Newton and Tonui Compete at Nationals

For the second consecutive season, Lady Trojan cross country runner Breanna Newton competed in the NAIA Women's Cross Country National Championships held in Vancouver, Wash. Newton finished the 3.1 mile course in 20:28 with an average mile time of 6:36. Her finish placed her 243rd overall out of 323 runners.

Fellow Trojan Philiph Tonui also competed at the National Championships for the third year in a row. 
Tonui finished the five mile course in 25:23 with an average mile time of 5:07. He improved his time by 30 seconds from last season's national meet to place 60th overall out of 312 runners.

"As a coach I was very pleased with how Breanna and Philiph represented our school and how they competed," stated Coach Jex. "They did the best they could and that is all that I ask of them."

The Trojans now look ahead to the indoor track and field season.  They are slated to compete in ten meets this winter, starting with the Bob Timmons Classic at the University of Kansas on December 3rd.

Trojans Heading to NAIA Nationals

Breanna Newton and Philiph Tonui have both qualified for the NAIA Cross Country National Championships.

Newton ran a great conference race to qualify, running a time of 19:57 for the 5k race finishing in sixth place. This will be Breanna's second time at the National meet.

Tonui will be making his third trip to Nationals after finishing eighth at the conference meet with a time of 26:03. 
The National Championships will be held on November 19 in Vancouver, Washington.

Trojans Last Tune Up Before Conference

The Trojans traveled to Lamoni, Iowa for the Graceland University Invite to run in their last regular season race of the fall.  On a tough hilly course with a long turns, the Trojans came away with a lot of confidence and a great showing.

 The Lady Trojans put three women in the top 15 and were one of only two teams to do that. With strong pack running; Breanne Newton (10th) 20:18, Mandi Riddle (14th) 20:25 and Nicole Griesbaum (15th) 20:25, the women finished within 5 places of each other. The top 5 for the ladies was wrapped up by freshman Jennifer Yoder (30th) 21:28 and Sarah Erickson(34th) 21:37. The ladies finished in 5th place as a team and ran a great race.

On the men's side, it was a day full of surprises. Lead once again by Phillip Tonui's strong second place finish, the Trojans surprised the field and ran to a third place finish as a team. The Trojans placed two runners in the top twenty ; Philiph (2nd) 26:07 and John Bedsworth (19th) 28:42. Next for the Trojans came, Troy Pace(21) 29:01;  Zach Lewis (26) 29:29; Brett Jones (28) 29:37. Rounding out the men's team was a gutsy performance by Tyler Malone who finished right behind Brett Jones. Tyler ended the race with some lower leg pain and will see the doctor this week. Please pray for him. The next race for the Trojans is the AMC Conference meet and a chance at nationals on November 5th. The race is at Forest Park so if you are in the St. Louis area come cheer on the Trojans.

HLG's Newton and Tonui Named AMC Runners of the Week

After standout performances at the Illinois Collegiate Invite, Breanna Newton and Philip Tonui were named the American Midwest Conference runners of the week.

The Invite was Newton's first time racing since being sidelined with an injury in early September.  She finished fourth in the 6k race with a time of 23:50, leading the Lady Trojans to a second place team finish.

Tonui went out ahead of the pack and never looked back, winning the 8k race with a time of 25:58.  He lead the men to a fifth place team finish.

 The Trojan men and women were back racing this weekend at the Central Methodist University Invite. Despite the warm weather, both teams made a good showing with the men finishing sixth out of seven teams, and the women finished sixth of eight.

On the men's side, Philiph Tonui was the top finisher for HLG with a time of 26:29 for 8k. John Bedworth came in second for the team at 28:12 and Troy Pace was third with a time of 29:14.

For the women, Mandi Riddle was the team medalist with a time 20:37 for 5k. Close behind her were Nicole Griesbaum at 21:14, Sarah Erickson at 21:23, and Jennifer Yoder at 21:25. Both Riddle and Erickson made a two minute improvement on their times from last year on this course.

Both teams will be in action this upcoming weekend at the Illinois College Invitational in Jacksonville, Illinois.

In recruiting; Reid Echelmeier, from Lafayette County High School in Higginsville, Missouri will be making an official visit later this week. Reid is a sprinter specializing in 110 (16.29) and 300 (40.85) meter hurdles. Reid would bring some great speed to the Trojan men's team and would be a great addition.

HLG Track and Field Seeking Volunteer Coaches

Hannibal LaGrange University in Hannibal, Missouri is seeking applicants for a Volunteer Track & Field Coach. As a coach, you would assist with all aspects of the Track & Field department including, but not limited to, assisting coaching staff with team travel, recruiting, and helping with any day to day operations.

HLG is a member of the NAIA and part of the American Mid-West Conference. The HLG women are the 2011 Track and Field conference champions.

Requirements: Relevant Track & Field experience as a coach or collegiate athlete with a special emphasis in horizontal jumps, sprints, or throws.

This position starts ASAP, but is negotiable.

