Miner track 19^th in power rankings

By John Kean
S&T Sports Information

ROLLA – The Missouri S&T men's track and field team is ranked 19th in NCAA Division II in the latest power rankings produced by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

The Miners, who were ranked sixth in last week's rankings, enter this weekend's competition with two individuals who have made an NCAA provisional qualifying mark in an event (Jared Anders in the pole vault and Heath Groom in the javelin).

The top ranked team among those in the Great Lakes region is Southern Illinois Edwardsville in the No. 10 spot, with Ashland from the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in 13th, Lewis in 17th and then Missouri S&T at No. 19. Findlay and Tiffin from the GLIAC are 23rd and 24th, respectively.

Six-time defending national champion Abilene Christian is atop this week's rankings, followed by a pair of the Miners' former conference rivals in Pittsburg State and Central Missouri. Angelo State and Lock Haven round out the top five.

S&T returns to competition Sunday at the Papa John's Division II Challenge at Emporia State; the meet was moved from Saturday to Sunday due to weather concerns on Saturday.

USTFCCCA rankings (April 10, 2008) 1. Abilene Christian 2. Pittsburg State 3. Central Missouri 4. Angelo State 5. Lock Haven 6. California-San Diego 7. Kutztown 8. Humboldt State 9. Fort Hays State 10. Southern Illinois Edwardsville 11. East Stroudsburg 12. Emporia State 13. Ashland 14. Nebraska-Kearney 15. Mary (N.D.) 16. Wheeling Jesuit 17. Lewis 18. Adams State 19. Missouri S&T 20. Kentucky State 21. Slippery Rock22. Seton Hill 23. Findlay 24. Tiffin 25. Alabama-Huntsville

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S&T men’s track ranked 6^th nationally

The Missouri S&T men's track and field team is currently ranked sixth in NCAA Division II in the latest power rankings produced by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

The Miners, who have two individuals who have made an NCAA provisional qualifying mark in an event (Jared Anders in the pole vault and Heath Groom in the javelin), are the highest-ranked team in both the Great Lakes Valley Conference and the region in this week's power rankings. S&T is one of four teams from the GLVC on this week's list.

Angelo State is currently ranked first on the national level, followed by California-San Diego, Humboldt State, Fort Hays State and East Stroudsburg.

The Miners are followed in the rankings by Wheeling Jesuit, Southern Illinois Edwardsville, Slippery Rock and Kentucky State. The other GLVC teams in the rankings are Lewis in the 14th spot and Saint Joseph's in 16th.

USTFCCCA rankings (April 3, 2008) 1. Angelo State 2. California-San Diego 3. Humboldt State 4. Fort Hays State 5. East Stroudsburg 6. Missouri S&T 7. Wheeling Jesuit 8. Southern Illinois Edwardsville 9. Slippery Rock 10. Kentucky State 11. Seton Hill 12. Findlay 13. Grand Valley State 14. Lewis 15. Mary 16. Saint Joseph's 17. Massachusetts-Lowell 18. Clayton State 19. Chadron State 20. Adelphi

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Miner track tunes up at Missouri State

By John Kean
S&T Sports Information

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The Missouri S&T men's track team tuned up for next week's Division II Challenge by competing Saturday at the Big Bear Invitational at Missouri State University.

The Miners' lone winning performance Saturday came from Peter Hollenbeck in the pole vault with a mark of 14-11. S&T, however, did have six of the top seven finishers in the long jump led by Jordan Henry's second place effort with a leap of 20-10.

Henry was followed by Kal-El Waters-Jones at 20-9, Andrew Moore at 20-5 3/4, Jared Anders at 20-3, Hollenbeck at 20-2 ½ and Jeff Pike with a leap of 19-11.

Thomas Green was second in the 1,500-meters with a time of 4:05.39 as was Wes Everhart in the javelin throw with a mark of 141-7, Jeremiah Johnson in the discus throw at 127-feet and Josh Hesse in the shot put with a mark of 46-10. Hesse also had a third place finish in the hammer throw with a mark of 138-3.

