Padden & Towsend Earn All-American Honors at NAIA Meet

The Hannibal-LaGrange University track & field team wrapped up a historic season at the 2011 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships this past weekend in Marion, Indiana, on the campus of Indiana Wesleyan University.  A total of six Trojan athletes represented HLG at the meet and came through with some great results.

Andre Townsend - 2011 All-American

Junior hurdler Andre Townsend kicked off the action for the Trojans on Thursday by competing in the preliminary round of the 110 meter hurdles. Andre recorded the second fastest time of the prelims with a school record performance of 14.17 seconds. The following day, Andre earned a place in the finals with a time of 14.37 seconds. Later that afternoon Andre competed in the finals and, despite stumbling badly just before the first hurdle, he recovered enough to post a time of 14.34 seconds, which was good for 6th place and a spot on the awards podium as an All-American. Andre becomes the first multiple All-American in HLG history as he also earned those honors in the 60m hurdles during the indoor season.

 

Easton Padden - 2011 All-American

 On Saturday, freshman Easton Padden competed in the pole vault and also earned a place on the All-American podium. Easton had a career best day, clearing the bar at 4.90 meters (16'0.75") on his second attempt, allowing him to finish 5th overall. Easton's mark also established a new school record which he previously held.

 Philiph Tonui crossing the marathon finish line.

Also on Saturday, a pair of Trojans competed in the marathon. Junior Philiph Tonui ran in the top ten of the pack for the entire race and finished in 8th place out of 71 competitors with a time of 2:33:00.30. Philiph's effort in his marathon debut also earned one point for the men's team and helped the trio score a combined 8 points, which ted them for 34th place in the meet (out of 120+ teams in attendance).

Nicole Griesbaum finishing the marathon

Freshman Nicole Griesbaum also made her marathon debut and, despite qualifying late and being limited in her training, came through with a strong effort. Nicole took a conservative approach, getting out slowly but consistently increasing her pace throughout the early stages of the race. Nicole ended up running a very consistent pace throughout the latter half of the race, passing over a dozen competitors over the last 5 miles. Her finishing time of 3:27:19.60 was good for 38th place out of 60 competitors.

Freshman Breanna Newton wrapped up a stellar year by competing in the 1500m run. Due to the poor weather, Thursdays preliminaries were canceled and all of the competitors were advanced to Saturday's finals. Breanna raced to a 13th place finish with a time of 4:46.10. Sophomore Holland McCoy competed in the high jump and, despite several strong attempts, she was unable to clear the opening height of 1.60m.

The 2011 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Nationals Championships completes the season for Hannibal-LaGrange. We would like to thank all of our family, friends, classmates school administrators, and competitors for all of your support this season. It has been a tremendous season, dating back to cross country and we could not have had the success we did without everyone cheering us on and praying for us daily. The returning members of the team can now begin to set their sights on next season, where expectations will be at an all-time high after a season that saw 13 national qualifiers, 3 All-Americans, and a conference championship for the women's outdoor team. 

And, for me (Coach Lewkowicz), I would like to thank everyone for making my three years at HLG so amazing. I have met so many great people and the support we have received from faculty, staff, and the community has been wonderful.While the Lord is pulling my family and me in a different direction, I know that I will always maintain a love for this place and this team. To my team, I repeat what I've told you before: you should feel really good about all that you have accomplished this year and how you have represented your university. However, do not be content, but stay hungry and keep the drive to continue to get better. Most of all, keep Christ first in all that you do...it is that aspect of this program that makes us different. It brings a sense of balance to our accomplishments and a sense of perspective to our failures. I am proud of you all and can't wait to see what you all accomplish under the leadership of Coach Jex and Coach Scott. I am, and will always be, proud to call my self part of the HLG family!

Easton Padden-16'1" in PV 5th place & All-American. Breanna Newton 13th in 1500m - 4:46.1. Holland McCoy- no height in high jump

Philiph Tonui placed 8th in marathon. Unofficial time: 2:32. Nicole Griesbaum completed marathon in 3:27.

