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Caledonia, Mich – The Michigan Tech track and field team saw two podium finishes, combining with 12 Huskies to complete the first full day of the GLIAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Two Huskies who made the podium were Kyle Samluck in the men’s 3,000m steeplechase and Hannah Loughlin in the women’s 10,000m. Both finished third in their respective events.
“We had a strong day today,” head coach Christina Owen said. “We prepared ourselves well for tomorrow’s finals with the pre-heats.”
Loughlin got an extra gear with three laps to move up two spots and move onto the podium, covering her final lap with a brilliant 1:13.39 for a total of 36:44.17, just over two seconds behind second place.
“Hannah Loughlin’s third place finish in the 10K was great,” said Owen. “We recruited her from the MTU soccer team and she has shown remarkable progress in individual running. It is great to see this former team sport athlete excel in individual competition.”
Michelle Bollini put in an impressive effort, staying on the podium for most of the race before finishing fourth in 36:49.50.
Assistant head coach Robert Young said, “Michelle’s brave 10K.” Meanwhile, Hannah runs a very disciplined race at a pace she knows she can maintain.”
Samluk held third place for most of the race but was challenged on the final lap and had to rely on a shot after the final hurdle to secure the final podium spot. His time of 9:14:91 edged out Grand Valley State’s Ryan Mansour’s 9:14:93.
Following Samluck’s third-place finish, the Huskies earned five more points in the men’s 3,000m steeplechase as Stephen Loparro (9:37.27) and Callen Carrier (9:40.75) finished sixth and seventh, respectively.
“All three student-athletes in the men’s steeplechase scored points, which is very impressive,” Owen noted. “Coach Young leads that prep team and as a former All-American, he brings a lot of technical knowledge that has helped those guys take big steps this year.”
Nick McKenzie led the Huskies in the final event of the day on the track, the men’s 10,000m. His time of 31:08:15 earned him five points in the team standings and placed him fourth in the race. McKenzie was left out of the top group for most of the race and went down in the final lap to decide the third and fourth finishes.
“Nick McKenzie produced another solid and consistent performance,” added Young. “He constantly improves and produces quality seeds.”
Field events
In the men’s javelin, Toby Bonner set a new personal best of 167-9 (51.13m) on the day in his first attempt to qualify for the final. His first attempt stood as the best throw of the day and he scored his fifth home run. However, his fifth attempt of 164-1 (50.01m) set his own record earlier today.
“Finally, Toby finds the weapon he’s been looking for,” Young said. “After struggling to put all the best balls together into one season, he’s dealt with a couple today.”
Landon Cosby earned three points for the Huskies after clearing 14-9.5 (4.51m) to finish sixth in the men’s pole vault.
“We’re really excited about the young talent in our pole team, but they struggled today,” Owen said. “We’ve had a very cold wet spring and that’s the first time you jump out in the warm windy conditions and it affects your pole selection and approach.”
First round
All three Huskies who qualified for the men’s 1,500m punched their ticket to the 1,500m finals on Friday.
Freshman Nick Thomas took the lead in the second heat to earn the big Q in 4:00:20. Sam Lange duo and 1,500m. Clayton Sayen, the reigning GLIAC outdoor champion, finished third and fourth with times of 4:00.26 and 4:00.45.
“The experience of making a championship final was passed down from Clayton and Sam to Nick Thomas as we saw all three cars qualify in the same heat,” Young was quoted as saying.
In the women’s 1,500m, Maddie VanWyren came out of the first heat with a time of 4:48.31 to get a small q. Freshman Ingrid Segren ran 4:53.41 to qualify for Friday’s 1,500m.
Ashley Plum ran a superb 58.88 in the first heat of the 400m to secure the final spot.
Ryan Schwyderson qualified for Friday’s 100m final by taking second in the first heat of the 100m dash (11.00).
The two players of Jesse Jacobusse and Jenna Beer in 800m. Both Huskies impressed going into the finals.
Jacobusse clocked in at 2:11.94 to win the first heat and set the second fastest time in the field. Brewer ran a personal best to earn the final qualifying spot by placing fourth in his first heat (2:15.41).
Andrew Lewis finished second in the men’s 400m in 55.03. Hurdles will be the finals. Jake Potter will join Lewis in the final after finishing fourth in the second heat in 58.15.
When Swiderson returned to the track after 100m, he took second in his 200m heat and ran 21.85 to feature two Huskies in the finals. On the women’s side, Plum continued to spend a day at the Oval Office and earned her second qualifier of the day, running 25.676 to win the 200m.
“Overall we had a good day at the sprints,” graduate assistant Luke Moore said. “Our best athletes qualify for the finals tomorrow and we’ve got some wind-legal personal bests. Plum continues to impress, setting huge personal-bests in the 400 and closing the gap on the school record in the 200m.”
Next
The Huskies conclude the GLIAC Outdoor Championships on Friday, with field events beginning at 11 a.m. with track events beginning at 12:10 p.m.
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