S&T had several fourth place finishes, which came from Brendan Smith in the 1,500-meters in 4:06.43, Brandon Etzold in the 400-meters in 50.42 seconds, Paul Roland in the 800-meters in 1:58.33, Joffroi Holcombe in the 3,000-meters in 9:03.46, Waters-Jones in the triple jump at 45-1 ½ and Lucas Jaster in the shot put with a mark of 45-7 1/4.

Jaster added a fifth place showing in the hammer throw in 120-11, the same place where Johnson finished in the shot at 43-4 1/4 and Moore in the triple jump at 43-10 ½.

Bryan Hogan finished sixth in the 400-meters in 50.93 seconds, as did Chris Teel in the 800-meters in 1:59.68, Allen Ernst in the 1,500-meters in 4:14.21 and Grant Brown in the 3,000-meters in 9:17.44; Brown was also seventh in the 1,500 in 4:17.54. Kurt Schauwecker was seventh in the 3,000-meters with a time of 9:24.08.

Michael Wilson recorded a time of 11.24 seconds in the 100-meter dash and Brett Vessell finished in 11.30 seconds.

The 4x100-meter relay team placed fourth in its race with a time of 43.45 seconds as did the 4x400-meter quartet in 3:26.06.

The Miners will compete at the Papa John's Division II Challenge at Emporia State next Saturday in Emporia, Kan.

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Lady Miners take pair of first places

By John Kean
S&T Sports Information

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The Missouri S&T women’s track and field team had two first place finishes Saturday in the Big Bear Invitational hosted by Missouri State University.

The Missouri S&T victories came from Hannah Terwelp, who captured first in the hammer throw with a school record mark of 129-7 and Jamie Statler, who posted a personal-best 11-5 3/4 in the pole vault to win that event over three teammates.

Statler beat out Leah Moreland, who also cleared that height, on the basis of fewer misses. The third place finisher was Taylor Hahn with a clearance of 10-6, while Sarah Zaremba took fourth at 10-feet.

Tamara McCaskill, who made an NCAA provisional qualifying mark in the high jump a week ago, cleared 5-5 3/4 Saturday to finish fifth behind four Division I competitors. McCaskill also took fifth in the long jump with a mark of 15-10 1/4.

Maggie Mahwiney finished sixth in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 17.29 seconds and in the 400-meter hurdles as well in 1:10.52, while Sarah Stach was seventh in the long jump with a mark of 15-3 ½.

Kendra Lewis ran a 12.76 in the 100-meters and Aubrey Moore posted a mark of 12.94 in that event; Moore also ran a 26.07 in the 200-meters.

Missouri S&T got second place finishes from both of its relay teams Saturday, with the 4x100-meter relay team taking second in the competition with a time of 49.40 seconds and the 4x400 group finishing in 4:07.69.

The Lady Miners will send competitors to the Papa John's Division II Challenge next Saturday at Emporia State.

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McCaskill ties school mark, hits qualifier in high jump

By John Kean
S&T Sports Information

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Lady Miner track and field team got a second NCAA Division II provisional qualifier Saturday, March 29, as Tamara McCaskill made the mark in the high jump at the Alabama Relays.

McCaskill cleared 1.70 meters, or 5-7, in the event to surpass the provisional mark, of 1.68 meters to take second place in the event to South Alabama's Nicole Knox who won it with a mark of 5-8 3/4.

McCaskill tied the school record in the event with her 5-7 performance and joins Taylor Hahn as the Lady Miners' provisional qualifers in the early stages of the 2008 outdoor season.

The Lady Miners also got a fifth place finish from Jamie Statler in the pole vault with a mark of 10-11 3/4, while Leah Morehead and Sarah Zaremba were ninth and tenth, respectively, with clearances of 10-feet.

On Saturday, Rebecca McNally finished 15th in the 5,000-meters with a time of 20:41.68 and Dana Narconis was three spots behind her in 20:52.54.

