Typing this from the bus! Day 2 of the Summit League Indoor Track and Field Meet was full of surprises, both good and bad, for the Jackrabbits. Here is a recap and some thoughts on the meet.
Jared Vlastuin continued his success from the previous day with wins in the High Jump and Triple Jump. Yes, that is the triple jump and this is the first time this year that Jared has competed in that event. I think he even surprised himself with his jump of 48 feet 2 and 3/4 inches. The high jump was full of drama as Jamario Taylor of Western Illinois brushed the bar on his final attempt at 6-11 and it fell of as he was exiting the pit. Jared made sure the win was legitimate while clearing 7 foot 1 inches, a new school and conference record! These acheivements garnered him the Summit League Male Field Athlete of the Year. Interview Here
Lora Shearer earned the same award on the women's side after her performances on the weekend. After an exciting and tiring day winning the heptathlon, Lora came back the second day to place 4th in the 60m hurdles, 6th in the triple jump, and a tie for third in the high jump. She had finished 2nd place in the hurdles before the race had to be redone because of a timing system failure. Interview Here
The Men's Multi-Event athletes finished up action with the 60m hurdles, pole vault, and 1000m. Freshman Bennett Mercil fell in the hurdles, effectively ending his multi-event. Mike Bredeson made a strong push on day 2 and finished 7th overall.
The men's 60m hurdles saw heavy favorite Matt Tetzlaff of NDSU, a Pierre High School grad, fall and get disqualified. Jacks Brandon Priebe and Matt Dunbar collected 4th and 6th places respectively.
Although no Jackrabbits were involved, I thought the women's 800 was of note. It was a huge battle between Emma Ladwig of USD and Brittany Schandore of NDSU with the former coming out on top. Both women were under the 14 year old conference record.
The Men's 800m saw the Jacks pick up 10 points with 4th, 6th, and 7th place finishes. Lars Mattison again set a personal best by 1 second after setting one in the prelims by an even larger margin. It looks like the Jacks may have found their 5th man for the Drake Relays 4x800.
Freshman Jessica McDonald placed 8th in the 400m to earn a point for the Jacks. Jared Foote gained a 5th place finish in the same event, placing behind 4 Oral Roberts athletes.
In perhaps the biggest surprise of the day, Freshman McKenzie Johnson threw a personal best by over 3 feet to take second place in the shot put. She had been seeded eighth coming into the event.
The women's high jump was the highlight of the day for the Jacks with Mary Wirth taking down her longtime rival, Toni Tollefson of NDSU, to win the event. Lora Shearer and Kali Olson tied for third place to give the Jacks 20 points in the event.
Tera Potts had a similar race to the 3000m in the Mile on day 2. She had a strong finishing kick to place 5th with a time just over 5 minutes. In the Men's race, a tired Mike Krsnak kicked his way into 7th. He competed in the 3000 and DMR the night before and had aspirations of placing in the 5000 later in the day.
The women's 4x4 relay ran well to capture the slow heat in a season best time of 3:56.49. The men's 4x4 relay was eventful with heavy favorite Oral Roberts being tripped by the Bison. NDSU would finish third but ended up being disqualified for the incident. USD went on the win the event by one second over the Jackrabbits. Jared Foote ran a strong anchor leg and cut the distance to the 'Yotes.
The team scores were a disappointment overall. The women were hoping for third and were edged by Southern Utah by 4 points. The men were hoping for second and finished 5th. The men's team scores were a surprise with Southern Utah coming out on top. The T-Birds were extremely strong in the distance races and their leader, Cam Levins, won all four of his races. The favorites, NDSU, finished third.
