Chicagoland Championships
The UIC men’s and women’s track & field teams concluded action at the Chicagoland Championships Saturday night.

Junior Tess Ehrhardt took home top honors in the 3,000-meter run crossing the finish line in 9:54.74.  Ehrhardt’s performance bested her nearest opponent by more than nine seconds, and set a new school record.

“Tess turned in another superior effort, anchoring the winning DMR with a 5:05 and then winning the 3,000 with a new school record, said head coach Jim Knoedel.  “Her work ethic and mental preparation make her the phenomenal athlete she is today.”

Rebecca Zaiter competed in the 800-meter run winning the race with a time of 2:16.71.  Zaiter also participated in the one-mile run, placing fifth of 48 runners, clocking in with a time of 5:07.86.

Teammate Lauren Lindholm competed in the 5,000-meter run with a mark of 18:03.64.

In the women’s field events, Noelle Williams and Desirae Ranberg participated weight throw recording marks of 14.27m and 12.92m, respectively.

On the men’s side, Richmond Richter secured first place in the triple jump recording a mark of 14.77m.  Seyi Ogunleye also competed in the triple jump placing second with a mark of 19.84m.  Ogunleye placed second in the long jump with a mark of 6.86m. 

“I am excited about the good job our men did,” said Knoedel. “Richmond Richter and Seyi Ogunleye pushed each other at practice and meets so it continues to be exciting to watch them.”

Senior Ryan Blackmon ran an aggressive 400-meter, setting a personal record clocking in with a time of 49.69 seconds.  Teammate Martin Hunter participated in the 200-meter dash crossing the finish line in 22.31 seconds.   

The Flames continue competition on February 21 when they travel to Grand Rapids, Mich., to compete in the GVS Tune-Up.

Grand Valley State University Big Meet
Milwaukee, Detroit and Oakland competed at the GVSU Big Meet in Grand Rapids, Mich. on Friday and Saturday.

Serena San Cartier of Oakland kept her hurdle performance at the top of the Horizon League by repeating an 8.75 mark for a fifth place finish during day one.

"Today was a great start to the Big Meet for us," said Golden Grizzlies head coach Paul Rice. "I am very proud of all our 5K runners. They set the tone right from the start today. Then, our two freshman milers ran awesome to follow up those performances. Karli (Keur) ran a nice race in the 800, just missing her school record. We are looking forward to more great performances tomorrow!"

Bryce Stroede ran a strong mile for the men with a 4:08.70 and an eighth-place finish in a field of 48 runners.

Karli Keur won the women's mile with a time of 5:06.19 out of 57 runners in the second day of the GVSU Big Meet. Overall, the two-day meet was great preparation for Oakland with league championships soon approaching in two weeks.

"What a great weekend for our program!" said a satisfied Paul Rice. "We kept the momentum going from yesterday and saw some more great performances today. The depth and consistency in our program right now is unlike anything we have seen before. This is exactly where we want to be heading into championships in two weeks. The key is that we stay healthy and fine tune everyone over the next 10 days and then go to the championships and perform the way we are capable of."

Candice Mack finished fifth in the women's 200-meter with a time of 25.54 out of 67 competitors while Sarah Oren and Sammy Mondry recorded top-ten finishes in the mile behind Keur in fourth and ninth places and marks of 5:09.89 and 5:15.63. For the men, Jeff Arirguzo was second in the 60m dash with a time of 6.97 as well as fifth in the 200m, finishing in 22.07. Nicholas Girodat topped Arirguzo in the 200m with a third-place finish and a time of 21.95.

Chris Scott finished third in 800m with a time of 1:53.63, David Koponen followed in fourth with a mark of 1:54.21 and Glenn Scott took fifth in 1:54.86.

In field events, Gino Vitella was second in the shot put with a throw of 53' 5.00"

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's and women's track & field teams combined to post 11 personal records in an impressive first day of action.

UWM won one event, came in second in another and posted four all-time top-10 marks to headline day one at one of the NCAA's premier meets of the week.

"I'm very proud of how the team came out today," Milwaukee head coach Pete Corfeld said. "There were a ton of great results. This is the first time the whole team has been together in two weeks and I think they're really responding to getting back out there; throwing down some great results. It's a good start and we'll need to continue to build as we're heading into conference in a few weeks."

Simbi Laaro continued her outstanding start to the season, blazing the trail in the 60m for the fifth-straight week. The sprinter first topped the field in prelims with a time of 7.54 before winning finals with a time of 7.42 seconds, just one one-hundredth of a second shy of breaking her own school record set just last week.

