Track and Field groups find mutual success at Akron and Hillsdale meets
With the hopes of rallying individual bests, the track and field split up this weekend to compete at Akron and Hillsdale.
Neither meet was scored, but the men and women of the Chippewas offered some outstanding performances.
“We had talked about this meet and the upcoming meet at Grand Valley so that we could try for individual performances,” said Mark Guthrie, director of track and field. “I thought it was overall a really great effort.”
Because the Akron Invitational only allowed three competitors per event, some athletes were sent to the Hillsdale “Wide-Track” Classic to earn Mid-American Conference qualification marks.
Most of the distance squad did not compete this weekend after snatching a number of automatic MAC marks at the Compass Cup.
At Akron, senior Shawntoreah Turk had one of the most exciting finishes of the day, seizing first place in the women’s 400m. Turk said she hadn’t been able to run the 400 yet this season, but finally competed at Akron because the wider track allowed her to take advantage of her long strides.
Coming in at a blistering 53.98, Turk not only made the auto-MAC mark, but is now also ranked first in the conference. Her time is also just under the CMU school record of 53.82, something Turk hopes is within reach this season.
“I’m really excited. This has been a great year for everyone,” Turk said. “This whole season, with the new coaching staff and the new training schedule, every element every day has been lining up to impact that time. My ultimate goal is to get the record, but now I don’t have to worry about qualifying for the MAC anymore.”
On top of being ranked first in the MAC, Turk is also ranked 24th nationally. She is .5 seconds away from the Top 16, which is the qualifying mark for the national meet.
“This was the highlight of the day on the women’s side,” Guthrie said.
Junior Diamond Hamilton notched sixth place in the finals of the 60m dash at Akron, while junior Bridget Doughty finished with a career-best in the 400m and earned sixth, and freshman Kelsey Ross, finished sixth in the 800-meter.
In field events, senior Megan Heffner came in 5 cm short of her personal best set at the Compass Cup, earning fourth overall with a jump of 170 cm.
“I’m really excited that it’s my senior year and I get to go out with a bang,” Heffner said. “It’s been a really big accomplishment, getting around 5-foot-7 consistently. I’m now looking to be able to place at the MAC meet, especially if I keep on breaking my personal records. The new coaching staff has had a huge impact on me and the rest of the team.”
In the shot-put and discus, sophomore Devene Brown placed sixth and second, respectively.
On the men’s side, top finishers at Akron included senior Clay Holman in the 200m dash, coming in second at 22.06, junior Kyle Allinder in the 800m run, earning a second place and a lifetime personal best with a 1:51.54, and senior Renaldo Powell, whose time of a 7.91 was good enough for a second place in the 60m hurdle finals.
“Powell is frustrated because he felt like he could’ve been a bit better,” Guthrie said, “Frustration is good motivation.”
Sophomore Zeimowit Dutkiewicz finished second place in the men’s 400m, but crashed at the finish, fracturing his clavicle.
Previously, Dutkiewicz had been working on leaning at the end of his race, but leaned too far and tumbled at the finish line. He will have to receive surgery on his fractured clavicle.
Finishing in second place with a height of 6-foot-8.75”, sophomore high jumper Matt Mueller just missed his lifetime best. Senior Alex Rose grabbed fifth place in the shot put, but went on to win the discus with a throw of 179-foot-03.
“We got a lot accomplished at that meet. I was very pleased with the entire team effort,” Guthrie said.
At Hillsdale, senior Kelly Morrissey and sophomore Micaela Conter tied fourth in the women’s pole vault with a height of 11-foot-5.75.
Junior Halley Love had the same height, but finished eighth because she accumulated more faults. Freshman Tony Armstrong took second in men’s pole vault with a 14-foot-9.
In the men’s 400m dash, freshman Malik Vasquez snatched second with a time of 50.08, and senior Parker Scott opened up his season in the 400m dash with a 50.76, earning fourth place.
The Chippewas will compete at Grand Valley next weekend. Guthrie said he hopes the team will still compete for individual MAC marks, but across all events the team should still do well.
“We’re a better team than where we were a year ago,” Guthrie said. “Our marks are already better, and we still have three weeks to go.”
