LIFT OFF
UIndy Track off on the right foot
By Samantha Cotten | Editor-in-Chief
After a record-setting indoor season, resulting in a women’s Great Lakes Valley Conference Indoor Track and Field Championship title and two NCAA Division II All-American athletes, the Greyhound men’s and women’s track and field teams have entered the outdoor season running full force.
“We are an outdoor team,” said head coach Scott Fangman. “We don’t have an indoor facility, we recruit kids from outdoor season and we gain different events outdoors.”
The teams traveled to the Oliver Nikoloff Invite at the University of Cincinnati on March 28. The ‘Hounds came away from the meet with one NCAA Division II national qualifier and three national provisional qualifiers.
Senior thrower Amy Schmitz lead the women’s team with her second place performance in the hammer throw. Schmitz threw for 55.07 meters, which was good enough for a national qualifying position. Senior thrower Andrea Horban placed second in the shot put, with a national provisional qualifying throw of 14.05 meters.
Senior jumper Emily Schaf took second in the triple jump with a leap of 10.76 meters, and fourth in the high jump with a height of 1.63 meters. Junior thrower Courtney Kuzmicz placed third in the discus throw with 40.44 meters. The women’s 4×100 meter relay team of senior Nichelle Curtis, junior Shannon Smith and freshmen Kierra Allen and Shanese McGregor took third with a time of 48.08.
On the men’s side, senior thrower Willie Little placed third in the hammer throw with a national provisional qualifying throw of 58.41 meters. Little was followed by a fifth place finish by sophomore thrower Craig Myers, who gained his second provisional qualifying throw of the season with a toss of 54.77 meters.
Sophomore thrower Seth Galloway won the javelin throw with a toss of 58.52 meters. Senior Grant Dean and junior Skyler Mattox place first and second, respectively, in the long jump, with leaps of 6.65 meters and 6.60 meters. Senior distance runner Mike Landy placed third in the 1500 meter run with a time of 3:58.41, and sophomore jumper Ben Bertoli took fourth in the 400 meter hurdles in a time of 55.97.
The men’s 4×100 relay team of seniors Anthony Flournoy and Dean, and sophomores Kyle Thompson and Carl Smith placed second with a time of 42.11.
Both teams opened the outdoor season at the Early Bird Invite at the University of Cincinnati on March 21. Galloway placed first in the javelin throw, with a provisional qualifying throw of 59.52 meters. Myers also provisionally qualified in the hammer throw at the meet with a toss of 55.95 meters.
“This should be an exciting season for the whole team,” Myers said. “Everyone has been working extremely hard this year, and it will pay off in the end.”
Senior jumper Grant Dean leaps into the air during the long jump competition at the Early Bird Invite at the University of Cincinnati. Dean went on to win the event with a distance of 6.75 meters.