Results Here
GoJacks Write Up
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Barney Klecker- Ultra Running Monster
I recently stopped down at Bartling's Shoes, home of the Prairie Striders, to drop of my Prairie Striders dues for 2012. I found Bob, founder/recently retired treasurer/librarian and we had a nice little chat. I had marked that I may be interested in Ultras on my membership form and that led to Librarian Bob showing me his collection of Ultra Running Magazine dating back to 1981. I checked out the first 5 issues and right in the first one I found a familiar name, Barney Klecker. I am a youngin and hadn't heard the name until it came up in discussion of his children, John, Joe, Mary, Elizabeth, and Sarah. John and Joe qualified individually for the State Meet in the fall and John placed 9th.
Klecker was a good, but not great, marathon runner in the late 1970s. He won the Grandma's Marathon in 1978 with a time of 2:18:42. He also won the 1977 and 1978 City of Lakes Marathon and earned a second place at Chicago in 1978. His PR was said to be 2:15 or 2:16. Barney began to run Ultras in order to prepare for this marathons. He ran under 3 hours for 50k (31.11 miles) many times. His crowning achievement is his still standing American Record in the 50 mile race of 4:51:25. Yes, that is 5:49 pace for 50 miles. At the time his mark was a World Record as well. In 2010 Barney was inducted into the American Ultrarunning Hall of Fame. He is married to Janis Klecker (Horns) who qualified for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics in the Marathon with Barney as her coach.
Klecker was a good, but not great, marathon runner in the late 1970s. He won the Grandma's Marathon in 1978 with a time of 2:18:42. He also won the 1977 and 1978 City of Lakes Marathon and earned a second place at Chicago in 1978. His PR was said to be 2:15 or 2:16. Barney began to run Ultras in order to prepare for this marathons. He ran under 3 hours for 50k (31.11 miles) many times. His crowning achievement is his still standing American Record in the 50 mile race of 4:51:25. Yes, that is 5:49 pace for 50 miles. At the time his mark was a World Record as well. In 2010 Barney was inducted into the American Ultrarunning Hall of Fame. He is married to Janis Klecker (Horns) who qualified for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics in the Marathon with Barney as her coach.
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| Klecker with his famous snowshoes |
Friday, February 24, 2012
Brief Recap of Day 1 at Summit League
Hello All,
I have to get to bed so I can run well tomorrow so the Recap will be brief tonight... hopefully.
The day started off with a dramatic conclusion to the Pentathlon. Lora Shearer PR'd in 4 of 5 events to win by 2 points over Carmilla Pirelli of Oral Roberts. Lora took the overall lead after a nice Long Jump of 18-05. It then came down to the 800m and Lora finished within the required .6 seconds to retain the lead. Lora's mark is also a school record!
Mike Bredeson and Bennett Mercil capped off a successful first day of the heptathlon with 5th and 10th place finishes. They will complete the event with the 60m hurdles, pole vault and 1000m run tomorrow.
Brooke Garner started the field events well with a throw of 61 feet 3.5 inches in the weight throw. That throw was good enough for first place and a school record! McKenzie Johnson and Amy Paulzine added points to the Jack total with 7th and 8th place finishes. Jake Brinkmann placed 7th in the weight throw as well.
Ashley Odegaard continued the field event success with an 8th place finish. Lora Shearer began to fatigue after the multi event. Her multi jump would have placed her 5th in the open long jump. The men's long jump was full of drama as Clive Chaufasipo of Oral Roberts defeated our Jared Vlastuin by 1 cm. Vlastuin barely scratched his last three jumps as he attempted to beat Clive.
Calvin Cammack continued his successful season with a vault of 15-06.25 for 6th place.
Lora Shearer made the finals in the 60m hurdles and will be in the fast heat after a 4th place finish. Brandon Priebe and Matt Dunbar qualified third and fourth for the men.
All three Jackrabbit men qualified for the 9 man final tomorrow. Lars Mattison had a monster PR to capture the 9th spot.
Freshman Jessica McDonald qualified in the 400m with a clocking of 57.72. With a conversion from the 200m flat track this is a PR. Jared Foote qualified second in the 400 behind Jeffrey Gibson. Oral Roberts snagged 6 of 8 finals spots.
