Kaymarie Jones
The Paw Print
Adams State University’s track and field team travelled back to Albuquerque, NM. this past weekend for the University of New Mexico Invitational. The Grizzlies added thirteen NCAA qualifiers to the nine they had last week. With a collegiate record breaking performance coming from Tabor Stephens in the men’s mile, the Grizzlies are on their way to capturing both indoor titles come March 8 and 9.
The men’s mile race was the most exciting to watch in the Albuquerque Convention Center Saturday evening. Adams State junior, Tabor Stephens, quickly erased the national collegiate record of 4.05.06 which was set by his former teammate, Craig Huffer, in 2011. The record, now 4.04.90, is Steven’s first record for ASU and is also the number one time on the NCAA national qualifying list. Also in Steven’s race was red-shirt freshman and NCAA All-American, Kevin Batt, who finished 4th in 4.05.57. Batt sits second to Stephens on the list, Matt Daniels sits in third with his time of 4.09.69 and David Sanchez’ rounds up the top five times at fourth place in 4.10.59 . Quin Ralston, a freshman out of Colorado Spring, finished eleventh in the race, clocking 4.19.10, good enough for seventeenth place on the national list. As expected, the Grizzly women upped their numbers in the women’s mile sending Alyssa Selve and Lauren Martin to join Alicia Nelson on the national list. Selve’s 5.03.13 and Martin’s time of 5.07.43 places them in fifth and thirteenth on the list.
Led by Joe Hochanadel, a junior from Fort Morgan, Colo., the team finished ahead of the field. Hochanadel won on the men›s weight throw with a distance of 16.20 meters. Joel Osburn and Zach Baxter represented the Grizzlies in the men’s shotput, finishing third and fourth respectively. On the women’s side, Katie Kruger threw 13.91 and Angelica Payton 12.48 meters.
Arizona dynamite Zenobia Sims clocked 7.67 seconds during the heats of the women’s 60m but ran 7.80 seconds in the finals. Surinam native, Jurgen Themen, wasted no time in the men’s section. Jurgen, in his first meet competing as a Grizzly, opened with 7.94 seconds and lowered that time in the finals to 7.92 seconds, just point-two seconds off the NCAA qualifying time. The women’s 200m was ignited by ASU junior, Kayon Robinson, who competed against the top Division II sprinters of 2013. Robinson finished fifth in 24.61 seconds and is twelve on the national list. St Louis youngster, Derek Brown, and freshman Megan Hannafious ran lifetime bests in the men’s and women’s indoor 400m. Brown leads the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) with his time of 49.44 seconds and Hannafious is second with her time of 59.37 seconds.
ASU hurdles continue to lower their times while competing among the best. In the men’s 60m hurdles, Grizzly senior, Michael Geiger, ran 8.45 seconds, sophomore Alex Jordan finished in 8.68 seconds and Tyler Zito, a freshman from Colorado Springs, completed his race in 8.86 seconds. Freshman Ackiesha Burnett had difficulties getting to the first three hurdles in the women’s 60m hurdles heats and finals. Burnett stopped the clock at 8.75 seconds in the finals after running 8.79 seconds in the heats.
In the women’s 3000m, the Grizzlies celebrated the performance of the 2012 national champion, Kristen McGlynn-Arendt, who ran her way to a fourth place ranking on the national list, finishing her race in 9.57.00. Her teammate, Kelly Lamb, shaved a few seconds off last week’s performance and completed her race in 10.04.06. The men had the spectators glued to their seats as Jovanny Godinez and Andrew Roberts battled against each other for first place. Godinez was victorious in 8.30.25 and Roberts finished second in 8.30.30. Both are ninth and tenth on the national list. Jake Krolick, Kyle Mortensen, and Alec Nelson were also in that race and are in good standing on the RMAC performance list.
Again, the Grizzlies will compete at the Albuquerque Convention Center in New Mexico on Friday and Saturday, February 2 and 3, starting at 2pm on Friday and 10am on Saturday.
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