Kaymarie Jones
The Paw Print
The Adams State track and field team traveled to Canyon, Texas this past weekend for the West Texas A&M Open, adding seven more Grizzlies to the NCAA national list. Although the Grizzlies did not run relays at the meet, there was no shortage of individual efforts that showcased the ASU talents.
For the first time, Justin Smit provisionally qualified for the men’s 100m dash. Smit, coming off a back injury, bolted across the finish line in 10.58 seconds and now sits nineteenth on the list. Freshman Carlton Lavong wasted no time in the men’s long jump, leaping to an automatic qualifying jump of 7.58m, a distance that places him third on the national list. On a three-week winning streak, Justin Bethea cleared 2.04m in the men’s high jump but is 0.01m off the provisional mark. Wesley Lavong remains consistent in the men’s shotput. With another provisional distance, Lavong won the event with 16.63m. Zach Baxter was fourth with 14.60m.
Katie Kruger stretched the tape in the field events with a superb throw of 14.18 meters in the women’s shotput, and later threw 37.30m and 45.48m in the women’s discus and hammer. Her teammate, Angelica Payton, threw 11.99m in the shotput, 31.56m in the discus, and 19.09m in the javelin throw, while Lydia Hunt also had a shot at the javelin and accomplished 25.34m.
For the men, Joe Hochanadel threw 49.24 and received third place, and Baxter was eight with his throw of 31.98m. Nathan Bolivar continued to run fifty seconds in the men’s 400m. In a strong head wind, Bolivar crossed the line in 50.86 and finished third overall. His training partner, Derek Brown, competed in the 100m and the 200m. Brown ran 21.56 seconds in the 200m and 10.94 in the 100m. Aaron Williams, Michael Geiger and Tyler Zito were third, fourth and eight in 14.61,14.83, and 15.54 seconds. Williams and Geiger showed in the 100m dash as well, clocking 10.81 seconds and 11.42 seconds. Brown and Charles Miller crossed the line in 10.94 and 10.98 seconds.
Chelsea Fenderson was the only female sprinter at the meet for the Grizzlies but represented the Grizzlies proudly. In the 100m, she ran fourth with a season best time of 12.11 seconds, and in the 200m she ran tenth in 25.80 seconds. Kelli Williams wrapped up the women’s 100m hurdles in 16.58 and Hunt in 17.55 seconds. Williams also competed in the 400m hurdles and finished eighth in 11.11.18.
In the women’s 1500m run, Kelsey Corbin quickly separated herself from the pack and finished her three and a half laps in 5.01.07. Nate Jones did the same in the men’s race and won the event in 4.07.01. Zach Ellis was third in 4.15.96 and Drew Ryther was third in 4.18.06. Corbin also ran the women’s 800m but finished ninth in 2.26.97. Two-time national champion, Boris Berian, uncorked the men’s 800m in 1.51.86, a time that would qualify him for the NCAA national championships in May if he did not compete unattached. Matt Daniels, however, was close to bettering his time when he finished second to Berian, stopping the clock at 1.54.73. Steve Lezama was fifth in 1.57.80, Martin Sanchez seventh in 1.57.96, Jones eight in 1.57.98, Alec Nelson improved to 2.02.72, Ellis was twenty-second in 2.06.71, and Ryther was twenty-third in 2.06.94.
Adams State accomplished a few of their early season goals at West Texas and look forward to one of the most elite outdoor meets of the season, the Mt. Sac Relays in California from April 19-20.
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