Aubrey Moore, who ran a 59.65 in the 400-meters Sunday, had a time of 12.88 seconds and Kendra Lewis a time of 12.98 seconds in the 100-meter dash; Moore also had a 26.29 and Lewis a 26.31 in the 200-meters. Hillary Griffith also had a sub-27 second time in the event at 26.76 seconds as did Katie Bruce at 26.98 seconds.

Kierra Handley posted a time of 2:22.68 in the 800-meters, while Samantha Schussele came in at 2:29.51 and Teresa Conley in 2:29.94 in the event. Hannah Terwelp posted a mark of 108-1 in the hammer throw.

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Groom returns; reaches provisional mark

By John Kean
S&T Sports Information

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Heath Groom, who did not compete for the Missouri S&T track and field team last season while recovering from an injury, showed everyone that he is back in a big way.

Groom finished second in the javelin throw Saturday, March 29 at the Alabama Relays with a throw of 204-9, which easily cleared the NCAA Division II provisional qualifying mark and came close to the automatic mark in the event. The automatic mark is 209-11.

He is the second Miner to reach an NCAA provisional mark, joining pole vaulter Jared Anders who made his qualifying mark last week at Washington University.

After Groom's performance, the highest individual finish in the first two days came from Joffroi Holcombe in the 10,000-meters where he posted a time of 32:35.02 to place third on Friday night. Jordan Henry finished fourth in the invitational pole vault event with a mark of 15-3 and Ian Packard had a fifth place effort in the 400-meters in 48.56 seconds, narrowly missing the provisional mark in that event.

Peter Hollenbeck took sixth in the pole vault at 15-3 as was Kal-El Waters-Jones in the triple jump where he had a mark of 45-9. Grant Brown was seventh in the 10,000-meters in 34:37.56, the same place where Allen Ernst finished in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a mark of 10:02.82 and Jeremiah Johnson in the shot put with a mark of 45-9 3/4. Johnson also had an eighth place finish in the discus throw of 127-4.

Jeff Pike had a 10th place finish in the triple jump at 42-11 3/4 as was Lucas Jaster in the shot put with a throw of 42-9 3/4.

In the relays, the Miners' top finish came from its 4x1500-meter relay team of Brendan Smith, Thomas Green, Ernst and Brandon Etzold, which placed second in the event behind Indiana with a time of 16:38.36.

Ben Hicks recorded a time of 16:38.56 in the 5,000-meters while Kurt Schauwecker finished with a time of 16:47.17.

Packard had a strong showing in the 200-meters with a time of 21.97 seconds to take second in his flight, while Mike Wilson had a time of 22.58 in his heat. Wilson also had a time of 11.05 seconds and Brett Vessell a mark of 11.20 seconds in the 100-meter dash.

Etzold posted a time of 1:56.18 in the 800-meters and Smith had a mark of 1:56.85 in the event, while Green had a time of 4:02.05 in the 1,500-meters. Wes Everhart had a mark of 155-11 in the javelin throw to finish 14th.

The Miners' 4x400-meter relay team finished seventh in a time of 3:19.96 and had a fourth place showing in the sprint medley relay with a time of 3:34.28.

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Miners’ Anders makes provisional pole vault mark

By John Kean
S&T Sports Information

ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- Jared Anders, who earned All-America honors in the pole vault just a week ago, cleared the NCAA Division II provisional qualifying mark for the outdoor season in the Miners' first such meet of the season Friday at Washington University.

Anders won the event with a clearance of 16-2 3/4, the same height he cleared a week ago when he finished seventh at the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships in Mankato, Minn.

Other wins for Missouri S&T came from Josh Hesse in the hammer throw with a mark of 132-10, Thomas Green in the 1,500-meters with a time of 4:05.67 and Brett Vessell in the 100-meters in 11.01 seconds as the Miners won the team competition with a total of 201 points.

