May 3, 2012

Guins Ready To Take On Horizon League Track and Field Championships

YSU's track and field team will compete at the Horizon League Track and Field Championships hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee at the Krauss-Miller-Lutz Outdoor Athletics Complex on the campus of Wisconsin Lutheran College in  Wauwatosa, Wis. Last year, both teams finished as runners-up.

It is the first time the outdoor meet has been held in Wisconsin.

Going into the competition, several athletes hold the top spots in their respective in the Horizon League this season while many more are ranked in the top six.

Men's Outlook
In the men's field events, Bobby Grace owns the top spot in both the shot put (18.36m) and the discus (51.59m) and is ranked second in the hammer throw (57.19m). Kyle Seaver has the best javelin throw in the league so far this season with a mark of 53.30m. Benjamin Goodnight is currently second in the shot put (15.11m) while Caleb Schwan is fourth in the discus (46.01m). George Thomas ranks sixth in both the discus (44.38m) and the hammer (51.81m).

In the jumps, Dorian Davis is second in the long jump (7.23m) and third in the triple jump (14.73m) while Aaron Hartsough is fourth in the high jump (1.95m). Johnny Copley is also ranked fourth in the pole vault (4.77m).

Michael Davis and Tarelle Irwin share the third-fastest 100m time this season. Both have finished the sprint in a time of 10.73 seconds. Irwin is ranked fourth in the 200m (21.78 seconds) with Davis right behind him in fifth (21.80 seconds).

Also in the 100m dash, Derek Dowdell is fifth with a time of 10.95 seconds.

Martin Solomon holds the league's second-fastest time in the 400m hurdles (53.58 seconds) and the fourth-fastest in the 110m hurdles (14.70 seconds). In the 3,00m steeplechase, Eric Rupe ranks fourth with a time of 9:23.65.

Grace (shot put), Solomon (110m and 400m hurdles) and Davis (200m) are returning defending champs on the men's side. YSU has won the shot put event four consecutive years and has picked up wins in five of the past six meets.

The Penguins have finished as the runners-up five times on the men's side. Milwaukee has been dominate winning 13 of 14 all-time championships dating back to 1998. Detroit's title in 2003 was the streak breaker for the Panthers.

Women's Outlook
On the women's side, Ciara Jarrett, Makayla Martin, Katrina Rettburg, Alison Roth, and Kaitlyn Griffith own the league's best performances in their respective events.

Jarrett holds the top spot in both the 100m (11.97 seconds) and 200m (24.24 seconds) while Martin and Rettburg are tied for number one in the high jump (1.70m).

Griffith is also ranked first in two events: the shot put (46.39m) and the hammer throw (56.15m). She is second in the discus (42.78m) to Roth, who has the top discus mark of 46.39m. Roth is also second in the shot put (13.56m).

In the field events, KaiCee Kubicina holds the fourth spot in the discus (42.07m) along with the sixth spot in the shot put (12.22m). Jessica Parham is second in the javelin (38.51m) while Megan Wesner is fifth in the hammer throw (49.67m).

In the long jump and triple jump, Kendall Homan ranks fifth with marks of 5.44m and 11.42m, respectively; she also holds the same spot in the 100m hurdles with a time of 14.52 seconds. Leanna Hartsough is fourth in the high jump (1.65m).

With a time of 16:34.44 in the 5,000m, Samantha Hamilton has the second-fastest finish; she also has the third-best time in the steeplechase (11:11.16). Additionally, in the 10,000m, Anna Pompeo is ranked second (36:22.13) and Katey Heney is ranked fourth (38:39.56).

In the sprints, Alexis Washington is right behind Jarrett for the second-fastest 200m time (24.98 seconds) and is fourth in the 100m (12.31 seconds).

The women have won five championships, most recently in 2009. Either Milwaukee or YSU has placed first or second in each of the past six championships. The Panthers have won the past two championships.

Returning league championships for the women include Jarrett (100m, 200m), Hamilton (twice in the steeplechase), Roth (discus), Rettburg (high jump) and Griffith (shot put and hammer throw).

The Penguins have won three straight titles in the high jump and shot put. In the shot, YSU has won six of the past seven titles, won two of three in the discus and javelin and four of six in the hammer throw.

Weekend Schedule
The women's heptathlon and men's decathlon competition will take place on Friday, along with the finals in the javelin and 10,000m run. Preliminary events will be run on Saturday, and the finals will take place on Sunday.