Laaro also moved into third place in UWM history in the 200m, crossing the line in an outstanding 25.11 seconds for ninth place overall.

Durell Busby had his best outing of the season so far, taking the silver medal in the 60m hurdles. The senior, who already owns the meet record, qualified for finals with a preliminary time of 8.07 before crossing the line at 7.98 seconds in finals for second overall. Milwaukee actually posted five of the top-24 times overall, with a handful of others falling just shy of the final race.

Marquis Johnson also posted an impressive finish on the day, taking fifth overall with a time of 48.54, just shy of his previous best that already sits third in Milwaukee history.

Perhaps the biggest headline of the day was the waves the Panthers made in the mile. Sam Leschisin posted an impressive time of 4:13.90, moving him into fifth place in UWM history. In true team fashion, Reed Schmidt was right behind at 4:14.51, placing him tied for eighth overall in Panther history.

On the women's side, freshman Leah Holmes crossed the line with an exceptional time of 5:02.11, moving her into fifth place in UWM history, as well.
Milwaukee posted loads of personal bests in the 5000m race. Gayana Wanniarachchi had the best time for the UWM women, coming in at 18:10.44, shaving over a full minute off her previous best. Ally Anich (18:38.64),Claira Himmel (19:11.34) and Hannah Jost (19:49.38) all also posted personal-record times.

On the men's side, Vince Paikowski led the way for the Panthers with a personal-best time of 15:23.66. Adam Schueller also had a PR, taking 72nd in 15:26.54.

Dana Clausen nearly added her name to the top-10 list in the women's 800m, finishing the event in 2:17.20, a new personal record. Jeff Pigg (1:54.49) and Tony Sustachek (1:55.19) both finished just shy of personal bests on the men's side.

In triple jump, Brett Pozolinski came in seventh with a leap of 12.83m (42-1 ¼) on his final attempt of the day.

Also notable, a pair of Milwaukee assistant coaches had strong days, as well. Throws coach Andy Novak crushed the competition in men's shot put with a new personal record toss of 19.40m (63-7 ¾), moving him up the ladder in the national rankings and all but guaranteeing him a spot in the USA Indoor Track & Field Championships in Albuquerque, N.M. later this month.

High jump coach Garrett Huyler also tied for the top spot in his event, clearing 2.12m (6-11 ½).

"Having both those coaches is great for our program," Corfeld said. "They put up great numbers today and they've been doing great all season. They are a great role model for our student-athletes and they've a great example to learn from."

Four Panthers won events, four moved into the all-time top-10 lists and the team tallied an outstanding 26 personal records on a strong second and final day.

"What a great second day of action by our athletes," Milwaukee head coach Pete Corfeld said. "A lot of times on the second day of a big meet like this, you get a little bit of a let up. That was not the case at all for us today. Our men and women really came on strong and pushed the pedal hard, posting a lot of great results. We're really performing well late in the season here and I'm very proud of where we're at heading into next week's home meet."

Anuli Okonkwo started the winning ways for UWM, taking first in the 200m. Her time of 24.96 not only bested the field of 67 other runners, but it also moved her into third place in UWM history, finishing a mere three-tenths of a second from the school record. Sherice Hewett also had a great run in the event, taking fourth overall at 25.39.

Brett Pozolinski won the men's high jump with an outstanding leap of 2.05m (6-8 ¾), a new personal best. That mark also puts him into a tie for fifth place in school history. Shawn Bohler also posted a personal record in the event with a jump of 1.90m (6-2 ¾).

Reed Schmidt won the 800m as the top collegiate to cross the line, posting a winning time of 1:53.50 to just miss a spot on the school record list. Kurt Sustachek (1:58.42) and Anthony Buensuceso (2:01.86) also posted personal bests in the event.

On the women's side, Leah Holmes (2:18.01), Adrianna Gutierrez (2:25.34) and Carissa Schneiter (2:26.51) all also topped their previous bests in the 800m.

Finally, it was Nate Pozolinski's turn to get into the action. The freshman topped the field in long jump with a career-best leap of 6.91m (22-8), a half an inch from the all-time top-10 list in Milwaukee history.

Milwaukee's women's 4x400m relay team of Michelle Garner, Simbi Laaro, Kate Novacek and Okonkwo teamed up to post a blazing time of 3:51.78, good enough for third at the meet and fourth place all-time in the school record book.

Newcomer Caleb Abfall also etched his name into the school record book. The distance specialist came in sixth overall in the 3000m run with an impressive time of 8:29.93 for 9th place in Panther history.

