Sunderman breaks CMU all-time record in weight throw

Friday’s Jack Skoog Open gave some top CMU men’s and women’s track and field athletes a chance to rest for next week’s Mid-American Conference Championships.

Senior Charity Sunderman broke the CMU all-time record for the women’s weight throw. Her throw of 62 feet, 6 inches broke Kari Taylor’s former record by almost two feet.

Although Sunderman has not been recognized much this season, Randolph said she has been working hard all year and deserves more recognition.

“She broke the record twice,” Randolph said. “Her and (throwing coach John) Ridgway have been really working hard, and I’m excited for that young lady.”

CMU competed against Lake Superior State, Alma, Michigan Tech, Ferris State, Saginaw Valley and Northwood.

Junior Shanaye Carr also had a career-best in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.53 seconds. It earned her the best time in the MAC, and she is one-tenth of a second from earning a provisional qualifying mark.

Randolph said he thought his team picked up from where it left off at the Grand Valley Big Meet last week, where it had 20 individual career-best performances.

He said his team is performing the best it have all season and are finally used to all the changes the program dealt with this seasons it prepares for the MAC Championships.

Youth

Several freshmen women took advantage of the opportunity to compete and won events for the first time this season.

Katie McColly won the long jump (18-5 3/4), Aleisha Leeper won the triple jump (36-6 1/4 inches), Veronica Garcia won the mile run (5:8.76) and Raquel Gibbs won the 400-meter run (1:1.71).

CMU boasted the top four throws of the men’s shot put as freshman Alex Rose finished second with a career-best 53-10 1/4 inches to the winner, sophomore John Calvert, who had a career-best 54-6 1/4 throw. Freshman George Flanner took third at 53-3 and freshman Mychael King came in fourth place with a throw of 50-2.

Freshman Renaldo Powell won the 60-meter hurdles for the second time in three meets with a time of 8.19, and senior Marcus Breidinger won the pole vault after coming in third last week.

Randolph said the men’s team has caught up to the level that the women’s team was at earlier this season. He said the men’s team does not have a lot of depth, but it realized it needs to perform as well as the women in order for it to compete well.

The track and field teams return to action this weekend as they host the MAC Championships Friday and Saturday at Jack Skoog Indoor Track.