Tera Potts had a strong kick in the 3000m to place 6th, passing two bison in the last stretch. Mike Krsnak fought hard in the men's 3000 and earned an all-conference honorable mention with a third place finish.
The women's 200m runners ran well but failed to qualify for the finals. Megan Bren, Ashley Odegaard, and Gina Fritz all finished between 25.78 and 25.82. Chris Curry also missed qualifying, by only one hundreth of a second.
The women's distance medley ran within 7 seconds of the Summit League record and still finished 5th. The team of Krista Creager, Jessica McDonald, Laura Lawton, and Danielle McCann ran very well. The men ran even better and destroyed the field and the Summit League record of 10:03 set by Southern Utah in 2001. Dom Thielen (3:01.8), Jared Foote (49.0), Jake Schneller (1:52.1), and Mike Krsnak (4:12.9) lapped most of the field and beat USD by 3 seconds.
The women are in second place after day 1 and the men are tied with Oral Roberts for 3rd place. North Dakota State leads both.
Day 1 Results
Go Jacks with interviews
I have to get to bed so I can run well tomorrow so the Recap will be brief tonight... hopefully.
The day started off with a dramatic conclusion to the Pentathlon. Lora Shearer PR'd in 4 of 5 events to win by 2 points over Carmilla Pirelli of Oral Roberts. Lora took the overall lead after a nice Long Jump of 18-05. It then came down to the 800m and Lora finished within the required .6 seconds to retain the lead. Lora's mark is also a school record!
Mike Bredeson and Bennett Mercil capped off a successful first day of the heptathlon with 5th and 10th place finishes. They will complete the event with the 60m hurdles, pole vault and 1000m run tomorrow.
Brooke Garner started the field events well with a throw of 61 feet 3.5 inches in the weight throw. That throw was good enough for first place and a school record! McKenzie Johnson and Amy Paulzine added points to the Jack total with 7th and 8th place finishes. Jake Brinkmann placed 7th in the weight throw as well.
Ashley Odegaard continued the field event success with an 8th place finish. Lora Shearer began to fatigue after the multi event. Her multi jump would have placed her 5th in the open long jump. The men's long jump was full of drama as Clive Chaufasipo of Oral Roberts defeated our Jared Vlastuin by 1 cm. Vlastuin barely scratched his last three jumps as he attempted to beat Clive.
Calvin Cammack continued his successful season with a vault of 15-06.25 for 6th place.
Lora Shearer made the finals in the 60m hurdles and will be in the fast heat after a 4th place finish. Brandon Priebe and Matt Dunbar qualified third and fourth for the men.
All three Jackrabbit men qualified for the 9 man final tomorrow. Lars Mattison had a monster PR to capture the 9th spot.
Freshman Jessica McDonald qualified in the 400m with a clocking of 57.72. With a conversion from the 200m flat track this is a PR. Jared Foote qualified second in the 400 behind Jeffrey Gibson. Oral Roberts snagged 6 of 8 finals spots.
Tera Potts had a strong kick in the 3000m to place 6th, passing two bison in the last stretch. Mike Krsnak fought hard in the men's 3000 and earned an all-conference honorable mention with a third place finish.
The women's 200m runners ran well but failed to qualify for the finals. Megan Bren, Ashley Odegaard, and Gina Fritz all finished between 25.78 and 25.82. Chris Curry also missed qualifying, by only one hundreth of a second.
The women's distance medley ran within 7 seconds of the Summit League record and still finished 5th. The team of Krista Creager, Jessica McDonald, Laura Lawton, and Danielle McCann ran very well. The men ran even better and destroyed the field and the Summit League record of 10:03 set by Southern Utah in 2001. Dom Thielen (3:01.8), Jared Foote (49.0), Jake Schneller (1:52.1), and Mike Krsnak (4:12.9) lapped most of the field and beat USD by 3 seconds.
The women are in second place after day 1 and the men are tied with Oral Roberts for 3rd place. North Dakota State leads both.