UWM had a host of strong results in the 400m. Novacek led the way on the women's side, crossing the line at 58.57 to take fourth place overall and just miss the school record list. Chelsea Maxey (59.93) and Tess Nelson (1:03.87) also posted PRs in the event.

On the men's side, Davontae Johnson came in 10th with a personal-record time of 49.48, just ahead of Taylor Koss's new PR of 51.12.

All four runners topped their previous bests in the mile. Dana Clausen was the top Panther in the event with a personal-best time of 5:17.58 for 10th overall. Gutierrez came in with a PR of 5:22.33 for 14th, just ahead of Schneiter's career best 5:23.21.

For the men, Tony Sustachek placed ninth overall with a time of 4:18.39, also a personal record.

In the 60m hurdles, Morgan Torrence won her heat with a personal-best time of 9.39 seconds. Nelson also won her heat, also with a PR time of 9.40.

Other notable results on the day were Sam Robinson's personal record toss of 15.10m (49-6 ½) in men's shot put and Nancy Harmon's mark of 17.69m (58-0 ½) in women's weight throw, just missing her own school record in the event.

In all, the Panthers tallied 19 top-10 finishes at one of the premier meets in the nation this weekend to really capitalize on going against some tough competition.

"This weekend's results were really important because now we can treat next week's home tune up as just that, a tune up," Corfeld said. "We don't have to try to push for the top results the week before conference, and what we did this weekend will allow us to fine tune some things next weekend and hopefully really gear up before heading to Youngstown."

The Detroit indoor men's track and field team saw records fall as junior Ryan Hofsess ran 4:16.37 in the mile and passed legendary Titan and Hall of Famer William Daly. Hofsess moved into the No. 6 spot on the Titan all-time list and topped Daly's mark of 4:16.6 and also 2013 senior Bob Radlich's time of 4:16.44.

Senior Eric Lewis again made his mark on the scene as he threw 18.78m, or 61 feet and 7.5 inches, for the second-best mark in his career and third career-mark over 60 feet.

In the 3000 meter run, sophomore Austin Wigent ran 8:32.28 which is the No. 5 all-time mark in Titan history as Wigent finished ninth overall in the race in a field of 76.

The 4x400m relay team of sophomore Colton Wirgau, freshman Joe Harmon, sophomore Alex Wesche, and Hofsess ran a time of 3:26.77 to place sixth overall.

In the 5000 meters, sophomore Derek Gielarowski ran a 15:04.98 for the new No. 9 Titan mark and senior Sam Felton 15:24.10 for the No. 14 all-time mark.
For the second week in a row, a Detroit indoor record fell as the women's 4x400 meter relay team from the University of Detroit Mercy indoor women's track and field team set a new mark on day one of competition.

Senior Brandee Hart, graduate student Shannon Marchant, senior Whitney Rogers, and junior Jasmine Greene finished with a time of 3:51.95 to set the new UDM indoor record.

This comes a week after the distance medley relay team broke the indoor record at Youngstown State.

The 4x400m relay team this week broke the former indoor record that was established at the 2013 Horizon League Indoor Championships by Hart, senior Nicole Meisner, freshman Alani Letang and Greene.

Members of the indoor record-breaking team also had other highlights including Marchant who is having a fine indoor season. She ran the 600 meters with a time of 1:34.64 and was the top collegiate finisher in second place out of 34.

Hart also ran in the 60 meter hurdles and finished with a mark of 8.89 for the No. 2 Titan-best mark.

Other Titan finishes included sophomore Allison Garner ran a time of 7.76 in the 60 meters earning the No. 3 Titan all-time best mark but she missed advancing to the finals by .01 seconds and placed tenth overall.

Senior Louisa Coppola ran the 5000 meter distance run to finish 11th of 127 runners with a time of 17:09.65 for a new career-mark as she slid into the No. 2 on the all-time Titan list. Also in the 5000m, junior Zeinab Baydoun ran 19:03.95 which was a new personal-best.

Freshman thrower Ashley Bussing had a throw of 13.07m in the shot put that was her second best throw of the indoor season as she came in sixth place.

Oakland next competes in Youngstown, Ohio on March 1-2 for the Horizon League Championship meet. Milwaukee returns home on Saturday for the annual Panther Tune-up. Detroit will continue to prepare with three different meets next weekend at the GVSU Tune-Up on Fri. Feb. 21, the Alex Wilson Invitational the Silverston Invitational on Sat. Feb. 22.

Fred Wilt Boilermaker Invitational
The Crusader women recorded one first-place finish and seven top-ten finishes at the 2014 Fred Wilt Invitational at Purdue University on Saturday.
Leading the way for the Crusaders was Jazmin Taylor (Rock Island, Ill./Rock Island), who put forth her best performance of the season in the high jump.

