Women 2nd, Men 4th at AMC Meet

RESULTS

The Hannibal-LaGrange University track & field team traveled to Columbia, MO this past Friday to compete in the Missouri Collegiate Challenge, a meet that served as the American Midwest Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships. The Trojans put forth a very strong effort with the women finishing as the conference runner-up while the men, competing without two of their top athletes due to injury, placed 4th, just 20 points shy of second place.


Sarah Wilson (400m) & Mandi Riddle (600y)-2011 AMC Champions

WOMEN

The Lady Trojans scored a total of 186 points to place second behind McKendree. The young squad relied on a strong group of freshmen to lead the way, highlighted by the efforts of Breanna Newton. The newcomer from Rochelle, IL was named the AMC Female Track Athlete of the Meet after winning the 800m and mile races, while also anchoring the winning Distance Medley Relay squad. Sarah Wilson kept the momentum going with a victory in the 400m, which was followed by a second-place finish in the 200m. Sarah also contributed to the DMR victory to wrap up an excellent day. Also on the winning DMR squad, Mandi Riddle was also victorious in the 600 yard dash while placing second in the 1000m. Mandi wrapped up the day by placing 4th in the triple jump.

Cailey Wilkinson overcame an off-day in the pole vault by winning the 60m hurdles while newcomer Nicole Griesbaum continued to make an impact for the Lady Trojans, winning the 3,000m race after placing second in the 5,000m earlier in the day. Jasman Edmond, the final piece of the winning DMR squad, showed upperclassman leadership by placing 2nd in the 400m race and 4th in the 60m dash. Competing at the Missouri All-Comers meet the following day, senior Carissa Eichmeyer was victorious in the 3,000m Race walk, making her the first AMC champion in that event.

In the field events, the Trojans were led by Cara Grinde, as the senior repeated as conference champion in the pole vault. Sophomore Abbie Herrold just missed being a conference champ herself, placing second in the wight throw, just 0.03m shy of the winning toss.

In addition to Breanna's award, the Lady Trojans came through with a total of nine event victories, with 10 athletes earning All-Conference accolades.

COACH COMMENTS: I was so proud of the effort the women put forth today. They came in with the goal of winning a team championship and, while we fell just short of that goal, they have an awful lot to be proud of. We got solid contributions from everyone and had some great results to show for it. I hope that this effort gives the team confidence going forth to know that they can accomplish a lot as a team if they keep working hard. With the outdoor season looming, we'll be able to keep tracking their progress.

Ethan Huff & Andre Townsend compete in 400m dash

MEN
The men's team finished 4th with 100 points, just 10 shy of third place Missouri Baptist, and 20 points shy of runner-up William Woods. The Trojans suffered two big setbacks earlier in the week as injuries prevented standouts Bernardo Massuchin and Cole Peck from competing in the meet. However, the men did compete represented HLG very well and kept the team in the thick of things throughout the meet.

Junior Andre Townsend wrapped up a stellar indoor regular season by earning the AMC Male Track Athlete of the Meet award after placing first in the 60m hurdles, 200m, and 400m. Junior Philiph Tonui battled sickness throughout the meet but was able to place second in the 1000m and third in the mile while anchoring the second-place Distance Medley Relay team in his final tune-up before the national meet. Tyler Malone, Edward Gregg, and Brett Jones completed the DMR squad that placed second, while Gregg teamed up with Zach Lewis, Ryan Bontz, and Nathan Uding to place second in the 4x800m relay.

In other racing action, Tyler Malone placed 4th in the 800m and 5th in the mile while John Anderson placed 3rd in the 60m hurdles and 5th in the 400m. Jason Cline came through with a 5th-place effort in the 3,000m and Edward Gregg placed 6th in the 600 yard dash.

In the field events, Easton Padden was victorious in the pole vault, while Alex Earls placed 7th in the shot put. Mike Clemons placed 7th in the long jump and set a new school record with his 8th place finish in a tough triple jump competition.

In addition to Andre's honor, the Trojans were victorious in four events with 10 individuals earning All-Conference recognition.

COACH COMMENTS: The men really came out and gave a great effort today. A lot of the guys were battling illness but persevered and came through with a lot of personal bests. Andre and Philiph were both solid and carried the team with a few key guys out. I liked the effort I saw from several of our younger guys, Zach Lewis and Ethan Huff, in particular, and they will be key as we continue to progress during the outdoor season. Overall, it was a great improvement from this time last year and the men's team has a lot to look forward to from here on out.

Five members of the track & field team now set their sights on the 2011 NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships, which take place March 3-5 in Geneva, Ohio. Andre Townsend (60m Hurdles), Philiph Tonui (5,000m), Easton Padden (Pole Vault), Breanna Newton (1,000m), and Carissa Eichmeyer (3,000m Race Walk) will represent the Trojans at the national meet. Stay tuned to the runHLG blog for updates from the national meet.