Day 1 Results
Go Jacks with interviews
Women's Summit League Predictions Revisited
Heat Sheets!
Meet Schedule
Here I am going to look at the Summit League Women's competition now that the season has progressed. Competition has already begun with the Multi-Events this morning.
1. NDSU- The Bison are an all around powerhouse. They won't be beaten.
2. USD- The yotes are led by Emma Ladwig (Erickson), Alexa Duling, Analisa Huschle, Kenna Wolter, and Emily Grove who all should have a shot at winning at least one event.
3. SDSU- The Jacks will be in a hard fought battle for third with many of the teams below. Luck and circumstance will play a factor in deciding places. See below for the Jacks Keys to Success.
4. Southern Utah- The distance events will be their strong point and will expect big points out of Kayla Kovar, a thrower.
5. UMKC- A well-rounded team on the rise, the 'Roos will be led by their triple jumpers and long sprinters. Don't expect any event titles for them but many placings.
6. Oral Roberts- Sprinters Cornisha Wilkerson and TK Whitfield need to pick up big points for the Eagles to place well. Look for multi eventer Camilla Pirelli to score as well.
7. Oakland- Lia Jones reportedly has a stress fracture and will not compete. She was expected to be a contender in the distance races. The Grizzlies will need to pick up points elsewhere.
8. Western Illinois- Dana LaRue looks to score big in both throws for the Leathernecks. Chelsea Lynes also has the top time in the Mile run and is ranked 4th in the 800.
9. IPFW- The hosts won't be scoring many points. Sarah Hutchings in the distance and mid-distance races is their greatest hope.
Jacks Keys
1. Lora Shearer's endurance- Shearer will be competing in the Multi (5 events) as well as 4 individual events. She will be a factor in all events if she can fight the fatigue.
2. Throws- Rapid City natives Brooke Garner and McKenzie Johnson lead the charge here. Brooke looks to win a few titles.
3. Relays- The Jacks hope to pick up big points in the 4x4 and DMR. This is the first time this year that the 4x4 is at its best- Odegaard, Bren, Fritz, and McDonald.
4. High Jump- Wirth and Shearer are 2-3 and don't forget about Kali Olson!
5. Distance- Tera Potts and Erin Hargens are ranked 6th in their respective events.
6. Getting to finals- there are a lot of women on the line of making finals and not making finals. They need to perform today to score tomorrow. Every point counts!
Meet Schedule
Here I am going to look at the Summit League Women's competition now that the season has progressed. Competition has already begun with the Multi-Events this morning.
1. NDSU- The Bison are an all around powerhouse. They won't be beaten.
2. USD- The yotes are led by Emma Ladwig (Erickson), Alexa Duling, Analisa Huschle, Kenna Wolter, and Emily Grove who all should have a shot at winning at least one event.
3. SDSU- The Jacks will be in a hard fought battle for third with many of the teams below. Luck and circumstance will play a factor in deciding places. See below for the Jacks Keys to Success.
4. Southern Utah- The distance events will be their strong point and will expect big points out of Kayla Kovar, a thrower.
5. UMKC- A well-rounded team on the rise, the 'Roos will be led by their triple jumpers and long sprinters. Don't expect any event titles for them but many placings.
6. Oral Roberts- Sprinters Cornisha Wilkerson and TK Whitfield need to pick up big points for the Eagles to place well. Look for multi eventer Camilla Pirelli to score as well.
7. Oakland- Lia Jones reportedly has a stress fracture and will not compete. She was expected to be a contender in the distance races. The Grizzlies will need to pick up points elsewhere.
8. Western Illinois- Dana LaRue looks to score big in both throws for the Leathernecks. Chelsea Lynes also has the top time in the Mile run and is ranked 4th in the 800.
9. IPFW- The hosts won't be scoring many points. Sarah Hutchings in the distance and mid-distance races is their greatest hope.
