points earned by the men’s team.  Ogunleye secured two first-place honors in the long jump leaping a distance of 6.89 meters and 14.56 meters in the triple jump.

“We brought two male jumpers and Seyi did a phenomenal job without having been able to do any full jump,” said Knoedel. “His score demonstrated that he will be a tough guy to beat a HL meet.”

Teammate Richmond Richter also participated in the long jump and triple jump with final marks of 6.15 meters and 13.58 meters.

SPIRE Invitational
Jeff Arirguzo reclaimed his school record in the men's 200-meter dash with a time of 21.93 and the men's 4x400 relay team set the bar a little higher once more finishing in 3:21.40 on Saturday as the Oakland track team traveled to Geneva, Ohio to take part in the SPIRE Midwest Open at the Spire Institute. The meet was a late addition for the team as there was a void to fill in the schedule after a bus break down on Jan. 25.

"Today, there were so many highlights, it's really tough to only pick a few," commented a satisfied head coach, Paul Rice. "It was a truly incredible day with another big step forward for our program. I am very proud of these athletes and coaches today. A week ago, we were sitting on a broken down bus and as a result, we had to throw today's meet on the schedule. Everything happens for a reason and I would say this one worked out pretty well for us."

Bryce Stroede and Jacob Bowman both improved the Oakland freshman record in the men's 3K with times of 8:28.34 and 8:29.57 respectively. Impressive performances were also recorded in the men's 800m run as Chris Scott earned a third place finish with a time of 1:54.23 and David Koponen was right behind in fourth place with a 1:54.42. The Oakland men claimed four of the top 10 places in that particular event.

The women's 800m would showcase Karli Keur in fourth place with a time of 2:14.70 while teammate Candice Mack finished in sixth place in the women's 200m dash with a time of 25.58.

The Youngstown State Penguins track & field teams also competed in the SPIRE Invitational. The field events had a solid showing totaling 13 competitors who placed in the top five in their events.

Freshman jumpers Mackenzie Sturtz and Chenera Lacy took charge in the women's high jump as Sturtz took first place with a jump of 1.65m to make it her first college meet victory. Lacy finished in second-place also jumping 1.65m, making Lacy a top three finisher in the high jump in each meet this year.

Sophomore Jennifer Neider and freshman Jaynee Corbett competed in the shot put and they as well managed to take first and second-place. Neider took first place with a toss of 13.61m and Corbett took second place with a throw of 13.22m.

In the long jump YSU had a top five finisher in freshman Ellie Pollock who placed fourth with a leap of 5.47m. In the triple jump, Savannah Osborne finished third with a jump of 11.22m.

Sophomore Nina Grambling had her 2014 track season debut in today's meet and didn't disappoint by making it to the 60m dash finals finishing in second-place with a time of 7.71. Running with her in the 60m dash was senior Alexis Washington who finished in fourth-place with a time of 7.89.

Junior Jen Shiley and senior Alteeka Vanwright both competed in the 400m dash and finished in the top five with Shiley placing fourth at a time of 57.76 and Vanwright placing fifth with a time of 58.66.

In the 4x400m relay the YSU women consisting of senior Ciara Jarrett, Alteeka Vanwright, Alexis Washington, and Jen Shiley came four seconds shy of winning, but settled for second place with a time of 3:58.

In the men's shot put YSU had four top ten finishers. Freshman Stephen Lyons, sophomore Jacob Chiclowe, and junior Eric Vendemia all placed in the top five. Lyons finished in second-place (15.64m), Chiclowe finished in third-place (15.47m), and Vendemia finished in fourth-place (15.39m).

After finishing third in the weight throw in the Elite Throws Competition at Findlay University the previous day, Connor Neu finished first in the event today with a throw of 19.53m.

Jumper sophomore Jay Jakovina had another top performance for the penguins in the high jump as he finished in second-place with a height of 2.00m. Freshman William Royal participated in the long jump and finished in fifth-place with a jump of 6.60m. Royal also competed in the triple jump and took another fifth place finish leaping 13.55m.

Sophomore Garrett Mathias took part in the pole vault and ended up tying Ryan Steinbugl of St. Francis for the seventh place spot with both of them getting a height of 4.36m.

Youngstown State and Oakland are in action next at the in the YSU Invitational on Feb. 7 and 8.

