April 13, 2008

Allendale, Mich. - Grand Valley State University sent student-athletes to compete at the Angelo State David Noble Relays in San Angelo, Tx. and the Chico Twilight Invitational in Chico, Calif. over the weekend. The Lakers met 14 different NCAA qualifying marks over the weekend, continuing to prepare for the NCAA Outdoor National Championships. Nate Peck also set a school record in the mile, his second school record in as many weeks.

At the Chico Twilight Invitational, Katherine McCarthy and Katie Alfredson finished in first and third, respectively, in the 800-meter run. McCarthy finished in 2:09.65, while Alfredson crossed the line at 2:14.49. McCarthy also took first in the 1500-meter event with a time of 4:32.51, while Alfredson took fifth at 4:38.46. Both runners qualified for the NCAA Nationals in both events.

Lynsey Ardingo was the top finisher in the 10k with a time of 36:37.31 and Megan Maceratini was right behind her, coming in second at 36:38.97. Both of those times were also good enough to qualify. Kelly Crowley picked up a third-place finish in the 3000-meter steeplechase with a time of 11:29.24.

The men also performed well in Chico, as Peck set a school record in the mile run at 4:05.14. Converted to a 1500-meter time, it was also good enough to qualify him for the national meet. GVSU also had four qualifying marks in the 10k, led by Nick Polk's second-place time of 29:57.31. James Gale came in third at 30:21.57, Ryan Holm was fourth at 30:32.85 and Ross Faasse was fifth at 30:45.37. All were good enough to qualify for nationals.

Chris Hammer's top time of 9:09.56 in the 3000-meter steeplechase qualified him for nationals. So did Curtis Barclay's fourth-place tim eof 9:16.25 and Tyler Emmorey's sixth-place time of 9:24.00.

At the ASU David Noble Relays, both teams finished seventh in the standings. The men recorded 20 points, while the women earned 13. Dianna Noonan picked up a first place finish in the pole vault, clearing a height of 12'5.25". Bryant Wilson staked a victory on the men's side of the same event, clearing 16'8.75" to take first place. Ali Beach and Amber Pearsall finished fifth and sixth, respectively, in the women's heptathlon. The Lakers also had two finishers in the men's decathlon, with Mike Stowe taking third and Joey Latz finishing fourth.

Back in the state of Michigan, Bill Makela and Kathie Posa both hit NCAA qualifying marks at the 2008 Spartan Invitational. Posa's throw of 51.37 meters in the hammer throw hit her qualifying mark and earned her third place in the event. Makela's time of 53.12 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles earned him second place overall and met the NCAA qualifying mark.

Jenn O'Shesky and Kirsten Nozime took first and second overall in the 400-meter hurdles, with O'Shesky finishing in 1:04.57 and Nozime right behind her at 1:04.76. Maegan Doyen tied for first place in the high jump, clearing 1.63 meters. Mary Bogner took first in the javelin throw with a throw of 40.07 meters. Garron Lucius took second in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 14.90 seconds, just two-hundredths of a second out of first place. Ryan Rademacher and Andrew Post finished first and second, respectively, in the long jump with distances of 6.72 and 6.35 meters.