ORU Places 19 on Track and Field All-League Team
ELMHURST, Ill. – Nineteen ORU track and field athletes were named to the Summit League Outdoor All-League Team, the conference office announced on Wednesday. On the men’s side, Marvin Bonde, Fredrick Brown, Clive Chafausipo, Dustin Gehrke, Jeffery Gibson, Jonah Lagat, Joel Miller, Jeramy Roberts and Jack Whitt were all honored, while Miesha Dinkins, Latisha Jacobs, Whitney Mills, Sheilah Ndasym,Camila Pirelli, LaTanya Short, Katie Stoever, Rachel Talbert,TK Whitfield and Cornesha Wilkerson all received accolades on the women’s side.
The 2010 Summit League Outdoor Track & Field Championships, hosted by Oakland University, on the campus of the University of Toledo, in Toledo, Ohio, is set to begin Thursday. Action begins with the men’s decathlon at 11:30 a.m. (ET), and the women’s heptathlon beginning 11:30 a.m. (ET). The remainder of the field events begin at noon (ET), with running events beginning at 7 p.m. (ET). On Friday, multi-event action starts at 11 a.m. (ET), with Saturday’s competition beginning at 10 a.m. (ET) with field events.
North Dakota State, chosen as the outdoor track & field preseason favorite for the men and the women, look to defend its two-time Summit League Championship for the women, while the men look to regain the championship after a second-place finish last year. The Bison lead The Summit League with 31 all-league selections, including 17 for the woman and 14 for the men. Whitney Carlson, the reigning Championship MVP, looks to defend her long jump and 400-meter hurdles titles from a year ago. Last year’s heptathlon champion Heather Zander and pole vault winner and league-leader (4.30m), Leslie Brost looks to make an impact for the Bison. For the men, NDSU returns 110-meter hurdles winner and league-leader (14.21) Weston Leutz, and last year’s hammer throw winner Scott Johnson, who leads the league (58.93m) in the event again this year.
Southern Utah claims 13 men and eight women on the all-league team and returns 2009 Championship MVP Carlos Valle who leads the league in the discus (54.83m) and the shot put (16.34m). Freshman Hayden Hawks recorded the top league time in the 5,000 meters (14:32.36), with teammates Kevin Sandall (9:18.49) and Dallas Eborn (9:20.20) posting top-times this season in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. For the women, Sharla Manuele grabs the top-league times in the 1,500m (4:23.43) and the 5,000m (16:05.67). In the hammer throw, the Thunderbirds have the top two spots with Kristin Koplin (59.92m) and Ashley Morrison (58.09m).
Oral Roberts, chosen third in the men’s and women’s preseason poll, look to improve on their fifth-place showing for the men and fourth-place showing for the women last year. The Golden Eagles earned 10 all-league selections for the women and nine for the men. Marvin Bonde andJeffery Gibson recorded the top times this season in the 200-meter and 400-meter dashes, respectively. Freshmen Jack Whitt and Dustin Gehrke look to make an impact in the pole vault after grabbing the top two spots at The Summit League Indoor Championships. League leader in the shot put (14.72m) and discus (55.07m), Rachel Talbert looks to make her mark on the event after being named the Championship MVP in 2008.
South Dakota State garnered 12 all-league selections including sophomore Luke Leischner who recorded the second-best league time in the 400m (47.04) and ran on the 4×400-meter squad along with Dustin Gibbons, Jared Foote, and Jake Schneller. For the women, Sara Ackman is second in the league in the discus (49.94m) and third in the shot put (13.46m).
UMKC boasts six all-league selections including the men’s 4×100-meter team of Trevor Nared, Kevin Venerable, Keenan Simmons, and Anthony Boyer. Boyer also leads the league in the 400-meter hurdles (51.68) and is second in the 110-meter hurdles (14.38). The women look to Anuola Bailey who has the fourth-best time in the league in the 400-meter dash (55.96).
Western Illinois turns to Ray Richardson who holds the second-best league time in the 100-meter dash (10.71) and the third-best in the 200-meter dash (21.69) and Brian Pinta who earned the second-fastest time in the 400-meter hurdles (52.97). For the women, sophomore Amy Byers holds the third-fastest 400-meter hurdles time (1:02.06).
Oakland earned four all-league nods including Jason Bigelow, Pat Cassady and Tony Shafer, along with Kelsey Carmean for the woman. Bigelow claims the top-league time in the 1,500m (3:47.09) and third-best league time in the 800m (152.70). Teammates Cassady and Schafer earned the second and third league spots in the 10,000m with times of 30:48.96 and 20:56.53, respectively. Carmean occupies the third spot in the league in the 10,000m (36:50.65).
IPFW is led by senior sisters Crystina Martinez Ridenour and Crystal Martinez Reichart who holds the top-two league spots in the 10,000m, with Martinez Ridenour also tying for the best league time in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (10:50.01).
Live results from the Outdoor Track & Field Championships will be available onwww.deltatiming.com.
2010 ORU Outdoor Track and Field All-League Honorees
Men
Marvin Bonde
Fredrick Brown
Clive Chafausipo
Dustin Gehrke
Jeffery Gibson
Jonah Lagat
Joel Miller
Jeramy Roberts
Jack Whitt
Women
Miesha Dinkins
Latisha Jacobs
Whitney Mills
Sheilah Ndasym
Camila Pirelli
LaTanya Short
Katie Stoever
Rachel Talbert
TK Whitfield
Cornesha Wilkerson
