This weekend is the last chance to qualify for the MIAC Indoor Championships. The indoor season has gone by quickly, and I find myself wishing we had one more week. Some Johnnies need a better performance to ensure a good heat or lane assignment for the championships. Others are still looking to qualify, especially in the mid-distance events where there are so many events: 600m, 800m, 1000m, and the mile. It’s a puzzle to figure out which athletes can be most impactful in each event. Thankfully, we have Tim for that!
Despite feeling harried before the conference championship, last week’s home meet set us up well. The sprinters enjoyed the wider track as compared to the last two facilities and ran much better 200’s. One of the groups that I have been impressed with is the freshmen distance runners. Lloyd Young (Bloomington), Sam Rengo (Esko), Tom Nemanich (Red Wing), Will Mattock (Maryville, MO), Alexei Hensel (Buffalo), and Mitch Grand (Hutchinson) have looked great in practice and at meets. I like the way these guys race. They are aggressive and not afraid to get after it. Pay attention to these guys the next four years.
Last week, the marquee event for the Johnnies was the triple jump. Our duo of Collin Trout (SR, Cloquet) and Michael Wallace (SO, Bahamas) hit some big jumps. Michael broke 14 meters for the first time with a jump of 14.03m (46’-00.5”). Collin unleashed a huge third round jump of 14.36 meters (47’-1.5”), previously his best was 14.10m (46’-4.75”). Collin is currently ranked 15th in the country. These performances round out a solid jumps squad when we also have the #2 high jumper in the country (Maguire Petersen, FR, Hutchinson), and the #5 pole vaulter (Drew Dockendorf, JR, Holdingford). Add in Ryan Miller’s #9 ranking in the 60m dash, and the Johnnies are currently ranked 20th in the country.
Tonight, I will be taking Ryan Miller down to the University of Minnesota to run the 200m dash. He will have good competition at the U of M and needs a slightly better time to qualify for the fast heat in the conference championship. You might recall that at the indoor conference meet the 200m dash is seeded differently; putting only the top three runners in the fast heat. Then on Saturday morning, the whole team will hop on the bus and head to St. Olaf.
Next week is the MIAC Indoor Championships at Saint John’s. I will write a preview early next week. Thursday is day one of the heptathlon with the rest of the meet on Friday and Saturday. Friday’s field events start at 4:00pm and track events at 4:30. On Saturday, field events start at noon and track events at 1:00pm. Come see if we can take down any other school records.