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.

Trojans Open Outdoor Season at CMU

RESULTS

The Hannibal-LaGrange University track & field team opened up the outdoor portion of their season this past Saturday, traveling to Fayette, MO to compete in the Central Methodist Open. While the meet began under sunny skies, it soon gave way to a cold and steady rain that persisted for most of the meet. However, that did not keep the Trojans from posting several solid performances, including two event championships and four new school records.

WOMEN
The Lady Trojans were led by the strong showings of senior Cara Grinde and freshman Breanna Newton. Cara kicked off the outdoor season in style by winning the pole vault with a mark of 3.35m (10'11.75"). Later on in the day Breanna battled a cold and steady rain to place second in the 800m. Her time of 2:22.18 set a new school record in the event, which was her first collegiate outdoor meet.

On the track, junior Jasman Edmond placed 10th in the 100m dash with a time of 13.17, while freshman Sarah Wilson placed 9th in the 200m with a time of 27.47. Mandi Riddle made her debut in the 400m hurdles and placed 8th overall with a time of 1:11.67.

MEN
The men's team saw a number of school records fall in the field events. In the men's pole vault, freshman Easton Padden took home the top place with a mark of 4.40m (14'5.25"). After missing the end of the indoor season due to injury, sophomore Bernardo Massuchin returned to form in the long jump, finishing in a tie for 3rd place with a leap of 6.70m (21'11.75"). sophomore Micheal Clemons had a tremendous day a well, placing 3rd in the triple jump with a mark of 12.74m (41'9.75"). All three of those efforts set new school records in the respective events. In the javelin, defending AMC champion John Anderson battled the rain and slippery footing to finish 6th with a toss of 42.43m (139'2"), with teammate Branden Ramos finishing in a tie for 8th place in his debut in the event with a throw of 41.37m (135'9").

On the track, the men got a strong effort from junior Philiph Tonui, who placed 4th in the 5,000m with a time of 15:39.56. Freshman Cole Peck returned from an injury that ended his indoor season prematurely and raced to a 9th place finish in the 200m dash (23.59). John Anderson found success on the track as well, as the sophomore coupled his top-10 finish in the javelin with a 6th place effort in the 400m hurdles (58.14).

Coach Comments: It was great to finally get outdoors and, despite the rain, I thought we had some strong efforts. I was real pleased with several of our field event athletes, especially Mike Clemons, who gave us a glimpse of the potential he has. Easton and Cara battled tough conditions to win the pole vault and I liked the toughness I saw out of each of them.We will build off of this experience and hopefully it will serve as a springboard for rapid improvement over the coming weeks.We are dealing with a load of injuries, so getting everyone healthy for the home stretch is key. With so many young runners, I expect to see a lot of week-to-week improvement so that should be exciting.

The Trojans will travel to Baldwin City, KS this Saturday to compete in the 70th running of the Baker Relays, hosted by Baker University.

Andre's Race

Here is a link to the finals of the 60m Hurdles at the NAIA Indoor National Championships. Andre is in Lane 2 on the outside.We're working on getting a video directly on the blog. Thanks to Mrs. Padden for capturing the action!

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=197791196912065

Trojans Compete at NAIA Indoor Nationals

Five members of the Hannibal-LaGrange track & field team traveled to Geneva, Ohio to compete in the NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships, which were held March at the GaREAT Complex near Lake Erie.In what has been a historic start to the track & field season, the group made sure to continue that trend as the indoor season came to a close.

Andre Townsend - 2011 NAIA Indoor track & Field All-American!

(photo:Carissa Eichmeyer)

Junior Andre Townsend (Chicago, IL) became HLG's first track & field All-American as he was the runner-up in the 60m Hurdles. Andre's time of 7.98 in the finals was just 0.02 seconds behind the winner, Edward Stewart of Central Methodist. After a solid run in the prelims, Andre slipped out of the blocks in the semifinals and, after nearly falling just before the first hurdle, he managed to recover a qualify for the finals with the 7th best time. With only eight athletes qualifying for the final, Andre was assigned to lane 1, which was not ideal considering the top runners get the middle lanes. However, Andre showed up to the track on Saturday  determined to not let that hold him back and ran a tremendous race in the finals. In addition to Andre being recognized as the AMC's only All-American, his eight points scored in the 60m hurdles allowed HLG to finish in a tie for 24th place out of 55 scoring teams in the championship meet.

