The Hannibal-LaGrange track & field team once again re-wrote the history books as 11 new school records were set at this past weekend's American Midwest Conference Championships. Overall, it was a solid performance for the Trojans, with the women finishing 3rd in a tightly contested meet, while the men's team scored a 4th-place team finish.
WOMEN
The women's team had an outstanding meet, coming away with a 3rd-place finish in a meet that went down to the final few events before a winner was determined. The Trojans were bolstered by 12 All-Conference performances over the course of the meet, as well as a sweep of the women's pole vault competition, where Cara Grinde set a new conference record with her vault of 3.26m (10'8.25").
The Lady Trojans dominated the field events over the course of the meet. In the javelin, senior Danielle Sturgeon placed second (31.82m) while teammate Caitlin McCoy placed 3rd (29.80m), giving both All-Conference honors. On top of Grinde's performance in the pole vault, Sturgeon captured 2nd place in the event (3.01m) with Amanda Miller placing 3rd (2.70m). Senior Eva Knowles wrapped up her career in style as she set a new school record in the long jump with a mark of 4.99m, an effort that placed 3rd in the event. In the women's triple jump, Holland McCoy took 2nd place (9.84m) while Jocelyn Bright overcame a hip injury to finish 3rd (9.83m).
In the running events, Sindy Chavez had a strong showing as the freshman placed 2nd in the 400m Hurdles while placing 3rd in the 100m Hurdles. National Qualifier Carissa Eichmeyer has been hampered by knee tendinitis, but managed to tough it out to place 2nd in the 5,000m race walk. Sarah Erickson took on the 3,000m Steeplechase for the first time and came away with a second-place performance. Jasman Edmond had a strong outing forthe Lady Trojans as she placed 5th in the 200m dash and 6th in the 400m race. The women's 4x400m relay team of Sindy Chavez, Holland McCoy, Casey Pilliard, and Caitlin McCoy smashed the school record in the event with their time of 4:22.14, which was good for 4th place.
Coach Comments: I am so proud of how the ladies came out and competed this weekend. We were a little short-handed due to some injuries but every single one of them gave all that they had to help the team be as successful as possible. This was a closely-contested meet and we were right in the thick of things throughout the meet. What I appreciate more than anything is the quality and character of the ladies in our program. On numerous occasions I witnessed them showing the love of Christ, whether it be praying with athletes from other teams, checking on an injured competitor, or offering congratulations on a good effort to someone from a different team. We talk about wanting to honor Christ though our efforts on the track and those are examples of what that looks like played out and I am just so proud of them for that. I feel really good about the future of this program and congratulate these young ladies on how well they represented HLG.
MEN
Although the men's team has been small in numbers all season long, they proved once again that you cant place a number on heart and perseverance as the men scored 64 points en route to a 4th-place finish.
Leading the charge for the Trojans was the outstanding overall performance of John Anderson. John started off the meet by winning the javelin competition. John's toss of 47.39m not only won the competition, but in doing so, he set both school and conference records in the event. That effort was followed by All-Conference performances in both the 100m Hurdles (3rd-16.21) and 400m Hurdles (3rd-57.33). Both of those efforts also set new school records. Senior Gheron Dorsett saved one of his best meets for last as he captured 2nd place in the discus (38.55m) while placing 5th in the hammer throw (32.97m). In the jumps, Brett Jones captured the conference title in the men's pole vault (3.68m) while Bernardo Massuchin placed 4th in the long jump (6.18m).
National Qualifier Philiph Tonui came off of a month-long break to win the men's 10,000m run, pulling away from the competition over the last 600 meters to finish with a time of 32:19.41. Ben Griffin made his debut in the 3,000m Steeplechase and raced to a 4th place finish.
Coach's Comments: The men really impressed me with how they came out and competed this weekend. Obviously John had a tremendous meet and showed what an all-around athlete he is. I look for him to do big things next year as he progresses to becoming a decathlete. Brett's effort in the pole vault helped the team out and I thought that Ben really showed a lot of heart in the Steeplechase. His training has not been geared for that type of race, but he showed me that he has a future in that event going forward. Philiph has not raced in a month due to a pre-scheduled break and meet cancellations, so he was eager to come out and race and he did just that. He showed his toughness down the stretch as he held off challenge after challenge. I am excited to see him toe the line for the 10K at nationals in a few weeks. Bernardo put together a solid effort in the long jump and I believe that he can become a great jumper in the future. One again, I feel really blessed to be able to coach this group and they truly embody what it means to compete for Hannibal-LaGrange. With the group we have coming back, as well as the recruits coming in, the men's team will definitely be a factor next season.
In addition to all of the athletic plaudits achieved by the team over the weekend, the Trojans also had 19 individuals named to the AMC All-Academic Team, the most of any school in the conference.
Over the next two weeks, several Trojan athletes will continue to compete as they are either trying to hit a national qualifying mark, or are trying to stay sharp for the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships, which will take place May 27-29 in Marion, IN.
RECOGNITION FROM 2010 AMC CHAMPIONSHIPS
Conference Champions
Cara Grinde - Pole Vault
John Anderson - Javelin
Brett Jones - Pole Vault
Philiph Tonui - 10,000m
Conference Records
Cara Grinde - pole vault (3.26m)
John Anderon - javelin (47.39m)
All-Conference Performers
Jocelyn Bright - triple jump
Sindy Chavez - 100m Hurdles; 400m Hurdles
Carissa Eichmeyer - 5,000m race walk
Sarah Erickson - 3,000m steeplechase
Cara Grinde - pole vault
Eva Knowles - long jump
Caitlin McCoy - javelin
Holland McCoy - triple jump
Amanda Miller - pole vault
Danielle Sturgeon - javelin; pole vault
John Anderson - javelin; 100m Hurdles; 400m Hurdles
Gheron Dorsett - discus
Brett Jones - pole vault
Philiph Tonui - 10,000m
Academic All-Conference Performers
Kelsey Anderson
Jocelyn Bright
Sindy Chavez
Heather Dixon
Jasman Edmond
Carissa Eichmeyer
Sarah Erickson
Cara Grinde
Abbie Herrold
Eva Knowles
Caitlin McCoy
Holland McCoy
Amanda Miller
Casey Pilliard
Danielle Sturgeon
John Anderson
Brett Jones
Rodrigo Scorza-Gaspar
No comments:
Post a Comment