Track & Field Recap
This was a season of transition for the Bulldog track and field teams. Assistant coach Ryan Jilka moved into the interim head position for the December/January portion of the indoor season before new head coach Joe Eby assumed the reins of the program the first of February.
Sophomore Andrea Swanson was the lone Bulldog to qualify for the NAIA National Indoor Championships when she threw an automatic national qualifying 42’ 4 ¾” at the Central Missouri Classic. Putting her named in the McPherson record book was freshman Rachel Leuthold who set a new school indoor record in the pole vault, twice clearing 10’ 6” during the indoor season.
It didn’t take long for a couple of new Bulldogs to make an impact once the squad moved outside for the outdoor season.
Junior transfer Antowine Lamb cleared a school record height of 6’ 9 ½” as the Bulldogs opened their outdoor season by hosting the McPherson Invitational. With that jump, Lamb had an automatic qualifying mark for the NAIA National Outdoor Championships. Leuthold added the outdoor record in the pole vault to her resume, clearing the bar at 10’ 8” at the McPherson Invitational.
After hitting a provisional qualifying mark in the shot put at the Bulldogs’ outdoor opener, Swanson bettered the automatic standard with a throw of 42’ 11” at the Friends Invitational.
As the season progressed and the Bulldogs continued to adapt to the new, higher intensity workouts of Eby, the times on the track began to drop and they hit their peak the first weekend of May when McPherson played host to the KCAC Championships.
At the end of the two-day conference championships, the Bulldogs had posted 18 new season and/or personal bests along with new season bests in the men’s 4x100 and 4x400 relays. In the Bulldogs’ best team effort since 1988, four Bulldogs won individuals event championships: Brent Bailey (1,500m), Jordan King (110m hurdles), Antowine Lamb (high jump), and Rachel Leuthold (pole vault). Leuthold’s winning mark in the pole vault also set a new meet record in that event.
A small contingent of Bulldogs travelled to Emporia for the ESU Last Chance meet the first weekend of May and came away with one school record and a pair of automatic national qualifying marks. Swanson bettered the 32-year old record of Stacy Miles in the shot put with her throw of 43’7”. In the high jump, Lamb tied his own school record, clearing 6’9 ½” for the second time this season.
Lamb and Swanson will wrap up their 2009 seasons by travelling to Edwardsville, Ill., for the NAIA National Outdoor Championships on May 21-23.
