Monday, January 29, 2018

PORTLAND, Ore. –  Competing against high-level opposition at the Univ. of Washington Invitational last week, Concordia’s indoor track and field squad impressed among fellow GNAC schools to earn this week’s Red Lion/GNAC Team of the Week award.

A handful of Cavaliers earned NCAA Championships provisional qualifying marks while some etched their names into the GNAC and Concordia record books. The two-day event saw eight GNAC schools compete against established Division I opponents, which included nationally-ranked programs in Stanford (No. 17 men, No. 16 women) and Washington (No. 20 men, No. 23 women).

"I thought we had a great weekend amongst all event groups," said head coach Jerret Mantalas. "We had a number of new provisional marks and improved on some of our previous national rankings. I am incredibly happy with how we competed. The performances we got today are really going to help set us for two weeks now at the Husky Classic and into conference"

Cavaliers’ senior Melissa Ausman recorded 58 feet, 4 inches, in the weight throw to place ninth for an NCAA Championships provisional qualifying mark. She also was the top GNAC placer (third) in the shot put with a mark of 49 feet, 11 inches. Her performances in each event make her No. 2 on the GNAC All-Time List for both categories.

Provisionally qualifying for nationals in the triple jump, senior Emma Hill finished eighth with her leap of 38 feet, 7 inches. Her mark ranks 16th in Division II and third in the GNAC. In the high jump, junior Tori Johnson placed second at 5 feet, 7 inches. Johnson’s mark is first in the GNAC and tied for seventh in the nation. Sophomore Tasha Willing (45 feet, 0.25 inches) also picked up NCAA provisional qualifying marks in the shot put.

Cavaliers’ junior Chelsea Bone provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships with her school record of 3,316 points in the pentathlon for a 15th-place finish. The mark is No. 20 in Division II this season and No. 4 in the GNAC. 

Equally impressive were the Cavalier men. Freshman Noah Wallace was the top GNAC finisher in the 800 meters after running 11:53.19 to place 11th. Wallace’s time provisionally qualifies him for the NCAA Championships and makes him No. 13 in Division II and No. 1 in the GNAC. Junior James Phillips reached an NCAA provisional qualifying mark after placing second with 4,968 points in the heptathlon. The mark is also 19th in Division II this season and second in the GNAC.

Sophomore Jacob Chamberlin was the top GNAC finisher in the weight throw with a fourth-place throw of 60 feet, 6 inches. Along with being an NCAA provisional qualifier, Chamberlin’s mark is a GNAC-best this season and is No. 4 on the GNAC All-Time List. Junior Josh Koch (55 feet, 3 inches) and sophomore Caleb Bridge (52 feet, 6.75 inches) also picked up NCAA provisional qualifying marks in the shot put.

“This team has worked incredibly hard since the season started and to be honored as the Team of The Week just shows that their work is paying off,” Mantalas said. “We have much more to accomplish and this group is determined to be the best it can be. These last three meets have all been great building blocks as we continue to grind towards the GNAC Championships in a few weeks.”

The Cavaliers return to competition on February 9 when they participate in the Husky Classic at the Dempsey Indoor Complex in Seattle.