Taylor took first overall in the event, breaking the program record in the process. Earlier this season, Taylor set the program’s top mark in the high jump at 5’4 ¼”. The junior added nearly two inches to that mark on Saturday, setting Valparaiso’s new best mark at 5’6”.

Elsewhere in the field events, Sarah Drozdowski (Roselle, Ill./Lake Park)threw for 58’ 5 ¼” and took a third-place finish in the weight throw. Drowzowski occupies four of the top five marks in the weight throw in program history. Sophomore Megan Howdeshell(Bourbon, Ind./Triton Junior-Senior) took sixth in the same event, throwing for 50’7 ½”. Drozdowski also placed ninth in the shot put, throwing for 40’4 ¼”.

On the track, Dezzarae Arce (Orland Park, Ill./Victor J. Andrew) and Hannah Schilling (Fraser, Mich./Lutheran North) finished sixth and eighth in the 5,000-meter run. Arce clocked in at 19:03.24, while Schilling finished in 19:13.66.

Elizabeth Bloy (Freedom, Wis./Freedom) took sixth in the 800-meter run, clocking in at a season-best time of 2:15.63 – good for third in the Valparaiso indoor record book.

In the 600-meter run, Nicole Zehel (Wixom, Mich./Lutheran Westland) also ran into the Crusaders’ indoor record book. Zehel finished with a time of 1:41.51; a time good for ninth place in the event and third in the program’s record book.

The Crusader men recorded seven top-ten finishes.

In the field events, Jacob Frey (St. Paul, Minn./Roseville Area) captured a top-ten finish in the weight throw, finishing sixth with a distance of 54’1 ¼”. Jacob Smutz (West Lafayette, Ind./Harrison) took eighth in the same event, throwing for 52’8”.

Jordan Kelly (Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point) tied his season best height in the pole vault, clearing 14’9 ½” for a sixth-place finish.

In the long jump, Elijah Owen (LaPorte, Ind./LaPorte) nearly topped his season best distance with a 19’8 ¼” jump. He finished seventh in the event.Brennen Miller finished ninth in the same event (18’9 ¾”).

On the track, Adam Bruno (Bloomington, Ill./Normal) finished eighth overall in the 1-mile run, crossing the finish line at 4:26.53.
Max Morello (Plano, Ill./Plano) ran to a top-ten finish in the 3,000-meter run, clocking in with a time of 9:22.61.

Elsewhere on the track, Kevin Adamik (Elmhurst, Ill./York Community) ran a season and team best of 9.04 in the 60-meter hurdles.
The Crusader men return to the track next weekend to compete at both the GVSU and Alex Wilson Invitationals on Friday, Feb. 21 and Saturday, Feb. 22.

SPIRE Division I Invitational
The YSU men and women track and field teams took part in the two-day SPIRE Division I Indoor Track & Field Invite in Geneva, Ohio.

On Friday sophomore Jen Shiley and senior Alteeka Vanwright ran in the unseeded 400 meter dash and finished in the top eight. Shiley landed in fourth place running her fastest time of the year with a time of 56.83 while Vanwright finished in sixth place also running her best time of the year in the 400m clocking in at 57.09.

Freshman runners Robin Hall and John Helms also competed in the unseeded 400 meter dash.Hall finished in second place with a time of 48.66, just missing first place winner Brent Gray of Akron by .14 seconds. Helms ended up placing in the eighth spot where he ran a time of 49.66, beating his old personal record of .41 seconds.

Sophomore thrower Connor Neu continues having a successful year in the weight throw where he posted a personal best throw of 20.09 meters, beating his old top throw by .07 meters which gave him a fifth place finish. Neu's throw of 20.09 meters was also a school record toss.

The second day of the meet sophomore Nina Grambling and senior Ciara Jarret competed in the 60 meter dash where they both made it to the finals. Nina ran a personal best time of 7.59 to earn herself a top five finish placing in fourth and Ciara finished in ninth place recording a time of 7.71.

Freshman penguin Ellie Pollock made a top ten performance in the triple jump where she had a jump of 11.83 meters which is her farthest jump of the season so far. This is Pollock's second week in a row where she recorded a personal best.

For the men, senior Bobby Grace competed in the shot put where he had a top five throw of 18.59 meters. Freshman high jumper Arnaldo Morales was another penguin who had a personal record performance in the meet where he finished in tenth place in the high jump with a leap of 2.03 meters.

The YSU track teams will compete next week at the Akron Zips Invitational and at the Alex Wilson Invitational.