Track and Field continues to excel in RMAC and beyond

The Eagle track team flew above the weary weather and maintained an eastern flight plan to compete in Seward. Although the Concordia Indoor Track and Field Meet deemed tough competition, the Eagles soared above a dozen teams to snatch second place as a team. With a number of athletes placing in individual events, and a larger number matching or breaking a career best, the Eagles felt prepared on their fight to the finish line.

Freshman mile runner of Wood River, Rebecca Volf credits the coaches and teammates for the recent success of the team. “I think our training is setting us up perfect to hit our big marks each week,” Volf explains. “Training with the teammates we have is incredible because every day we push each other through the workouts. We couldn’t do it without each other.” Volf supports her own theory by placing sixth with a mile time of 5:59.70, a career best for the freshman.

The sprinters challenged the stopwatches with Alex Graham, junior of St.Leonardo, Jamaica, matching his season best in the 60-meter dash with a 6.77-second burst and Dean Francis, junior of Montego Bay, Jamaica, running a 22.23 200 meter. Both sprinters deservingly seized the second place medal. Senior of Lingle Wyo., Trae Patch, continued the sprinting standard set by her teammates, placing seventh in the 200 meter with a 26.48.  Freshman of Akron, Colo., Shelby Guy, earned a career best finishing sixth in the 800 with a time of 2:26.63. Keeping the Eagles in flight, Shelby Bozner, freshman of Rock Springs, Wyo., placed fourth in the high hurdles after recently being released from the injury list. A concoction of hardwork and talented members connected by a goal and baton locked down the third place spot in the men’s 4×400 relay with a time of 3:23.21 and the woman’s 4×400 earned the sixth place spot with a time of 4:05.89.

Off the track, Lamar Newman, senior of Kingston, Jamaica, soared past his previous season best by two feet, jumping 46 feet, 23 and three-fourths inches in the triple jump. Newman also placed sixth in the long jump reaching out for a 22 foot, seven inch mark. Junior of Chilaw, Sri Lanka, Charith Kapukotawa, marked 54 feet, one half inch in the shot put and chucked the 35-pound weight a distance of 56 feet, one-fourth inches. With both of the Eagle’s leading male pole vaulters, Kolten Jelden, senior of Eaton, Colo., and Skyler Hoopes, sophomore of Lusk, Wyo., reaching heights of 15-1 feet, Jelden took the fourth place slot having fewer misses and Hoopes snagged eighth place. Senior of Eaton, Colo., and sister to Kolten, Kaelie Jelden elevated to a height of 10 feet, 11 inches in the pole vault to latch onto the second place slot. Alyssa Norton, junior of Rushville, reached a career-best mark of 54 feet, 11 and three-fourths inches in the weight throw.

“There was great competition and I feel like we did a good job, we’re healthier and we are getting ready for the championships,” Head Coach Ryan Baily said.

The women’s team is currently ranked sixth nationally out of the teams in the RMAC, Lone Star and Heartland Division II conferences.

Furthermore, the men’s team is ranked second, coming in right behind Adams State College.

“We are going to keep working to hit lifetime and personal bests in every event and everything else will fall into place,” Baily said.

With the coaches making the decision to not compete this weekend in order to allow the team to rest and continue preparation, the Eagles look forward to a conference meet next week in Spearfish, S.D. Shaving each second and measuring each inch the Eagle track and field team continues on the flight for success.