Monday, January 18, 2016

PORTLAND, Ore. – In its first season competing in Division II, Concordia started its indoor track and field season at the UW Indoor Preview, a meet dominated by Division I competition. The Cavaliers were not intimidated, however, posting record-breaking and NCAA provisional marks on their way to the GNAC’s Red Lion Team of the Week award.

“It’s an incredible honor for our group,” said head coach Jerret Mantalas. “I think it shows the hard work the team has put in from the fall until now. I hope this shows we are putting ourselves in a good position for the rest of the indoor season and the outdoor season.”

Concordia was dominant in field events, led by McKenzie Warren who broke the GNAC and school indoor records in the shot put with a 53 feet 3.75 inch toss. Warren placed second overall in the event, beating out competitors from Stanford, Hawaii and Southern California. She also placed 13th overall in the weight throw with a long toss of 50-4.

Jessica Mattos placed sixth in the weight throw. Her mark of 54-5.25 puts her at No. 4 on the GNAC all-time list and 29th in Division II this season. On the men’s side, Tyler Lamott placed second in the weight throw with a long toss of 58-9.5, ranking fifth on the GNAC all-time list and 11th in Division II this season.

“I think those performances put the foothold to show us that we can compete at this level,” Mantalas said. “The records and provisional marks help us to establish what we are trying to do as a team and where we’re going to go from here.”

In the shot put, Josh Koch’s mark of 55-7.5 in the shot put placed him third on the GNAC all-time list and 12th in Division II. He also had a strong showing in the weight throw, placing seventh at 52-0.5 and ranking 10th all time in the GNAC.

On the track, Carlos Ortiz finished the 60-meter dash in 7.02 seconds and the 200-meter dash in 22.47. Both marks were just outside of the GNAC top-ten list. Megan Fristoe placed 34th in the women’s 3k in a time of 10:15.00.

Tori Johnson tied for third on the Concordia all-time list in the high jump, placing 13th with a mark of 5-1. Jimmy Wheeler and Louis Faust placed 10 and 11th, respectively, in the men’s triple jump. Wheeler’s long of 44-8.25 tied him for fifth all-time in the Concordia record books.

“The biggest thing for us is to get out, shake out the rust and see where we are as a team,” Mantalas said. “Competing against Division I was great, but our bigger priority was to just compete and make sure we are in a good position moving forward.”

This is the first Red Lion Team of the Week award for Concordia as a member of the GNAC. The Cavaliers are in the second year of a three-year membership transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II. While eligible to compete at the GNAC Championships and set GNAC records, they are ineligible this year to compete at the Division II Championships.

The Cavaliers return to action on Sat., Jan. 23, competing at the Bronco Invite in Nampa, Idaho.