Andre showing off his hard-earned hardware!

(photo:Carissa Eichmeyer)

Junior Philiph Tonui (Kericho, Kenya) competed in the 5,000m run on Thursday. After battling illnes for much of the past two weeks, we knew that he wasn't going to be at 100%. However, Philiph ran a brave race and ended up placing 20th overall with a time of 15:11.40. This time was a personal best for Philiph and broke his own school record in the event. Philiph's time was also a 24 second improvement over his 5K race at last year's Indoor national meet.

Freshman Easton Padden (Laurel, MT) competed in the pole vault. After clearing the opening height of 4.50m (14'9"), he had three strong attempts at the next height, especially his first, where he was a foot over the bar but hit it on the way down. Unfortunately Easton was not able to clear the second height but still managed to place 13th in the event.

Freshman Breanna Newton (Rochelle, IL) competed in the 1,000m run. Last month at Cedarville, Breanna ran the same race, qualifying with an automatic time in her debut in the event. Much like Philiph, Breanna spent most of nationals week dealing with sickness but she went out and gave a gritty performance. Knowing that she had to be in the top two of her preliminary heat to qualify, Breanna went out and was aggressive and the race's outset. With one lap to go (300m), she found herself side by side with eventual champion Jessica Smith of Simon Fraser. Unfortunately she was not able to hold that position and ended up placing 7th in her heat. Breanna's final time was 3:02.49, which was good for 15th place in her inaugural track national meet.

Senior Carissa Eichmeyer (Marthasville, MO) competed in the 3,000m race walk and came through with a 12th place finish in a time of 18:44.26. After getting a late  start to the indoor season due to an injury, it was a great accomplishment for Carissa to qualify once again for the national meet and, with her just now starting to get back into form, she is looking forward to a strong showing during the outdoor season.

 HLG Track & Field team at NAIA Indoor Nationals

(photo:Carissa Eichmeyer)

After enjoying Spring Break, the HLG Track & Field team will head outdoors for the second half of their season. With this move brings renewed hopes and the pursuit of an AMC championship and additional qualifiers for the NAIA Outdoor championships in May. The team will compete in their first outdoor meet on March 19 at Central Methodist University in Fayette, MO.

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.

Newton, Townsend, & Padden Named AMC Athletes of the Week

A trio of HLG Trojan track & field athletes were honored by the American Midwest Conference for their efforts at last weekend's Cedarville Invitational

Breanna won the AMC Women's Track Athlete of the Week award after placing first in the 1000m at Cedarville with a time of 3:01.40. That time also automatically qualified her for the NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships next moth.

Andre was honored with the AMC Men's Track Athlete of the Week after winning the 55 meter hurdles in a time of 7.36, which places him #1 in the NAIA for the event.

Easton was named the AMC Men's Field Athlete of the Week after placing second overall (first collegiate athlete) in the pole vault. His mark of 4.70m (15'5") qualified him for the indoor national meet.

This tremendous trio, along with their teammates, will next compete in the Missouri Collegiate Challenge in Columbia, MO on Friday, February 18. This meet also serves as the 2011 American Midwest Conference Indoor Track & Field championship meet.

More Trojans Qualify For Nationals at Cedarville

MEN'S RESULTS

WOMEN'S RESULTS

A group of 12 members of the Hannibal-LaGrange University track & field team made the long trek to Ohio this past weekend to compete in the Cedarville University Invitational. This group carried high hopes for great performances with them and they did not disappoint. Despite competing with only six women and six men, both teams came through with top-5 team finishes on the day, and that was just the beginning of the accolades.