Peter Hollenbeck was second in the pole vault with a clearance of 15-5, as was Kal-El Waters-Jones in the long jump at 21-2, Jeremiah Johnson in the discus throw at 126-11, Heath Groom in the javelin throw at 178 feet, Lucas Jaster and Hesse in the shot put where they tied at 44-11 and Nick Windhorst was second in the high jump with a clearance of 5-7.

In the running events, Brendan Smith came in second place in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 9:04.02 and Brandon Etzold did so in the 800-meters in 1:57.29.

Third place finishes were posted by Jeff Pole in the triple jump at 45-0 1/4, Wes Everhart in the javelin throw at 150-1, Etzold in the 1,500-meters at 4:09.90, Allen Ernst in the 3,000-meters in 9:11.32, Ian Packard in the 400-meters in 49.96 seconds and Paul Roland in the 800-meters in 1:58.07.

Waters-Jones was fourth in the triple jump with a mark of 42-11, as was Jaster in the discus throw at 123 feet and hammer throw at 109-4 and Charles Melton in the 200-meters in 22.36 seconds, while Grant Brown had a fifth place showing in the 3,000-meters with a time of 9:14.81 as did Mike Wilson in the 100-meters in 11.14 seconds.

Andrew Moore was sixth in the long jump at 19-4 3/4 as was Johnson in the shot put at 43-5.

The Miners' 4x400-meter relay team placed second in that race with a time of 3:23.39 and the 4x100-meter relay team finished with a time of 43.46 seconds.

The Miners will compete next weekend at the Alabama Relays in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

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Lady Miners’ Hahn reaches provisional height

By John Kean
S&T Sports Information

ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- Missouri S&T's Taylor Hahn reached the NCAA Division II provisional qualifying mark in the pole vault for the outdoor season Friday during the team's inaugural outdoor meet of the season at Washington University.

Hahn, a junior, broke the outdoor school record in the event with a mark of 11-9 3/4 in the pole vault, which matches the NCAA Division II provisional mark. Hahn reached the provisional mark during the recently completed indoor season as well.

The Lady Miners had three of the top five finishers in the pole vault Friday, as Jamie Statler was second at a career-best 11-5 3/4 and Leah Moreland came in fifth at 10-6.

Kendra Lewis recorded a second place effort in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.53 seconds and Hillary Griffith was third in the event in 12.60 seconds. Kierra Handley also had a second place finish Friday in the 800-meters with a time of 2:21.56

Hannah Terwelp took third in the hammer throw with a mark of 119-1; she was also sixth in the shot put later in the day with a mark of 35-6 ½. Sarah Stach took fourth in the long jump with a mark of 14-11 1/4 as did Teresa Conley in the 1,500-meters in 5:28.51

Fifth place finishes came from Samantha Schussele in the 800-meters in 2:35.63, Aubrey Moore in the 200-meters in 26.04 seconds and Maggie Mawhiney in the 100-meter hurdles in 17.76 seconds.

The Lady Miners' 4x100-meter relay team posted a time of 49.54 seconds and the 4x400-meter relay team had a time of 4:14.15.

The Lady Miners, who finished third as a team at the meet, will compete in the Alabama Relays next weekend in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

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Both S&T pole vaulters All-America

By John Kean
S&T Sports Information

MANKATO, Minn. – The two Missouri S&T pole vaulters who competed at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships Saturday are coming home with All-America honors.

Jordan Henry, a junior from St. Charles, Mo., finished in a tie for second place in the event and broke the school record in the process with a clearance of 16-10 3/4. The other Miner in the meet, Jared Anders, finished seventh with a personal-best effort of 16-2 3/4.

Henry had just one miss in his first five attempts of the day and cleared the record height on his first attempt. He bowed out of the competition at 17-2 3/4, which turned out to be the winning height that was posted by Grand Valley State's Bryant Wilson.

Henry, who was seventh at last season's NCAA indoor meet, finished in a tie for second with Missouri Southern's Jacob Williams as each vaulter had an equal number of misses. It tied the highest finish ever by a Miner at the indoor championships, matching the finishes of Tyrone Smith in the long jump last season and J.R. Skola in the pole vault in 2003.

