Tommie Sports - Men's Track and Field
Men's T&F claims title, 25 in last 30 years
1st of 11MIAC Champ. (M), May 12, 2012
St. Thomas used big Saturday performances and swept the MIAC men's and women track and field team titles at the two-day conference meet, which concluded Saturday in Moorhead.
The two titles gave St. Thomas a new conference record with 13 of a possible 22 regular-season MIAC team championships on the 2011-12 school year. St. Thomas had won 12 titles twice before.
St. Thomas' 13 championships included eight by men's teams -- football, golf, basketball (co-champs), hockey, swimming, baseball and a sweep of both indoor and outdoor track. Tommie women swept indoor/outdoor track, won softball and basketball and shared the volleyball title.
The Tommie men held off a strong bid by runner-up Hamline to win by a 187-153 margin. It was St. Thomas' 25th MIAC men's outdoor track title in the last 30 years and 30th overall.
Senior Mike Hutton and junior Cody Jerabek each had a hand in three of the Toms' seven victories. Hutton won the 800 in 1:51.27; anchored Friday's 4x800; and ran with Jerabek and freshmen Doug Thoresen and Doug Mueller on the winning 4x400 relay to close the meet in 3:16.39.
Jerabek swept the 100 (10.83) and 200 (22.01) and also ran on the runner-up 4x100 relay with Aba Omot, Jeff Rada and Joe Makeever. Rada also placed second in the 200 (22.18) and fifth in the 100 (11.03).
In all, Coach Steve Mathre's Tommies scored in 20 of 22 events and received points from 23 different athletes as it swept the 2012 indoor/outdoor meets. UST added six second places, including Ben Sathre (5,000, 10,000) and Bryan Thell (hammer, shot put), whose two runner-up finishes tallied 16 individual points each.
On Friday, Eyo Ekpo won the high jump and took third in the long jump for 16 points.
Last week, UST got 25 big points in the decathlon with a 1-2-3 finish by Maxwell Dunne, Gavin Yseth and Patrick Ecklund.
UST had several other Saturday placewinners. Fourths were scored by Tyler Iverson in the steeplechase (9:30.15); Thomas Foote in the pole vault (14-9); Joe Wistrcill in the 110 hurdles (15.41); and Thoresen in the 400 meters (49.57).
Sixths were scored by Keaton Wendroth in the 1,500 (3:57.94); Mueller in the 400 (50.14); and Blake Bordson in the 400 hurdles (55.53). Fritz Alt placed seventh in the 800 (1:57.43). Brian Anderson took eighth in the steeplechase (9:42.07); Alex Schroeder took eighth in the 1,500 (4:00.64); and Yseth placed eighth in the 400 hurdles (55.78).
The Tommie women scored 140 points on Saturday alone. Its 172.5 points topped runner-up Concordia-Moorhead (120.5) by 52 points. Coach Joe Sweeney's team won the school's eighth consecutive title and 69th MIAC team crown in Sweeney's 32 seasons in indoor/outdoor track and cross country.
Click here for Saturday results:
http://www.miac-online.org/documents/2012/5/12/mensmiacmeetfinalresults120512.htm?id=231
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Friday story
The St. Thomas men added two Friday wins and two runner-up finishes and are poised for a good Saturday. The Tommies qualified well through prelims and take a 33-point lead into Saturday’s final day at the MIAC Outdoor Championships in Moorhead.
With seven of 22 of events completed, St. Thomas has 77 points and sits in first among 11 teams.
Hamline (43), St. John’s (36) and Gustavus (31) hold the second through fourth spots.
The Tommies had a 24-point lead coming into Friday thanks to a 1-2-3 finish in last week’s decathlon by Maxwell Dunne, Gavin Yseth and Patrick Ecklund.
On Friday, Eyo Ekpo won the high jump and collected 10 points with a personal-best height of 6-10 3-4. That was a stadium record and ties him for second on the Tommies’ all-time list. Ekpo added six points as he placed third in the long jump (22-4 1-2).
UST also won the 4x800 relay and added 10 points in 7:40.64 with freshmen Doug Thoresen, Grant Timm and Doug Mueller and senior Mike Hutton.Bryan Thell took second in the shot put (51-1 1-2) for eight points. Ben Sathre (32:17.54) and Nick Michalak (32:36.44) placed 2-5 in the 10,000 to add 12 points.
The Toms placed fourth and seventh in the javelin and gained seven points with Blake Bordson (158-8) and Yseth (157-5). Bordson was seeded 14th but threw 10 feet better than his previous best.
Seven individual races held Friday prelims –- the 110 and 400 hurdles and 100, 200, 400, 800 and 1,500. St. Thomas has the most qualifiers into Saturday’s finals in those events with 14 followed by 10 for Gustavus, six for Hamline and four for the Johnnies.
Click here for complete Friday results:
