April 6, 2008

Big Rapids, Mich. - Grand Valley State University had student-athletes competing at three different venues over the weekend and came away with six qualifying marks for the NCAA Outdoor National Championships. Two throwers qualified in Big Rapids, Mich., two pole vaulters hit qualifying marks at Missouri Southern and two distance runners met the times at the Stanford Invitational. Nate Peck also set a school record in the 5k.

In Big Rapids at the Ferris Invite, both Kathie Posa and Mary Bogner qualified for nationals in throwing events. Posa hit the mark in the hammer throw, while Bogner hurled the javelin 136'10" to win the event and qualify for nationals.

"We had a great weekend at Ferris, having most of the team compete," said head track coach Jerry Baltes. "The weather was very nice and our student athletes competed well. This should be a great stepping stone into the rest of the season."

Nate Peck and Nick Polk both ran in the 5k at the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif. Both runners qualified for the NCAA nationals after strong performances. Peck set the school record and also hit an automatic qualifying mark by crossing the finish line in 14:00.91. Polk finished in a lifetime-best 14:26.23 which also qualified for the nationals.

"This was a great weekend for Nick and Nate out at Stanford," Baltes said. "They ran with some of the best runners in the country and fared very well."

Dianna Noonan and Bryant Wilson both qualified in the pole vault, competing at Missouri Southern. Noonan cleared 11'10" to tie for second place, while Wilson won his event, clearing 16'9.5".

"This was a great experience for our vaulters to get on a fast runway and compete against some of the best vaulters in the country," Baltes said.

Grand Valley State also had some top finishers at the Ferris State meet. Rebecca Winchester finished in 4:51.36 to take the 1500 meter run, while Susie Rivard finished third in the event at 4:53.23. Danielle Fonseca won the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 14.79 seconds. Jenn O'Shesky took second in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:03.41. Kelly Crowley and Jessie Vickers took second and third, respectively, in the 3000 meter steeplechase. Heather VanderSlik finished second in the high jump with a heighth of 5'4".

On the men's side, Garron Lucius won the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 14.84 seconds. Nate Miller also took first in his event, winning the high jump with a heighth of 6'6". Ryan Rademacher won the long jump by going 22'11", which was over a foot longer than the second place distance. Ian Evans finished second place in the shot put by throwing a distance of 52'10.75".