Anders, a junior from Quincy, Ill., cleared the first two heights on his opening attempt, then stayed alive by going over the bar at 16-2 3/4 on his final chance. Anders then fell out of the competition at 16-6 3/4.

It is the first All-America award for Anders.

The efforts of Henry and Anders put the Miners in a tie for 21st place in the team standings in a meet won by St. Augustine's.

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Weekend Feature: 2 more national qualifiers from "Pole Vault U"

MANKATO, Minn. – Penn State may be known as "Linebacker U." in football.

Well, in this region, Missouri Science & Technology can be called "Pole Vault U." in track and field.

Indeed, if one wants to compete in the pole vault at the NCAA Division II level, coming to Rolla seems to be a petty good decision in recent years.

The Missouri S&T men’s track team has two vaulters at the 2008 NCAA Division II Track and Field Championships, being held this weekend at the campus of Mankato State.

Miner juniors Jordan Henry and Jared Anders are slated to compete in the pole vault Saturday afternoon, March 15.

S&T (formerly Missouri-Rolla) certainly is no stranger to national pole vault competition. The recent trend began a few years back, when J.R. Skola was a multi-time All-America in the event for the Miners in both the indoor and outdoor competition.

He was followed by Lucas Handley, also an All-America in both the indoor and outdoor pole vault and who two years ago set the school records in the event (16-8 indoor, 16-7 1/4 outdoor).

And during the current indoor season S&T had no fewer than FIVE men and women pole vaulters who made NCAA Division II provisional qualifying heights, although only Henry’s and Anders’ marks held up to get them to the national meet.

The other three provisional qualifiers this indoor season were sophomore Peter Hollenbeck for the men and juniors Taylor Hahn and Jamie Statler for the women.

Henry and Hahn are the current men’s and women’s Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) indoor pole vault champions.

"We’re trying," said Miner assistant track coach Bryan Schiding – who coaches pole vault for the squad – of the ‘Pole Vault U’ moniker. "We’re definitely real proud of these kids. Fortunately the type of student-athlete we work with are hard-workers."

It’s fitting that Henry and Anders made it to nationals together this spring. Both are from the St. Louis area – Henry from St. Charles and Anders from Quincy, Ill. – and they’re good friends, as they’re also roommates.

Nationals are certainly nothing new for Henry. He’s been two the indoor nationals the past two years and was also an outdoor national qualifier as a freshman. He finished seventh in last year’s indoor meet to gain All-America honors.

Two weeks ago Henry captured the GLVC indoor pole vault title and enters the competition with a top clearance of 16-6, which he reached in a Feb. 22 meet in Warrensburg – the fourth-best mark in the nation so far.

Entering the indoor national competition this spring Bryant Wilson of Grand Valley State has the nation’s top mark at 17-3 3/4 while Missouri Southern’s Jacob Williams and Ashland’s Dan Tierney have also bettered 17 feet.

"I feel more comfortable this time," Henry said. "In my freshman and sophomore years what got me to nationals was my very last meet. (This year) in the last two meets I hit automatic marks."

Both Henry and Schiding are pointing at another All-America finish this weekend.

"If Jordan jumps as well as he can he’ll be pushing for a top two or top three spot," Schiding said. "He’s been at the 16 and a half level for some time now.

"Jordan’s got good speed, but his main strength is that he’s a strong kid. He’s got great core strength; full-body strength. He’s very comparable in athletic strength to what a gymnast would have. He’s as strong as any athlete I’ve coached in that event. And he’s very disciplined and his technique is pretty solid. He’s a great kid and is a great student as well."

"I would like to be a national champion some day," Henry said. "Really, I don’t see myself as a national champion this year. But if I put the time in over the summer, it’s definitely a possibility."

Having a teammate at the nationals will be a definite advantage, Henry said.

"It’s great," he said. "It’s definitely a big advantage, to have a teammate to talk to during the event; to help see what’s going on."