Olivet Nazarene Invitational
During competition at the Olivet Nazarene Invitational, junior Gabby Schmidt led the Flames.  She crossed the finish line in 9.71 seconds taking home top honors in the 60-meter hurdles.  Schmidt also placed second in the 300-meter dash, clocking in with a time of 47.42 seconds.

“Gabby has worked so hard to improve her hurdle technique and it paid of today with a win,” said Knoedel.  “She’s a great competitor and I expect continued improvement all season long.”

The star for the men was sophomore Martin Hunter, who placed first in both the 60-meter dash and 200-meter dash.  Hunter finished the 60-meter dash in 7.16 seconds, and the 200-meter dash in 22.65 seconds.

Senior Andy Rosete also had a impressive showing, setting a personal record and taking home top honors in pole vault with a mark of 4.45 meters.
The Flames will continue competition next weekend when they compete at the Meyo invitational on Feb. 7 and University of Chicago Duals on Feb. 8.

Elite Throws Competition/Findlay Open
The University of Detroit Mercy men's indoor track and field team competed in the Findlay Open at the Malcolm Athletic Center in Findlay, Ohio on Friday evening and senior Eric Lewis participated in the Elite Throws Competition.

The Elite Throws Competition featured several of the top throwers in Division I, II, and III and also unattached athletes in the weight throw and the shot put.

Lewis competed in the second tier of throwers and placed 10th with a toss of 16.85m. Lewis' career-best throw of 19.36m, set last year at the Horizon League Indoor Championships, would have placed him ninth in the top tier of throwers.

Freshman Ilia Panev was fourth in the long jump with a leap of 6.66m. Panev made it to the finals of the 60 meter hurdles with a time of 9.10 and placed fourth in the finals with a time of 8.45.

Just ahead of Panev in the 60 meter hurdles was teammate senior Steven Ivanics who posted a mark of 8.47 in the preliminaries to advance to the finals. In the finals, he placed third at 8.43.
 
In the 600 meters, sophomore Joshua Carolin had a mark of 1:23.71 with was good for third and a new personal record.

The Titan women were led by Jasmine Greene and her two top five finishes.

Greene advanced to the 60 meter finals with a time of 7.90. Greene set a new personal best in the finals to place fourth with a time of 7.88. Greene was also fifth in the 200 meters with a season-best of 26.11.

Greene was also part of the 4x400 meter relay team leading the way on the squad that place fifth. Greene led off to senior Nicole Meisner, sophomore Alani Letang, and senior Whitney Rogers, who finished with a time of 4:12.97

In the triple jump, Rogers had a jump of 11.16m for a season-best and was second overall.

In the 200 meters, freshman Samantha Zakalowski placed second with a time of 2:25.87.

Senior Allyson Koglin took fifth in a field of 29 in the weight throw with a toss of 15.81m.

Senior Ciara Curley-Poppe had a time of 5:46.00 in the women's mile run and came in fifth.

The Titans will send teams to Youngstown, Ohio for the YSU National Invite on Fri. Feb. 7-8 and to Windsor, Ontario on Sun. Feb. 9 for the Windsor Team Challenge.

Youngstown State senior Bobby Grace and sophomore Connor Neu also competed in Elite Throws Competition.

Grace, who is currently ranked eighth in the NCAA, was challenged today in the elite shot put facing off against some of the best throws in the nation.

Competing in the meet were Enekwechi Chukwuebuka of Purdue, who has thrown a best of 23.31m so far this season, making him the NCAA leader along with Derrick Vicars, the two-time NCAA Division II National Champion from the University of Findlay.

Grace ended up finishing ninth by posting a toss of 17.10m beating out Derrick Vicars, but fell shy by 0.73m to beat out Chukwuebuka, who finished seventh.

Neu competed in the weight throw and finished with a throw of 18.27m to give him a third-place finish. Neu has posted a top three finish in each meet that he has participated in this year.

Mastodon Invitational
After two weeks off, the Crusader men and women returned to action on Saturday to take part in the Mastodon Invitational in Fort Wayne, Ind. Despite the extending lay off, the Crusader’s found plenty of success on Saturday, with the men capturing a season high of four first-place finishes and the women capturing two first-place finishes.

On the track, Adam Bruno captured a first-place finish in the 1-mile run, breaking the tape in 4:29.71. Bruno also finished sixth in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:06.65. Teammate Matt Pinnow finished the same event in 2:06.57, a time good for fifth overall.