The women's team placed 5th out of 14 teams and saw their first two team members punch a ticket to the NAIA Indoor Track & Field national championships during the meet. Running the 1,000m race for the first time, freshman standout Breanna Newton gave a tremendous effort, making a last-lap surge to win the race with a time of 3:01.40. That mark, in addition to smashing the school record in the event, met the automatic qualifying standard for nationals next month. Senior Carissa Eichmeyer took to the track soon after and followed suit with a national qualifying performance of her own. Carissa finished in eighth place in the talent-stocked race and her time of 18:23.46 was more than enough to claim a return trip to indoor nationals.

The women nearly added a third national qualifier in senior pole vaulter Cara Grinde, who finished 2nd in the event with a mark of 3.20m (10'6"). Cara elected to bypass an attempt at 11'0" and, due to the fact that they standards were increasing six inches at a time, she was unable to jump at the qualifying standard of 11'3". Instead, she took three strong attempts at 11'6", just barely missing on her final vault. Teammate Cailey Wilkinson had a strong effort as well, placing 5th with a mark of 3.05m (10'0").

A pair of freshmen middle distance runners gave a pair of strong performances for the women's team. Mandi Riddle placed 3rd in the 1,000m race (3:19.91) after coming through with a 5th place finish earlier in the 600m dash (1:47.37). Sarah Wilson took 3rd in the 600m dash (1:45.37) and wrapped up her day with a 9th place finish (27.29) in the 200m dash.

The men's team also took home a 5th place finish out of the 15 schools competing. Junior Andre Townsend got the meet started with an outstanding performance in the 55m hurdles. After qualifying first in the preliminary round (7.58), Andre came back to post a winning time of 7.36 in the finals. That effort broke both the meet and Cedarville Fieldhouse records, in addition to being a new school record. Andre's performance also vaulted him into the top position in the NAIA in the event heading into the last week of the regular season. Also in the 55m Hurdles, Assistant Coach Jason Scott competed in the event for the first time in 2011 and placed 3rd with a time of 7.67.

Having already qualified for nationals in the 5K, junior Philiph Tonui took a break from long distance races to work on his speed, and he found success, placing 4th in the mile with a time of 4:23.79. Philiph's effort was only 0.59 seconds off of the national qualifying standard in the event. This was his first time competing in the open mile in 2011, and he will attempt to add the qualifying mark to the one he already has in the 5K at the AMC meet next Friday.

The Trojans got a pair of strong efforts in the field events. Freshman Easton Padden cleared 4.70m (15'5") in the pole vault and that effort was good enough to hit the qualifying standard for the indoor national meet, as well as placing 2nd overall. His effort also broke his own school record set earlier in the season. Coach Scott also competed in the pole vault and won the event at his alma mater with a mark of 5.25m (17'2.275") and was just one inch off of the meet and fieldhouse records that he already owns from his time at Cedarville. Freshman Bernardo Massuchin had another strong showing in the long jump, placing 4th with a leap of 6.62m (21'8.75").

In the 600m dash, Freshman Cole Peck came through with a 5th place effort in a time of1:27.55, a new school record. Teammate Stephen McTeer continued to show he was progressing from a broken collarbone suffered at the end of the fall semester and placed 9th in the same event with a time of 1:29.22. In the 200m dash, the Trojans picked up two more top-10 finishes with Bernardo Massuchin placing 7th (23.66) and Cole Peck 8th (23.77) in the event.

COACH COMMENTS: We decided to take this group all the way to Ohio because they wanted to compete against strong competition and hit qualifying standards for the indoor national meet. The folks we brought were all focused and put forth one of the strongest team efforts ever at HLG. All twelve of the athletes scored points for the team and showed great determination and heart in doing so. It's easy to point out the accomplishments of the three who qualified for nationals but they all deserve a lot of credit for enduring a long trip and then coming out and competing like champions. Although our athletic accomplishments will always fall second to our desire to honor Christ with our efforts on the track, it is great to be around a group of kids who are committed to doing both with their full heart.

After the Cedarville meet, the team has now qualified five individuals for the NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships, which will be held next month in Geneva, Ohio. The team will now set their sites on this coming Friday, where they will travel to Columbia, Mo to compete in the University of Missouri Collegiate Challenge. This meet will also serve as the American Midwest Conference Indoor Track & Field Championship Meet and the Trojans will compete against McKendree, Missouri Baptist, and William Woods for the AMC crown. The meet is scheduled to begin at 2pm on Friday at Hearnes Fieldhouse, on the campus of the University of Missouri.