Jacks Keys
1. Lora Shearer's endurance- Shearer will be competing in the Multi (5 events) as well as 4 individual events. She will be a factor in all events if she can fight the fatigue.
2. Throws- Rapid City natives Brooke Garner and McKenzie Johnson lead the charge here. Brooke looks to win a few titles.
3. Relays- The Jacks hope to pick up big points in the 4x4 and DMR. This is the first time this year that the 4x4 is at its best- Odegaard, Bren, Fritz, and McDonald.
4. High Jump- Wirth and Shearer are 2-3 and don't forget about Kali Olson!
5. Distance- Tera Potts and Erin Hargens are ranked 6th in their respective events.
6. Getting to finals- there are a lot of women on the line of making finals and not making finals. They need to perform today to score tomorrow. Every point counts!
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Men's Summit League Predictions Revisited
Heat Sheets!
When I last did Summit League Predictions they were based on last year's championships and the few meets that had happened. I am not going to do a full prediction like last time but am just going to predict team places and some keys for the Jackrabbits.
1. NDSU- The Bison have proven to be strong in the Field Events and Multi Events like always and have a few big scorers on the track including Travis Fitzke and Donte Smart.
2. SDSU- The Jacks look to be peaking at the right time and have had good performances and workouts leading up to this meet. See keys for the Jacks below.
3. Oral Roberts- The Golden Eagles were ranked higher in the preseason predictions but their depth has been a weakness this year. They will be strong in the 200, 400 and 4x4 on the track and in the Long Jump and Vault in the field. In previous years they had more strength in the field and the 60m.
4. Southern Utah- Southern Utah will score big points in the distance races and will pick up points here and there in the field. Cam Levins will most likely win the Mile, 3000 and 5000 and be named Track MVP.
5. South Dakota- The Yotes are well rounded and will pick up points in most disciplines. Their stars include distance runner Jeff Mettler, throwers Kyle McKelvey and Cody Snyder, sprinter Michael Burrus, and Vaulter Kyle Ballew.
6. UMKC- The 'Roos are quickly improving, look for them to be in the mix next year with the loss of ORU and SUU. They are led by distance runner Cosmas Ayabei and jumper DC Okonta.
7. Western Illinois- The Leathernecks will score most of their points in the high jump and throws.
8. Oakland- The Grizzlies will be lucky to score any points that aren't from the DMR and 4x4.
*IUPUI will begin track competition in the Summit League this outdoor season.
**It will be a battle for spots 2-6 so don't be surprised if this gets switched around.
Keys for the Jackrabbits-
1. Jared Vlastuin- Vlastuin has the ability to win two events. He is ranked 1st in the High Jump and 2nd in the Long Jump. He has defeated Clive from Oral Roberts in head to head competitions in the past.
2. 400 and 4x4- Jared Foote and Brandon Priebe are ranked in the top 8 in the 400 and make up half of the 4x4 team that may challenge for the win. ORU is the favorite but you never know what will happen in the last event of the meet.
3. 800- Jake Schneller looks to cap his indoor career with an 800 meter title. He is seeded 3rd but has defeated Shade head to head and Cam Levins will be tired. Dom Thielen has been improving rapidly this year and I wouldn't be surprised if there were 2 Jacks challenging for the win here.
4. 3000 and 5000- The whole conference is especially strong in these events. The Jacks need Mike Krsnak, Greg Vollmer, and Trent Lusignan to score in both events. I hope to do the same.
5. 60 Hurdles- Only 10 men are entered and the Jacks expect to have 2 in the top 8. Watch out for an upset of Pierre alum Matt Tetzlaff by Brandon Priebe of SDSU. Priebe has risen to the occasion in previous years.
6. Throws- The Jacks throwers haven't had the greatest season until last week but they are usually ready to go at conference. Don't forget that Jake Brinkman is a conference champ in the weight throw.