Valparaiso’s 4x400-meter relay ‘A’ team, also captured a first-place finish with a time of 3:29.07.

Kevin Adamik took second-place in the 60-meter hurdles, clocking in at 9.25. In the distance events, Trace Ostergrenfinished fourth in the 3000-meter run with a time of 9:05.56 and Michael Salguero finished fourth in the 5000-meter run (16:53.53).

Joe Holy, Chad Brooks, and Mickey Delcambre took third, fourth, and fifth in the 400-meter dash. Holy clocked in at 51.95, while Brooks and Delcambre finished just moments later at 52.15 and 53.98.

Elsewhere on the track, Anthony Franze finished the 60-meter dash in 7.20. Franze also took second in the 200-meter dash with a time of 23.11. In the same race, six other Crusaders finished in the top-ten, including Antwon Hatchett who finished fourth (23.48).

The Crusaders continued to find success in the field events. In the weight throw, Jacob Frey and Jacob Smutz took first and second, respectively. Frey threw for 55’0 ¼” and Smutz for 54’3 ¼” – each effort was good for top-five in the Crusaders’ all-time record book. Frey finished his day with a third place finish in the shot put, clearing a distance of 40’7 ½”.

Justin Zosso finished in first place in the pole vault, clearing a height of 14’3 ½”. With the effort, Zosso now sits at the top of the Crusaders’ all-time charts. Brennen Miller and Donald Middlebrook finished second and third in the long jump. Miller cleared 19’4 ½”, and Middlebrook 18’0 ½”.

Elizabeth Bloy and Sarah Drozdowskieach took first in their respective events for the Crusader women; Bloy in the 1-mile run and Drozdowski in the shot put.
In the 1-mile run Bloy took first-place in convincing fashion, clocking in at 5:14.21, a full six seconds faster than the second-place finisher. Bloy also took second in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:19.85. In the same event teammate Nicole Zehel finished with a time of 2:21.11, good for fourth overall.

In the 60-meter dash, Cleo Holt finished second with a time of 8.13. Maisley Strange (8.47), Malea Buck (8.70), and Heather Mende (8.74) finished the same event in fifth, sixth, and seventh respectively. Holt also finished fifth in the 200-meter dash (27.10).

Elsewhere on the track, Valparaiso’s 4x400-meter ‘A’ team clocked in at a time of 4:10.19, a time good enough for third overall.
In the field events, Drozdowski took first-place in the weight throw. Drozdowski threw for 57’4 ¾” – a distance which placed her at the top of Valparaiso’s all-time chart. In the same event teammate Megan Howdeshell finished in fourth, throwing for 48’4 ¾. Drozdowski also finished second in the shot put, clearing a distance of 41’3 ½”.

Ann Chapman (14’11”) finished third in the long jump. Chapman also finished fifth overall in the triple jump with a distance of 31’9 ¾”. Elsewhere, Jazmin Taylor (5’4 ¼”) finished second in the high jump. With the effort, Taylor moved up on the Crusader’s all-time chart.

The Crusader’s return to action on Friday, February 7th at the Meyo Invitational in South Bend, Ind.

Penn State National
Youngstown State's Eric Rupe, Austin McLean, and Nick Gliha along with Samantha Hamilton, McKinsie Klim and Michelle Klim all competed in the Penn State National Invitational on Saturday afternoon held at the Horace Ashenfelter Indoor Track in University Park, Pennsylvania.

Rupe continued his breakout year that began in the cross country season and now in the track season as he continues. He added another 3000m win to his total this season in impressive fashion with a time of 8:22.89.

It was a personal best by 13 seconds for Rupe, which is also the third fastest in YSU history. McLean wasn't too far behind Rupe as he finished three seconds back finishing in third place with a time of 8:25. He was one second behind second place finisher Harry Warnick of Villanova.

Hamilton competed in the one-mile and finished in third place with a time of 4:53.41 which ended up breaking the YSU record of 4:56. She was only two seconds behind the winner, Hannah Neczypor from Georgetown.

The Wright State track & field team also competed at the Penn State National.

The Raiders were led by Brittany Jones. Her high jump of 1.52m and her 800m run of 2:33.41 were good for tenth-place finishes.

The Raiders return to action at the Akron Invitational February 7-8.