NAIA Indoor T & F National Qualifiers
Breanna Newton - 1,000m
Carissa Eichmeyer - 3,000m Race Walk
Andre Townsend - 60m Hurdles
Philiph Tonui - 5,000m
Easton Padden - Pole Vault

Trojans Find Success at Illinois College

RESULTS

The Hannibal- LaGrange track & field team made a return trip to Illinois College to compete in the Jim Green Invitational. Both the men and women fared well in the 12-team meet, with numerous victories, more new school records, and a national qualifier.

WOMEN
The women's team had another strong showing and got things going with back-to-back event wins. Senior Carissa Eichmeyer made her 2011 track debut, coming back from a hamstring injury to be the first women across the line in the 3K race walk. Her time of 19:00.96 is just off the national qualifying mark for the event. That effort was followed by the 5K, where Nicole Griesbaum recorded her first career victory, winning with a time of 20:08.29. Nicole's effort broke the school record she set last week in her debut in the event. Teammates Sarah Erickson (21:11.81) and Amber Zinkula (21:43.57) placed 3rd and 4th, respectively in the race.

Pole Vaulter Cara Grinde was victorious in the pole vault (3.20m) and just barely missed the national qualifying mark of 3.43m. Abbie Herrold placed 13th in a competitive weight throw competition and her toss of 11.80m set a new school record in the event. Abbie added a 9th place effort in the shot put (9.61m) to round out a solid day. In other field event action, Brittni Klundt finished 3rd in the high jump (1.47m) while Jocelyn Bright placed 7th in the triple jump (9.75m).

The ladies stacked up two relay teams and the results were solid. The Sprint Medley Relay team of Amanda Miller, Casey Pilliard, Christina Carter, and Sarah Erickson were victorious, crossing the finish line with a winning time of 4:50.06, a new school record. Not to be outdone, the Distance Medley Relay team of Mandi Riddle, Jasman Edmond, Sarah Wilson, and Breanna Newton finished second and the team's time of 13:10.97 shattered the old school record.

MEN
The men's team was led by winning efforts from junior standouts Philiph Tonui and Andre Townsend. Philiph led off the men's portion of the meet by cruising to victory in the 5K race. His time of 15:15.44 was his season-best and meets the qualifying standards for the NAIA Indoor National Championships. This marks the 5th consecutive championship meet that Philiph has qualified for during his time as a Trojan harrier. Andre made his return to the 60m hurdles where his time of 8.00 in the finals gave him the event title and kept him in line to be a factor at next month's national championships. Andre also performed well in the 200m dash, placing 3rd with a time of 22.78. He capped off his day by joining with Cole Peck, Stephen McTeer, and Bernardo Massuchin to place 2nd in the Sprint Medley Relay with a school-record time of 3:49.87.

The Trojans got strong showings in the field events as well. Easton Padden was victorious in the pole vault with a mark of 4.25m while Bernardo Massuchin placed 4th the a strong long jump field with a best mark of 6.70m. Michael Clemons placed 9th in the triple jump, setting a new school record with his leap of 11.54m.

The men's team competed in all four relays on the day and saw some great results. On top of the record-breaking performance in the Sprint Medley Relay, the 4x400m (3:40.99) and Distance Medley Relay (11:00.58) teams both had 4th place finishes while the 4x200m (1:39.74) team placed 5th.

COACH COMMENTS
I thought we had some really strong performances today. We sacrificed some individual events to focus on the relays, which was an exciting change of pace for the team. We had some good showings in those races but it was a well rounded effort across the board. It was great to see Philiph get the qualifying mark in the 5K. He once again raced without anyone pushing him so he had to push himself. It will prove to help him out later when the competition is stronger. We had several folks who are oh-so close to hitting qualifying marks and I expect to see those goals realized in the last few weeks of the season. Above all else, I can't say enough about how hard this team competes and, most importantly, how they display a God-honoring attitude that stands out everywhere we go. I am very proud of this team and I know they are going to push through to the end of the season and that the best is still to come.

