Feb. 2, 2008

Complete Results | Group A Heptathlon Results | Group B Heptathlon Results

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - University of Northern Iowa senior Raven Cepeda took the men's heptathlon title at Saturday's UNI Invitational with a record-setting performance, scoring a personal-best 5,906 points and automatically qualifying for the NCAA Indoor Championships in the process.

 

The senior's score - the top mark nationally this season -- bettered the previous UNI and Missouri Valley Conference records, also set by Cepeda in 2007, by 42 points. The total is also a UNI-Dome record, eclipsing the mark of 5,865 points set by Texas' Donovan Kilmartin in 2004.

 

UNI junior Mat Clark finished second in the event, provisionally qualifying for the NCAA Indoor Championships with his personal-best score of 5,560.

 

Carrying a slim lead over Clark into the second day of competition, Cepeda secured his victory after running away with the 60-meter hurdles in a personal-best and MVC-leading time of 8.06 seconds.

 

Cepeda also posted the top mark in the pole vault, clearing 16 feet, 4 3/4 inches, and then took third in the 1,000 meters in 2:46.64, finishing six seconds off the pace of Clark, who posted the top time in 2:40.93.

 

On the first day of competition on Friday, Cepeda won the shot put with a throw of 49-5 3/4 and matched his personal best time of 7.09 in the 60-meter dash. He also recorded a personal best in the high jump, finishing second in the event with a leap of 6-6.25.

 

Clark concluded competition with 5,560 points, including a personal-best clearance of 14-9 in the pole vault and a personal-best time of 8.89 in the 60 hurdles in addition to posting the top time in the 1,000.

 

 

MEN'S COMPETITION

The Panthers placed four 4x400 relays squads in the top 10 of a field consisting of 34 entries, with the "A" squad of Terrance Reid, Ryan Grenko, Cory Goos and Tyler Mulder winning the event in 3:13.68. Reid led off with a 48.45-second split, which Grenko followed with a 48.33-second effort. Goos turned his pair of laps in 48.80 despite nursing a sore hamstring, while Mulder anchored the UNI effort with a split of 47.90.

 

The Panthers' "B" crew of Kevin Roberts, Dennis Hammel, Greg Offerman and Pete Larson took fifth in the event, led by Hammel's 49.38-second split. Roberts led off the race with a 50.52, while Offerman turned the third leg in 49.52 and Larson anchored the Panthers with a 49.51.

 

Mulder, the reigning MVC Men's Track Athlete of the Week, also claimed the title in the men's 600 with a personal-best run of 1:17.99. Teammate Dale Maxedon clocked in at 1:21.13 to take third.

 

Panthers Julian Morris and Ehi Oamen swept the top two spots in the men's high jump, with Morris clearing a team- and Missouri Valley Conference-best 7 feet, 1/4 inch to claim the win. Oamen, who entered the weekend tied for the MVC lead in the event, hit a season-best mark of 6-10 3/4 to take the runner-up spot.  UNI's Luke Thompson tied for fourth in the competition by clearing 6-6 3/4.

 

UNI's Adam Pinckney turned in a personal-best performance in the shot put, finishing eighth in a competitive field by throwing 51-3 1/2. Also in the field events, sophomore Mike Beese tied for second in the pole vault, clearing 15-7 to match the effort of Wisconsin's Derak Thiel. Unattached competitor Darren Niedermeyer won the vault competition with a clearance of 17-4 1/2.

 

Three UNI competitors took part in a 1,200-meter time trial, with Tim Fulton taking the win in 3:02.05 ahead of teammate Nick Sorbe, who was second in 3:02.92. In the other distance event with Panthers competing, senior Andy Schon took third in the 3,000 meters, finishing in 8:44.40.

 

The Panthers' Rozle Bucalo took third in the long jump with a leap of 23-10 1/4, finishing behind former UNI All-American Cody Eichmeier, who won the event with a mark of 24-6 1/2.

 

 

WOMEN'S COMPETITION

For the third time in four meets this season, senior Rachel Jansen swept the women's throws events. Jansen hit the NCAA Indoor Championships automatic qualification mark in the shot put, throwing a season-best 54-9 1/4, and won the weight throw competition with a heave of 62-4. The Panthers' Sarah Harms took third in the weight throw and fifth in the shot put, while Courtney Landers was fifth in the weight throw.

 

UNI's quartet of freshman Ellen Kindelsperger and seniors Jamie Hutchinson, Amy Bagge and Lauren Carruthers took top honors in the 4x400 relay, led by sub-58-second splits by Hutchinson and Bagge. Kindelsperger led off with a 59.39, followed by Hutchinson's 57.54, a 57.15 by Bagge and a split of 58.34 by Carruthers on the anchor leg.

 

The Panthers' "B" squad of Megan Iverson, freshman Holli Hosch, Meredith Simon and freshman Heather Kessler took third, clocking in at 3:59.56. Hosch led the way with a 57.20-second split on the second leg, while Simon turned the third leg in 58.83.

 

Simon also took second in the 60-meter dash in a season-best time of 7.73 seconds, with teammate Blair Runde taking fifth in 7.83, which tied her best effort of the season so far. Simon capped a successful day by taking second in the 200 meters, clocking in at a season-best 25.23.

 

The Panther distance tandem of Caedryn Schrunk and Traci Hawley swept the top two spots in the mile, with Schrunk turning a personal-best time of 5:05.76 to take the win. Hawley turned in a personal best, as well, clocking in at 5:06.25 to take the runner-up spot.  UNI's Andrea Wacker was seventh in 5:15.35.

 

Senior Crystal Hanson tied for the win in the high jump, clearing 5-7 to match the mark of Wisconsin's Megan Seidl, while fellow senior Blair Runde took home the top spot in the long jump with a leap of 18-5. The Panthers' Stacy Butt was fifth in the long jump, finishing with a best mark of 17-9.

 

The Panthers took three of the top four spots in the 600 meters, led by Hutchinson's runner-up time of 1:34.61. Bagge was third in 1:35.63, while Hosch took fourth in 1:36.72.

 

Junior Megan Iverson took home third place in the 400 meters with a 59.50-second effort, while Amanda Huling took second the 800 meters,in 2:25.00.

 

In the 60 hurdles, senior Cali Lyons was third in 8.86, with Kessler taking fifth (9.16) and Jessica Hale sixth (9.19).

 

The Panthers return to action next weekend in a pair of meets. UNI's throwers and jumpers will head to the Husker Invitational in Lincoln, Neb., while many of the Panthers' track athletes will compete in the prestigious Meyo Invitational, hosted by Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind.