Central relay April 11, 2009

Six Dutch athletes set new personal bests

DES MOINES—Six Central College athletes notched new personal bests at Drake University’s Jim Duncan Invitational Saturday including sophomore Matt Graber (Newton) who met the NCAA provisional qualifying mark.  

“I was really pleases with our effort Friday and Saturday,” said Central coach Joe Dunham. “We had a lot of new personal bests and even the athletes who didn’t quite reach a personal best were right around their best times. I think we’re making some great improvements and it shows.”

Graber recorded a throw of 51 feet, 6.25 inches, topping his previous best by nearly two feet and placing third in the event. But he wasn’t the only thrower shattering his own personal best. Sophomore Kelsey Peterson (Waverly, Waverly-Shell Rock HS) threw the javelin 119-8 to eclipse her previous best effort by an astounding 12 feet and take third.

Caitlin Wilson (freshman, Oakland, Riverside HS) finished third and set a new personal best in the high jump by half an inch with a mark of 5-3,  and Taylor Schuelke (freshman, Rosemount, Minn.) tied her personal best in the high jump at 5-1 for eighth place. In the 800-meter run junior Rachelle Tipton (Newton) topped her previous best by 1.5 seconds, clocking a 2:18.41 in a fifth place finish, and junior Luke Bolander (Des Moines, East HS) finished fourth in the 400-meter dash, .2 seconds ahead of his previous best witsoph a time of 49.73. Fellow junior Jordan Gegner (Martensdale, Martensdale-St. Marys) finished sixth in the 400 in a time of 50.17.

Bolander was joined by freshman Kyle Wood (Newton), junior Matt Patrick (Dallas Center, Dallas Center-Grimes) and junior Alex Miller (Adel, Van Meter HS) on the first 4x400 meter that recorded Central’s best time of the season in the event at 3:17.28. Another Dutch team made up of sophomore Connor Daily (Ottumwa), Gegner, sophomore Kurtis Brondyke (Clinton) and freshman Trevor Veach (Grinnell) finished third in the event in 3:21.22.

Miller also recorded a third-place finish in the 800-meter run in 1:54.26, while Derek Townsend (junior, Perry) was eighth in 1:56.41. The Central A team placed second in the 4x100 meter relay in a time of 42.08, the best time of the season for Central, and the Central B team was sixth in 43.52. In the 110-meter hurdles freshman Chris Henely (Grundy Center) was eighth in 16.02.

The women’s 4x100 meter relay team of sophomore Kelsey Manecke (Pella), junior Angie Latta (Madrid), sophomores Emily Teas (Indianola) and sophomore Jill Ziskovsky (Dallas Center, Dallas Center-Grimes) also recorded Central’s fastest time of the year in the event with a second place finish in 51.05. Ziskovsky was also sixth in 400-meter hurdles (1:04.94) and eighth in the long jump (16-7). Teas placed seventh in the 200-meter dash (26.25) and led off the 4x400 meter relay team that included sophomore Amanda Mosinksi (Packwood, Pekin HS), junior Carissa Bentz (Ute, Boyer Valley HS) and Tipton that took sixth place in 4:03.72.

Central will be in action again Friday and Saturday at the Doane Relays hosted by Doane College in Crete, Neb.