Next weekend a group of Trojans will make the trip to Ames, IA to compete at the prestigious Iowa State Classic. On Saturday, Carissa Eichmeyer will travel to Marshall, MO to make a run at qualifying in the race walk as she competes at the Missouri Valley Invite.

Trojans Post Top-5 Team Finishes at IWU Open

RESULTS

TEAM SCORES

The Hannibal-LaGrange track & field teams continued to build off of their early season momentum and put forth a strong effort at the Illinois Wesleyan Titan Open, held Saturday in Bloomingtoon, IL. Both the women (4th out of 18) and men (5th out of 16) boasted top-five team finishes on the day.

WOMEN
The Lady Trojans performed well in several areas, including the pole vault, where Cara Grinde (3.20m - 10'6"), Cailey Wilkinson (3.04m - 10'0"), and Holland McCoy (2.74m - 9'0") took the top three spots in the event. Breanna Newton had a great finish of her own, placing 4th in the 800m and breaking her own school record with a time of 2:25.33. Mandi Riddle also dropped time off of her personal best in the 800m race, placing 11th in 2:31.28. Both of these runners would join Sarah Wilson and Amanda Miller in leading the women's 4x400m relay team to a 5th place finish in a school-record time of 4:16.78. This marks the third consecutive meet that the women's 4x400m relay school record has been broken. HLG got a great effort in the 5K event, as newcomer Nicole Griesbaum made her HLG debut a memorable one, finishing 3rd in the race with a school record time of 20:26.72. Sarah Erickson placed 5th in the 5K with a time of 21:27.62. In her return to track action, sprinter Jasman Edmond made the finals of a tough 55m dash field, finishing 13th overall with a time of 7.78. Jocelyn Bright had her best meet of the season, placing 7th in the triple jump (9.56m) and 15th in the long jump (4.52m). Assistant Coach Bethany Scott had a busy and successful day, earning top-5 finishes in both the 400m (5th - 59.54) and 800m (3rd - 2:24.84) races, while wrapping up the day with a 7th place time in the 200m (26.51).

MEN
The men's team was led by the standout effort of Andre Townsend, as the junior continued to re-write the HLG record books. His preliminary time of 6.54 seconds in the 55m dash set a new school record and he followed that up with a 6.57 in the finals to place 4th in the event. Later Andre competed in the 400m where he was the runner-up with a time of 50.17, also a new school record time. He would take to the track one more time to help lead the men's 4x400m
relay team (also including Bernardo Massuchin, Stephen McTeer, and Cole Peck) to a 6th place finish (3:30.76). Philiph Tonui was victorious in his first 5000m race of the season. His winning time of 15:25.29 was a few seconds off of the NAIA national qualifying mark and the effort was done without much help as the junior almost lapped the entire field during the race. Philiph would later run the mile leg of the men's distance medley relay team (also including Tyler Malone, Stephen McTeer, and Edward Gregg) that finished 5th in 10:58.82. Cole Peck had a pair of 15th place finishes, earning that spot in the 200m (23.68) and 400m (53.06) In the long jump, Bernardo Massuchin had another strong outing, taking 3rd place with a top jump of 6.74m (22'1.50"). Assistant Coach Jason Scott also performed well, winning the pole vault with a mark of 5.18m.

Coach Comments: It was a great day for us today at IWU. We had strong showings all across the board and the result was a great team finish for both the men and women. It is great to see so many of our athletes coming out and improving every week and that proves to be a motivator as we are training during the week. We have a number of folks on the verge of qualifying for nationals which is good. However, this meet showed what we are capable of accomplishing as a team. I am already looking forward to the meet next week! This is a great group of folks and they are such great ambassadors of HLG. I am truly blessed to be able to coach them all!

The Trojans will return to Illinois College next Saturday for the Jim Green Invitational.