Obviously Henry is UMR’s top vaulter right now. But Anders is not far behind at all.

Anders earned his first national berth this indoor season by clearing 16-2 at Illinois College last month – which is the ninth-best mark in the field. He finished second to Henry in the GLVC Indoor Championships at 15-7.

"He’s definitely got a shot," Schiding said of Anders. "He’s been right there every year he’s been here. Last year he (was a provisional qualifier) in the outdoor, but didn’t go to nationals. He has been just one increment below where the top jumpers have been. This year he’s had a breakout season."

"I’m really excited," Anders said of his first national meet. "I’m trying to keep my head level; trying not to make it a big deal. I just want to do the best I’ve ever done. It’s going to take me relaxing and having confidence in myself."

Anders feels he’s got a 16-plus vault in him this weekend.

"I’d like to be top-eight and an All-American," he said. "That would probably take a 16-3 or 16-4. It will take a P.R. for me by a couple of inches."

Certainly Schiding doesn’t feel that’s out of the question.

"Realistically I feel he could be in the hunt for a top-eight spot," Schiding said. "The specific height increments set up really well for him.

"If he goes out and clears a bar or two he’ll put himself in a great spot."

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Lady Miners post six finishes among top ten as track season begins

COLUMBIA-- Missouri University Science & Technology’s women’s track season got underway Friday night with the Lady Miners posting six finishes among the top ten in various events at the Missouri Invitational.

Taylor Hahn had the top finish for an S&T competitor by taking second in the pole vault with a mark of 10-6. She was one of three Lady Miners to finish among the top five in the event, as Jamie Statler came in third with a clearance of 10-feet and Sarah Zaremba took fourth with the same height.

The Lady Miners also got a sixth-place finish from Katie Bruce in the 400-meters with a time of 1:00.19, while seventh place showings were also posted by Kierra Handley in the 800-meters in 2:31.26 and Hannah Terwelp in the weight throw with a mark of 41-9 1/4.

Freshman Samantha Schussele finished 11th in the 800-meters with a time

of 2:47.18 in the meet that consisted of schools from both the NCAA Division I and II levels.

S&T will return to the track next Saturday when it takes part in the Eastern Illinois Invitational in Charleston, Ill.

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Miner’s Track season begins

COLUMBIA -- The Missouri University of Science & Technology men’s track and field team had three individuals place second in their respective events in the season-opening meet Friday night at the University of Missouri.

The runner-up finishes were posted by Jared Anders in the pole vault with an NCAA Division II provisional qualifying mark of 15-7, Ian Packard in the 400-meters with a time of 51.05 and Brandon Etzold in the 800-meters with a mark of 2:00.30 in his Miner debut.

Missouri S&T had a number of other finishes among the top ten in its first meet of the year.

The Miners had a fifth-place finish from Chris Teel in the 800-meters with a time of 2:06.48 and sevenths from Peter Hollenbeck in the pole vault with a clearance of 14-7 1/4 and Kal-El Waters-Jones in the long jump with a mark of 20-1.

S&T had eighth place showings from Packard in the 200-meters in 23.25 seconds and three freshmen, Mike Wilson in the 60-meter dash in 7.14 seconds, Andrew Moore in the long jump at 19-11 3/4 and Trey Newsom in the 1,000-meters in 2:47.05.

Bryan Kluge finished ninth in the 600-yard run in 1:17.88 as did Waters-Jones in the triple jump with a mark of 42-9, while Allen Ernst had a ninth place effort in the mile with a time of 4:38.80 and also took tenth in the 3,000-meters in 9:03.26. S&T also had ninth and tenth place finishes in the pole vault from Jordan Henry and Dan Hellwig as each cleared the 14-7 1/4 mark.

Charles Melton finished tenth in the 200-meters in 23.28 seconds as did Bryan Hogan in the 400 in 52.10.

The Miners' 4x400-meter relay team came in eighth place with a time of 3:30.48.

S&T's next competition will take place Jan. 19 at the Eastern Illinois Invitational in Charleston, Ill.

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