Andre Towsend finished 6th in finals of 110m Hurdles w/time of 14.34. Stumbled badly out of blocks but recovered enough to earn All-American honors.

Andre Townsend ran 14.37 in semis of 110m Hurdles. Finished 2nd in heat and advanced to finals at 4:40pm EST today.

Andre competes in 110m Hurdle semis in 30 minutes. This place has nicest portable bathrooms I've ever seen!

Andre Townsend ran 14.17 in prelims of 110m hurdles, advancing to semifinals with second fastest time overall. He runs tomorrow at 1pm EST.

NAIA Championships start today. Andre Townsend will run prelims of 110m Hurdles at 2:40 EST today.

Griesbaum Qualifies as Trojans Wrap Up Regular Season

The last weekend of the regular season proved to be eventful as the Hannibal-LaGrange University track & field team added one additional team member to the traveling party for the national meet next week in Indiana.

Competing in cold and rainy conditions, distance runner Nicole Griesbaum competed in the Bridge the Gap to Health Half Marathon in Quincy, IL on Saturday and completed the 13.1 mile course in a blazing time of 1:30:35. That effort established a new school record in the event and was well under the automatic qualifying time for the marathon at the 2011 NAIA National Championships. Nicole also finished as the second female finisher and was 13th out of 430 total competitors. Teammate Zach Lewis compete in the race as well, and he came through with a solid half marathon debut, finishing first in his age group and 18th overall in a time of 1:31:40.

Three members of the men's team competed in the Chicago area this weekend and, despite battling poor weather, came through with some solid performances.

On Friday, the group competed at North Central College. Chris Smith competed in the high jump and placed 6th with a best jump of 1.95m (6'4.75"). Andre Townsend placed 5rd in the 100m dash (10.83) and came back to take a 3rd place finish in the 200m dash (21.97). Both of those efforts established new school records that Andre already held. Easton Padden had another solid effort in the pole vault, placing 7th with a top vault of 4.72m (15'5.75").

With the regular season now complete, the following six  Hannibal-LaGrange track & field athletes will set their sights on the 2011 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships, which will be held in Marion, Indiana, on the campus of Indiana Wesleyan University, May 26-28:

WOMEN
Breanna Newton - 1500m
Nicole Griesbaum - Marathon
Holland McCoy - High Jump

MEN
Andre Townsend - 110m hurdles
Philiph Tonui - Marathon
Easton Padden - Pole Vault

Stay tuned to the blog for updates from the national meet!

Outstanding Efforts for Trio at Indiana University

RESULTS

A trio of Hannibal-Lagrange Track & Field athletes traveled to Bloomington, Indiana this past Friday to compete in the prestigious Bill Hayes Invitational, held on the campus of Indiana University. Each athlete came to compete against tremendous competition, and they rose to the occasion with some outstanding results.

Breanna Newton placed 3^rd in the 1500m run in a time of 4:40.22. Running in a heat of all NCAA Division 1 athletes, Breanna cut five seconds off of her personal best time and that time allowed her to be the 5^th HLG athlete to qualify for the 2011 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships later this month. The time also established a new HLG school record.

Easton Padden: Placed 4^th in the pole vault with a personal best and school record mark of 4.85m (15’11”). Easton’s mark surpasses the NAIA automatic qualifying standard for the championship meet and has him ranked #6 in the NAIA going into the final week of the regular season.

Andre Townsend: Has already qualified for the national meet in both the 110m hurdles and 400m Hurdles and competed in the 100m and 200m dashes at IU as he is working back into form after a mid-season injury. Andre placed 11^th in the 100m dash (11.02) and 12^th in the 200m (22.19) and both times established new school records.

Assistant Coach Jason Scott cleared 5.20m (17'0.75") in the pole vault to take home the victory in that event.

As we head into the final week of the regular season, a few more athletes will be competing to add to the growing list of HLG athletes who have qualified for the national meet. On Thursday, May 12, Carissa Eichmeyer will travel to St. Louis to compete in a 5K race walk. On Saturday, May 14, Nicole Griesbaum will be running the Bridge the Gap to Health Half Marathon in Quincy, IL in an attempt to qualify for the marathon, while Chris Smith (high jump) and John Anderson (400m Hurdles) will compete at a last chance meet hosted by Emporia State University in Emporia, KS.

The NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships will be held May 26-28 in Marion, Indiana on the campus of Indiana Wesleyan University.

Andre townsend goes 22.19 in 200m. Earlier in the day, Andre went 11.02 in 100m dash.

Easton Padden just cleared 15' 10" in pole vault and is still in the competition. That mark is well over the A standard for NAIA National meet.

Breanna runs 4:40.22 in 1500 to place 4th and qualify for NAIA National meet.

Meet at Indiana U starts at 3pm EST today. Will post results as they are available. Andre, Easton, Chris, and Breanna competing for Trojans today.

Women Claim AMC Outdoor Track & Field Title

RESULTS

During a three-day stretch that included countless clutch performances, the Hannibal-LaGrange University women's track & field team earned their first American Midwest Conference outdoor track & field championship this past weekend in Lebanon, IL. The ladies team score of 175 points outpaced three-time defending champion McKendree (155), William Woods (145), Park (83), and Missouri Baptist (68).

Consistency proved to be the key for the Lady Trojans as they were victorious in only four events. On day one of the meet, junior Jocelyn Bright stepped up for her last throw in the javelin in third place. However, Jocelyn unleashed a toss of 32.86m (107'10"), a nearly ten foot personal best,  to claim victory in the event.  Mandi Riddle capped off a terrific freshman year by taking the gold in both the 100m Hurdles (17.45) and 400m Hurdles (1:08.16). Senior Cara Grinde capped off her collegiate career by claiming victory in the pole vault, with a top vault of 3.20m (10'6').

In all, the Lady Trojans came through with 12 All-Conference performances. One of the highlights of the meet was the emergence of sophomore Holland McCoy, who scored points in six different events. Holland's effort included a runner-up finish in the high jump, where her leap of 1.65m (5'5") set a new school record and qualified her for the NAIA Outdoor National Championships. Holland finished 3rd in the 400m Hurdles, 3rd in the pole vault, 4th in the 100m Hurdles, 6th in the triple jump, and 4th on a record-setting 4x400m relay team. Freshman Breanna Newton continued her impressive debut by taking runner-up finishes in both the 800m (2:18.30) and 1500m (4:45.21) events. Both marks leave Breanna just shy of NAIA qualifying standards and she will have two more attempts to qualify before the end of the regular season.

Perhaps the most gutsy effort came from junior Jasman Edmond. Suffering an upper leg injury, and unsure of whether or not she would be able to compete at all in the championships, Jasman pressed on taking second place in the 100m dash in a school-record time of 12.62. She returned the following day to lead off the third-place finishing 4x100m relay team before ending her heroic effort by placing 5th in the 200m dash (26.93). In the 400m dash, freshman Sarah Wilson became the first HLG sprinter to break one minute in the open event, earning the silver with a time of 59.87. Sarah placed seventh in the 200m dash and competed on both the 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams.

Nicole Griesbaum came through with big efforts in the long distance events, placing third in the 10,000m race (42:02.96) to earn All-Conference honors. Nicole followed up that effort with a fifth place finish in the 5000m run (20:30.28). Senior Carissa Eichmeyer placed second in the 5000m Race Walk (32:46.64) while teammate Chelsea Holmstrom placed third (40:36.17). Brittni Klundt fought through illness to finish 5th in the high jump, with a season best mark of 1.55m (5'1"). Freshman Molley Patrick took home All-Conference honors by way of her third-place effort in the discus (32.14m) while also placing 6th in the javelin (24.58m). Fellow freshman Cailey Wilkinson placed second in the pole vault (3.05m) to earn All-Conference status while also placing 3rd in the 100m Hurdles and 4th in the 400m Hurdles. Abbie Herrold placed 4th in the women's hammer throw (31.32m) while teammate Alera Gill-Binder took 6th place in the shot put (10.42m).

In all, the Lady Trojans earned 12 All-Conference awards and broke 6 school records. In addition, Head Coach Jason Lewkowicz was named the 2011 AMC Women's Outdoor Track & Field Coach of the Year.

