Angie Berry/Amber Mayer April 4, 2009

Three top NCAA standard in multi-events

PELLA—Twelve new meet records were set despite windy conditions Saturday at the Central Invitational track meet at Ron and Joyce Schipper Stadium where the Central College men’s and women’s track teams opened their 2009 outdoor campaign.

The Univ. of Northern Iowa topped the 18-team men’s field with 215 points, followed by the Univ. of Minnesota-Duluth (99.5), Central (89), Iowa Central Community College (85) and Gustavus Adolphus College (Minn.) (61) to round out the top five.

Out of 15 teams on the women’s side, Minnesota-Duluth scored 166.5 points to beat out second place Northern Iowa with 149 points. Drake Univ. was third with 94, followed by Augustana College (Ill.) (84.5), Gustavus Adolphus (Minn.) (83.25) and Central (49).

A record-setting day—The women set new records in the 800 meter run, 5,000 meter run, 10,000 meter run, 3,000 meter steeplechase and 4x800 meter relay. Men set new records for the 110 meter hurdles, 400 meter run, 10,000 meter run and 4x400 meter relay as well as the little contested 4x200 and 4x800 meter relays.

Multi-event action—The men’s decathlon and women’s heptathlon kicked off the weekend action on Friday and wrapped up on Saturday.

Jill Ziskovsky (sophomore, Dallas Center, Dallas Center-Grimes) placed third in the heptathlon, recording a personal best with a total of 4,164 points and meeting the NCAA provisional qualifying standard. Caitlin Wilson (freshman, Oakland, Riverside HS) and Carissa Bentz (junior, Ute, Boyer Valley HS) placed fifth and sixth, with Wilson missing the provisional mark of 4,100 by a single point.

In the decathlon, Kurtis Brondyke (sophomore, Clinton) and Ethan Miller (freshman, Seymour) snagged the top two spots, scoring 6,088 and 6,085 points respectively, as both topped the provisional qualifying mark of 6,050. Greg Foote (senior, Maple Grove, Minn.) placed sixth in the event with 5,625 points.

“The multi-eventers did some great things, with three provisional qualifiers and Caitlin Wilson missing qualifying by one point,” said head coach Joe Dunham.

Emily Teas (sophomore, Indianola) finished third in 200 meter dash (27.75 seconds), sixth in the 400 meter dash (1:00.08) and was a member of the sixth place 4x100 meter relay team along with Kelsey Manecke (sophomore, Pella), Angie Latta (junior, Madrid) and Amanda Mosinski (sophomore, Packwood, Pekin HS) that clocked a time of 51.83 seconds.

In the 5,000 meter run Angie Berry (junior, Indianola) placed fifth (18:35.08) and was followed closely by Amber Mayer (junior, Essex, Shenandoah HS) who set a new personal best by over a minute with a time of 18:37.99.

Ziskovskey hih jump“Our middle distance and distance crews are really starting to come around,” said Dunham. “It’s exciting to see their improvement.”

The Dutch got a fifth-place finish from Rachelle Tipton (junior, Newton) in the 800 meter run (2:20.65) and a pair of fourth-place finishes from Taylor Schuelke (freshman, Rosemount, Minn.) in the high jump (5 feet, 1 inch) and Rachel Boeke (senior, Cedar Rapids, Jefferson HS) in the discus with a throw of 134-08. Boeke also took sixth in the shot put (41-06.50).

In the shot put Matt Graber (sophomore, Newton) took top honors with a throw of 49-04.25, missing his personal best by less than an inch. Josh Garrison (freshman, Maxwell, Collins-Maxwell HS) was third in the shot with a throw of 47-11. Graber also placed sixth in the hammer throw (154-02), and Tyler Crouse (freshman, Hedrick, Pekin HS) was sixth in the discus (143-0).

Kyle Wood (freshman, Newton) was second in the 200 meter dash clocking a time of 22.61. Central also received a second place finish from the 4x800 meter relay team of Elliot McDowell (sophomore, Grundy Center), Spencer Coulter (sophomore, Beaman, BCLUW HS), Teddy Clark (senior, Montgomery, Ill., Oswego HS) and Derek Townsend (junior, Perry) in 8:14.50.

In the 800 meter run Alex Miller (junior, Adel) was fourth (1:58.37) and Townsendwas fourth in the 1500 meter run (4:06.78), 6.two seconds under his previous best

Jordan Gegner (junior, Martensdale, Martensdale-St. Marys) posted a time of 57.59 in the 400 meter hurdles to finish fourth, and Chris Henely (freshman, Grundy Center) was fifth in the 110 meter hurdles (15.75).

Breighen Powell (sophomore, Wellman, Mid-Prairie) cleared 6-2 in the high jump to take fourth, and Shane Hallengren (sophomore, Estherville) recorded a distance of 40-08.75 to take sixth in the triple jump.

At 400 meters Matt Patrick (junior, Dallas Center, Dallas Center-Grimes) placed seventh (49.79) and came back to anchor the sixth place 4x400 meter relay team that included Wood, Miller and Luke Bolander (junior, Des Moines, East HS) (3:21.53).

“Our talent is really starting to show,” Dunham said. “That’s a tribute to the coaching staff. All of our assistant coaches have really done a superb job of getting these athletes ready.”

Both the men’s and women’s track teams will be in action again next weekend as Central travels to the Jim Duncan Invitational in Des Moines.