Tech Track & Field team breaks five records
Courtesy of MTU Athletics
GENEVA, Ohio – The Michigan Tech track and field teams wrapped up the three-day 2014 GLIAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Friday (May 2) at the SPIRE Institute. The men’s team finished ninth out of 14 teams with 32.5 points, while the women were 15th with three points.
“I’m pretty excited about how the teams did,” Tech coach Joe Haggenmiller said. “We have a lot of youth that have infused themselves into this program and brought a lot to the table. This conference is so competitive, and it was great to see some freshmen scoring. It really sets us up well for our future.”
Tech finished with 10 all-conference performances. Athletes finishing in the top eight in each event are All-GLIAC. The Huskies also broke five school records.
Jani Lane had the only podium finish for the Huskies with a second place finish in the 1500. He broke the school record with an NCAA provisional time of 3:51.83.
“Jani’s performance was super exciting.” Haggenmiller said. “He picked a great day to run his fastest 1500. He will need to have another great race next weekend and take some more time off to get invited to nationals.”
Kyle Petermann broke the school record in the discus for the third time this season with a throw of 163-10, a NCAA provisional qualifying toss. He placed seventh in the event.
Jason Saliga scored five points for the Huskies in the 3K steeplechase. He ran an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 9:22.88 to finish fourth.
“It was nice to have two freshmen get provisional marks,” Haggenmiller said. “Both of them are sitting around 30th in the nation. Hopefully we can get them moved up into the top 20 at some last chance meets next weekend.
Deedra Irwin broke the school record and finished seventh in the 800. She ran 2:14.39 in the preliminary round to reset the record and then ran the second fastest time in school history in Friday’s finals with a time of 2:15.75.
Ashley Veale was eighth in the 400 hurdles. She broke her school record in the event in the qualifying round with a time of 1:04.85.
“Seeing Deedra and Ashley break some records was pretty fun,” added Haggenmiller. “They’ve worked hard all season and Ashley really showed her hurdling capabilities during the last couple meets.”
Steven Saliga had a fifth place throw of 166-9 in the javelin to score four points for Tech. It was the eighth best throw in school history.
In the decathlon, Brent Cousino placed fourth with 6,053 points. It was the fifth best score on the top 10 list. Patrick Spalding alsoscored in the event with a sixth place mark with 5,809 points, the 10th best score in Tech history.
In the pole vault, Jake Wiedemeier and Spalding earned All-GLIAC honors. Weidemeier tied for fifth after clearing the bar at 14-5.5. Spalding was seventh at the same height. Teammate Jake Jurkowski (13-11.75) was 12th in the event.
“I’m proud of the pole vaulters,” Haggenmiller added. “It was nice to get some quality results in an event we haven’t always been strong in.
“The decathlon guys battled through some miserable conditions to get some solid results. I wish they would’ve had conditions they liked, but I’m still happy for them.”
Mike Fisher placed 10th in the high jump, clearing 6-4.25. James Sutton (6-2.25) was 13th in the event.
Jonathan Kilpela placed 11th in the 10K in 31:59.84. It was the seventh best time in school history. Benjamin Kramka was 12th in the 800 in 1:55.74. Kyle Hanson (4:00.05) was 13th in the 1500. Sean Pengelly (15:18.77)and Jason Saliga (15:25.15) placed 14th and 15th in the 5K.
Isaac Pringle was 12th in the 400 with a time of 49.86. Jared Berryman was13th in the shot put with a toss of 48-10.75. Matt Vander Velden (139-2) placed 13th in the javelin.
Other top 15 marks on the women’s side were Natalie Berryman in 14th in the shot put with a throw of 39-10.75.
The 4×400 relay team of Veale, Lauren Raiford, Jamie Dompier and Irwin set a school record with a time of 3:58.65. The squad finished ninth
in the event.
The 4×100 relay team had the second best time in school history with a time of 50.87. The Huskies finished 11th with Hannah Schnack Raiford, Veale and Dompier sprinting for Tech.
Grand Valley State won both the men’s and women’s titles.
Huskies with provisional qualifying marks will look to improve on their national ranking to get invited to the NCAA Championships on May 22-24 in Raleigh, North Carolina.