An injury plagued men's team did not have the numbers to compete for a conference crown but that did not prevent them from putting forth a gutsy effort, highlighted by three event champions and seven All-Conference honors. The team finished 4th in the team standings, scoring a total of 93 points.

Junior Andre Townsend battled through a lingering back injury to win the 110m Hurdles. His time of 14.65 seconds hit the automatic qualifying standard for the 2011 Outdoor Track & Field National Championships. Andre would return later in the meet to place third in the 200m dash with a time of 22.65. Sophomore John Anderson defended his title in the javelin, braking his own school and conference record in the event with his toss of 47.55m (156'0"). John also earned All-Conference honors  with his runner-up finish in the 400m Hurdles (56.54), while placing third in the 110m Hurdles (16.25) and leading off a school record breaking 4x400m relay team. Freshman Easton Padden earned his first outdoor track & field title in the pole vault with a best mark of 4.27m (14'0").

Junior Philiph Tonui helped the men's 4x800m relay team break the school record in the event with their third place finish (8:10.29) and returned a short while later to win the 10,000m run in a time of 33.17.39. Sophomore Zach Lewis wrapped up a solid season with a 5th place showing in the 800m race with a time of 1:58.10, while also competing on the 4x800m relay squad. Junior Chris Smith earned the silver in the high jump with a top leap of 1.96m (6'5") and just missed clearing 2.01m, a mark that would qualify him for the national meet. Junior Michael Clemons took home a 4th place finish in the triple jump with a best leap of 12.56m (41'2.5").

As of the conclusion of this meet, four HLG track & field athletes have qualified for the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National championships, which will take place May 26-28 in Marion, IN. Andre Townsend (110m Hurdles & 400m Hurdles), Philiph Tonui (10,000m & Marathon), Easton Padden (Pole Vault), and Holland McCoy (High Jump) have punched their ticket to nationals and teammates Breanna Newton (800 & 1500),  Chris Smith (high jump), and John Anderson (400m Hurdles) will travel to Bloomington, IN this Friday to compete in the Bill Hayes Invitational in hopes of also qualifying for the national meet. In addition, Nicole Griesbaum will be competing in a half marathon in Quincy, IL on May 14 in hopes of qualifying for the marathon at the national meet.

AMC Event Champions
Women
Mandi Riddle - 110m Hurdles & 400m Hurdles
Jocelyn Bright - Javelin
Cara Grinde - Pole Vault
Men
Andre Townsend - 110m Hurdles
Philiph Tonui - 10,000m
John Anderson - Javelin

All-Conference Honors
Women 
Jasman Edmond - 100m
Mandi Ridle - 100m Hurdles; 400m Hurdles
Sarah Wilson - 400m
Breanna Newton - 800m; 1500m
Nicole Griesbaum - 10,000m
Holland McCoy - High Jump
Cara Grinde - Pole Vault
Cailey Wilkinson - Pole Vault
Molley Patrick - Discus
Jocelyn Bright - Javelin
Men
Andre Townsend - 110m Hurdles; 200m
John Anderson - 400m Hurdles; Javelin
Philiph Tonui - 10,000m
Chris Smith - High Jump
Easton Padden - Pole Vault

New School Records
Women
Jasman Edmond: 100m (12.62)
Sarah Wilson: 400m (59.87)
Breanna Newton: 800m (2:18.30) & 1500m (4:45.21)
Holland McCoy: High Jump (1.65m - 5'5")
Sarah Wilson, Holland McCoy, Mandi Riddle, Breanna Newton: 4x400m (4:07.15)
Men
Andre Townsend: 110m Hurdles (14.65) & 200m (22.65)
Zach Lewis: 800m  (1:58.10)
Chris Smith: High Jump (1.65m - 6'5")
John Anderson: Javelin (47.55m - 156'0")
John Anderson, Zach Lewis, Jordan Creech, Brett Jones: 4x400m (3:31.14)
Zach Lewis, Brett Jones, Philiph Tonui, Edward Gregg: 4x800m (8:10.29)