The MIAC indoor conference meet last week started with the Johnnies down two coaches. We anticipated Coach Maxwell would be staying home with a new baby (Marais Annette arrived on the 16th), but wasn’t The MIAC indoor conference meet last week started with the Johnnies down two coaches. We anticipated Coach Maxwell would be staying home with a new baby (Marais Annette arrived on the 16th), but wasn’t expecting Coach Joe to be sick. After some quick adjustments, I took Joe’s heptathletes down on Thursday (after a rough first few days, Joe recovered quickly and was able to join when the full team came to Northfield. Those last minute changes are easier when we have people like Tim and Brady Labine helping to make sure things run smoothly- so grateful for their continued support!
Overall, I am proud of how well the guys competed at the MIAC Indoor Championships this year. Many a coach likes to “score the meet” to determine team scores based on qualifying entries. Based on that preliminary data, it appeared Bethel would win big and several schools would be tight to come in second, specifically St. Olaf, St. Scholastica, and SJU. I personally don’t make a practice of scoring the meet ahead of time, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t get nervous about how everything will shake out in the days leading up to it. In the end, Bethel came out on top. They have an outstanding team this season and are currently fifth in the DIII National rankings. SJU was a clear second and can boast five individual conference champions: Tommy Allen (JR, St. Paul Academy) was a double champion in the 800 and 1,000 meter runs, Kevin Arthur (SR, Champlin Park) won the 60 meter dash, Joe Charbonneau (JR, New Richmond, WI) came out on top in pole vault, and Zach Schaffer (SO, Chaska) was long jump champion.
A meet like this reinforces how well the Johnnies have historically performed at conference meets (okay, maybe not always for Indoor!). Guys are hitting PR’s consistently at the big meets and this year is no exception. From the guys scoring points to the guys just qualifying to compete, many are performing well. Seeing an athlete's hard work pay off at the right time is very rewarding as a coach.
A great example is Tommy Allen this weekend. He competed in the 800m and the 1k. The 800m was on day one and another competitor ran a fast time in the second heat. To have a chance to win, Tommy needed to make sure to keep a brisk pace in the final heat. He decided to take the lead early and went the distance for the win in 1:55.33. On day two for the 1,000 meter run, the game plan going in was to not lead the early part of the race and feel out the competition. Some of the top guys had run several races and might not have much left. It was a thrilling and well-executed race and you should watch it here:
BTW: I created a youtube channel for videos throughout the season. I also created a few playlists of videos that we use on our videoboard. Many of the videos are notable performances and school records. You can check out the videos here: Jeremy KG SJU TF youtube
If you have any video that might be fun to add, send it my way.
Jeremy
Up next: we are taking a few guys to the last chance meet at UW-La Crosse on Saturday. So far, Kevin Arthur is qualified for nationals and is ranked 5th in the country. He will run the 200 this weekend and is currently ranked 22nd in that event. Tommy Allen and Nick St. Peter (SO, Maple Grove) will run the 800m dash this weekend. Joe Charbonneau and Kole Guth (SO, St. Peter) will vault. Jaeden Frost (SR, Omro, WI), is coming off of two big third place finishes in the shot put and weight throw at the conference championship and will throw both. Zach Schaffer will be competing in the long jump. These guys decided to delay the start of their spring break to fit in one more indoor competition- wish them luck!