NEW SCHOOL RECORDS SET AT IWU
WOMEN
800m - 2:25.33 (Breanna Newton)
5000m - 20:26.72 (Nicole Griesbaum)
4x400m Relay - 4:16.78 (Sarah W, Mandi R, Amanda M, Breanna N)

MEN
55m - 6.54 (Andre Townsend)
400m - 50.17 (Andre Townsend)

More Records Fall at IC Snowbird

RESULTS

The Hannibal-LaGrange track & field team continued their fast start to 2011 with a strong showing at the Illinois College Snowbird Invitational on Saturday in Jacksonville, IL. After a string of illnesses plagued the team throughout the week, the team battled back to perform well against competition that included the other schools of the AMC. Among the highlights were three individual wins and six new school records.

On the men's side, Bernardo Massuchin got the day started by claiming the title in the long jump competition. Bernardo had a great first jump of 6.87m (22'6.5") and that ended up being all he needed to do as that mark was 16 inches farther than the second-place effort. Bernardo's leap also shattered the previous school record and leaves him just 0.14m from qualifying for the national meet. Last week's AMC track & field athlete of the week Andre Townsend took a break from the hurdles but came out and, in convincing fashion, won the 200m dash in a time of 22.72. This effort breaks his own school record in the event, which was set a few weeks ago. Philiph Tonui looked very strong in taking home the title in the 3,000m race, winning in convincing fashion with a time of 8:55.39. In other action, Cole Peck (11th in 400m), Edward Gregg (10th in 800m), and Brett Jones (7th in pole vault) all had solid showings, along with John Anderson, whose 11th place finish in the 60m hurdles (9.18) left him just one spot short of the finals. Jumper Michael Clemons made a strong 2011 debut, finishing 10th in the triple jump after a 13th place showing in the long jump earlier in the day. At the end of the day, a weary group in the 4x400m relay battled and came through with an 8th place finish out of 23 teams. Overall the men finished 8th out of 17 teams in the meet with 33 points.

On the women's side, the Trojans got great performances from a number of athletes. Freshman Sarah Wilson continued to impress after placing 2nd in the 400m (60.81) and 4th in the 200m (27.36). Both times set new school records and Sarah was the top collegiate finisher in the 400m event, falling only to HLG assistant coach Bethany Scott, who won the event with a time of 60.08. Breanna Newton made her track debut after a record-setting cross country season and didn't disappoint, taking third place in the 800m race with a time of 2:28.58, a new school record. Breanna would later anchor the 4x400m relay team (also including Sarah Wilson, Mandi Riddle, and Caitlin McCoy) to a fifth place finish. Their time of 4:20.26 set a new school record in the event for the second consecutive week. Mandi Riddle also performed well in the 8oom race, placing 7th with a time of 2:34.13. On a day where a usually strong group of pole vaulters struggled, Cailey Wilkinson picked up the group, taking home a second-place finish in the event with a mark of 3.05m. Sarah Erickson (11th in 3,000m), Jocelyn Bright (7th in triple jump), and Abbie Herrold (11th in weight throw) also had strong performances for the Trojans. The overall performance by the women propelled them to a 6th place finish out of the 20 teams in attendance.

COACH COMMENTS: After a week of battling sickness, snow, and soreness, I thought the team came out and competed well. We had some definite bright spots and were able to see a new depth that we haven't had in year's past. With this being the first meet for a lot of our athletes, it was great to see where everyone stood and this meet will help us continue to stay focused on our goal of improving every week. Hopefully we have gotten all of the sickness out of our system and can get healthy and back to work in preparation for next weekend. Overall, I can't help but be pleased with the effort and I look forward to seeing this young group keep getting better each time out.

The team will travel to Bloomington, IL to compete at Illinois Wesleyan University next Saturday. The meet is set to begin at 10am.

NEW SCHOOL RECORDS SET AT IC SNOWBIRD MEET

MEN
Long Jump - 6.87m/22'6.5" (Bernardo Massuchin)
200m - 22.72 (Andre Townsend)

WOMEN
200m - 27.36 (Sarah Wilson)
400m - 60.81 (Sarah Wilson)
800m - 2:28.58 (Breanna Newton)
4x400m Relay - 4:20.26 (Sarah Wilson, Mandi Riddle, Caitlin McCoy, Breanna Newton)