When I last did Summit League Predictions they were based on last year's championships and the few meets that had happened. I am not going to do a full prediction like last time but am just going to predict team places and some keys for the Jackrabbits.
1. NDSU- The Bison have proven to be strong in the Field Events and Multi Events like always and have a few big scorers on the track including Travis Fitzke and Donte Smart.
2. SDSU- The Jacks look to be peaking at the right time and have had good performances and workouts leading up to this meet. See keys for the Jacks below.
3. Oral Roberts- The Golden Eagles were ranked higher in the preseason predictions but their depth has been a weakness this year. They will be strong in the 200, 400 and 4x4 on the track and in the Long Jump and Vault in the field. In previous years they had more strength in the field and the 60m.
4. Southern Utah- Southern Utah will score big points in the distance races and will pick up points here and there in the field. Cam Levins will most likely win the Mile, 3000 and 5000 and be named Track MVP.
5. South Dakota- The Yotes are well rounded and will pick up points in most disciplines. Their stars include distance runner Jeff Mettler, throwers Kyle McKelvey and Cody Snyder, sprinter Michael Burrus, and Vaulter Kyle Ballew.
6. UMKC- The 'Roos are quickly improving, look for them to be in the mix next year with the loss of ORU and SUU. They are led by distance runner Cosmas Ayabei and jumper DC Okonta.
7. Western Illinois- The Leathernecks will score most of their points in the high jump and throws.
8. Oakland- The Grizzlies will be lucky to score any points that aren't from the DMR and 4x4.
*IUPUI will begin track competition in the Summit League this outdoor season.
**It will be a battle for spots 2-6 so don't be surprised if this gets switched around.
Keys for the Jackrabbits-
1. Jared Vlastuin- Vlastuin has the ability to win two events. He is ranked 1st in the High Jump and 2nd in the Long Jump. He has defeated Clive from Oral Roberts in head to head competitions in the past.
2. 400 and 4x4- Jared Foote and Brandon Priebe are ranked in the top 8 in the 400 and make up half of the 4x4 team that may challenge for the win. ORU is the favorite but you never know what will happen in the last event of the meet.
3. 800- Jake Schneller looks to cap his indoor career with an 800 meter title. He is seeded 3rd but has defeated Shade head to head and Cam Levins will be tired. Dom Thielen has been improving rapidly this year and I wouldn't be surprised if there were 2 Jacks challenging for the win here.
4. 3000 and 5000- The whole conference is especially strong in these events. The Jacks need Mike Krsnak, Greg Vollmer, and Trent Lusignan to score in both events. I hope to do the same.
5. 60 Hurdles- Only 10 men are entered and the Jacks expect to have 2 in the top 8. Watch out for an upset of Pierre alum Matt Tetzlaff by Brandon Priebe of SDSU. Priebe has risen to the occasion in previous years.
6. Throws- The Jacks throwers haven't had the greatest season until last week but they are usually ready to go at conference. Don't forget that Jake Brinkman is a conference champ in the weight throw.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
The State of the Running Shoe Market: December 2011 Running Specialty Sales Data from Leisure Trends | Runblogger
The State of the Running Shoe Market: December 2011 Running Specialty Sales Data from Leisure Trends | Runblogger
This is an interesting post from another great blog that I follow. I think that something that may be overlooked is the number of Nike Frees that are sold to non-runners. The shoes are used as a fashion shoe, aerobic shoe and general workout shoe. Another thing I found interesting was the growth of minimalist shoes, especially in the trail running sector. I think this is a positive thing for the running community.
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| In the Top-5 of any athletic shoe sales in 2011 |
This Day in Track- February 22nd
1992- Liz McColghan of Great Britain set the World Record for the Indoor 5000 with a clocking of 15:03. Her record was 10 seconds faster than the previous world record and would stand for 7 years. Liz was a versatile runner and was known to run cross country, marathons and track distances from 3000 to 10000 meters. Her elite running career spanned 14 years and saw her compile 7 titles at World events as well as many other high placings.
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