To Apply:  Please e-mail Head Coach Tracy Jex at tracy.jex@hlg.edu

A Week Off But Working Hard

With the next two weeks off from competition, the Trojan men and women had a great week of tough workouts.  Nothing like a few mile repeats, some killer hills, and a long run to get the men and women ready for the CMU Invite. This week of training culminated with an intense game of ultimate Frisbee, with the Cross Country men and women coming out on top of the Track and Field men and women. 

The break from racing has also given some needed rest to a few Trojans that have been struggling with injuries.  Sophomore Breanna Newton is the lone Trojan on the injured list but will hopefully return to practice within the week.

In recruiting news, Wyoming standout Taylor Whitmore will be making an official campus visit in October.  Taylor who placed second in the state in the 800m (1:59.60) and 10th in the cross country championships (17:32) would be an outstanding addition to the HLG Men's team!

Rain Makes For Long Weekend

For the men and women of the HLGU Cross Country team the trip to Joplin for the 2011 Southern Stampede was going to be more then just a race. It was about serving a community that had been destroyed by a devastating tornado. The idea was to race on Saturday morning and then head out and do some tornado cleanup. However the Lord had other plans. There are lots of times that I wish I could control things like the weather, especially when people want to do good and serve, this was one of those times.

The rain we had in Joplin on Saturday



We arrived at the course at just after 7:30 am with the clouds building to the west we knew it was going to rain we just did not know how much. Shortly after the Lady Trojans warmed up and headed to the line for the start of the women's collegiate race lightening struck and we were in our first delay. Quickly we rushed to the Legget and Platt Center where we would hopefully wait out the storm. Four hours later we were hopeful as they announced that the women's race would start at noon. So the lady Trojans got back on the indoor track and warmed up. Just before we were to head to the line and go out into the rain, another lightening strike and another delay.  This one would only last about an hour, as it was announced that Missouri Southern State had cancelled the meet due to the weather.



Waiting for our Race in Legget and Platt Center



As it was clearly obvious that we would not be able to serve outside, we got the word that not only would we not be running this weekend, but we would also not be serving. As a coach I was OK that we weren't running; I mean who wants to run in a downpour. But I was very disappointed that we did not get to serve. I thought the Lord was supposed to bless us when we serve and help others? Maybe that is the lesson here that we aren't blessed when we serve, but that there is an active enemy trying to prevent us from serving, and loving others to spread the Gospel. After a nice bus ride back and after thinking about it I realized that I cannot control the weather. I know that the Lord has plans for this team and I believe everything happens for a reason. We as a team wanted to serve the people of Joplin and we will have our chance to do that it just wasn't this weekend.



Pair of Trojans Take AMC Honors for the Week

A pair of Trojans took home runner of the week Honors in AMC (American Midwest Conference) for their outstanding performances in the HLG Trojan Invite. Philiph Tonui took home the men's honor after setting a new course record and blistering the field and winning by over a minute. Nicole Griesbaum took home the women's honor for the week after running her first ever cross country race and finish third running just over twenty minutes.  Philiph has been honored as the runner of the week by the conference multiple times. For Nicole this is the first time that she has won the conference honor. Congratulations to each of them for their outstanding performances this week.  You can read all about the honor by following the link below. http://www.amcsportsonline.com/index.php

Trojan Men and Women Win Home Meet

A week after running in very hot and humid conditions the Trojan men and women returned back to Hannibal for a little home cooking. At the third annual HLG Trojan invite the men women ran to the team titles. The women utilized pack running strategy putting all six runners that ran in the top 15. Nicole Griesbaum was the first lady Trojan to cross the line running (20:26) in her first ever cross country meet. She was followed closely by Mandi Riddle (20:43) and Jennifer Yoder (20:41). The women finished with an amazing pack time of 1:17 for the 5K course. Right behind Jennifer Yoder was Sarah Erickson( 20:44), Sarah Wilson(21:10) and Jessica Bailey(21:43). For the women it was a particularly good meet, they beat Ashford University, and Benedictine University of Springfield to take home the team title. This was the first full 5k that the women's team had run, next week it is on to Joplin and the Missouri Southern Stampede one of the largest cross country meets in the nation.

On the men's side the HLG Trojan Invite was the first 8K(5mile) of the season. Lead once again by Philiph Tonui (25:56) the Trojan men defended there home turf and ran to the team title. The men beat Ashford University, Quincy University( NCAA Div. II), Benedictine University at Springfield, and Culver Stockton College. Philiph broke 26 minutes on the new course setting a new course record and firmly establishing himself as a runner to watch within the AMC conference. Behind Philiph was talented freshmen John Bedsworth (27:52), Troy Pace (28:30), Tyler Malone (28:40), Bret Jones(28:48) Zach Lewis (29:34) and Edward Gregg(33:56). For many of these guys it was there first 8k they had ever run. The men accomplished quite a bit today, learning to race five miles, but more importantly learning to run as a team and help each other out.  With the home meet in the rear view mirror we look ahead to our first long trip of the season.

Next week we are headed to Joplin, and the Missouri Southern Stampede. We are going to run but we are also going to spend some time serving the people of Joplin, which was devastated by a tornado in may. Hoping to be a little bit of a light to the community after we run.  Pictures and stories to follow.