Trojans Have Productive Showing at Baker Relays

 Easton Padden clears 15'5" in the pole vault (photo:Karen Peck)

The Hannibal-LaGrange University track & field team made the trek to Baldwin City, Kansas to compete in the 70th Annual Baker Relays this past Friday. Although the Trojans were again faced with chilly weather conditions, the team came out and competed very well.

Cara Grinde cleared 3.20m to claim victory in the pole vault (photo:Karen Peck)

The meet was highlighted by the performance of freshman pole vaulter Easton Padden, whose victorious mark of 4.70m (15'5") in the pole vault qualified him for the 2011 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships, which take place at the end of May in Marion, Indiana. The Montana native was at home in the cold weather and had no problem clearing the mark needed to qualify. Fellow pole vaulter Cara Grinde was also victorious in the event on the women's side, clearing 3.20m (10'6"). In other field event action, Brittni Klundt returned to action in the high jump and came home with a solid 4th-place finish (1.49m) while Mandi Riddle finished 5th in the triple jump (9.99m) in her outdoor collegiate debut in the event. Jordan Creech led the men in the javelin, setting a new personal best with his toss of 43.48m, which was good for 8th place in the highly competitive event.Mike Clemons had a fourth place effort in the triple jump (12.04m) while teammate Bernardo Massuchin placed 6th in the long jump (6.46m).

Mandi Riddle racing to victory in the 400m Hurdles (photo:Karen Peck)

On the track, the women were led by Mandi Riddle, who was victorious in the 400m Hurdles, finishing in a time of 1:09.78. Breanna Newton competed in the 800m run and was the event runner-up with her time of 2:24.23. In the sprints, Sarah Wilson gave a strong effort in the 200m, finishing in 4th place (27.06) while teammate Jasman Edmond took 5th in the 100m dash (12.92). In the women's 5K, Nicole Griesbaum set a new school record in her debut in the event outdoors, placing 5th with a time of 20:09.27. Teammate Sarah Erickson, placed 8th in a personal best time of 20:57.10. The women's 4x400m relay team of Sarah Wilson, Holland McCoy, Mandi Riddle, and Breanna Newton broke the school record in that event by way of their 3rd place finish (4:20.27).

Jasman Edmond competing in the 100m dash (photo:Karen Peck)

The men were led on the track by John Anderson, as the sophomore from Hannibal finished as the runner up in the 400m hurdles. His time of 57.67 was just shy of his personal best and school record mark set last year. Andre Townsend made his outdoor debut as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury, but that did not prevent him from cruising to a 3rd place finish in the 400m dash, setting a new school record with his time of 49.86. In the 800m, Zach Lewis ran a strong race and held on for a 6th place finish in the event. His time of 2:03.51 set a new school record in the event. Senior Jason Cline competed in the 5K and set a new personal best with his 9th place finish (17:17.71).

Zach Lewis setting a new school record in the 800m

COACH COMMENTS: I was pleased with how the team battled through the cold and competed very well. We had another tough week of practice and have some soreness and fatigue that we are working through but I believe that this team will continue to show marked improvement each week and hopefully we can catch some spring weather soon!

With his NAIA qualifying performance, Easton Padden became the second HLG Trojan to qualify for the NAIA Outdoor national meet. Easton and the rest of the team will be back in action this Friday and Saturday at the Washington University Invitational in St. Louis, MO.