I did a lot of thinking both during and after last weekend's Summit League Indoor Conference Track meet. A lot of the thinking dealt with the loss of Southern Utah to the Big Sky Conference and Oral Roberts to the Southland Conference. Southern Utah has long been a deep distance running based team with other stellar athletes spread through the other events. The same pattern has developed at Oral Roberts except their base is in the long sprints, especially the 400 meters. The result of losing these teams is going to have a negative effect on the Summit League. The addition of USD this year is a positive one and IUPUI is adding track and field starting this outdoor season but these schools simply are not as good as SUU or ORU. Nebraska-Omaha is also joining the Summit League- without men's track. It is hard to visit IPFW's new facility without wondering if they plan to add a men's team soon. However, I would hold IPFW's school records in the 800, 1500, Mile, 3000, 5000, 10,000 and 3000 Steeplechase without approaching SDSU's Top-10 lists in any of those events. It is safe to say that IPFW won't be a major factor in the near-future of Summit League Track.
Here are the team scores from the past weekend if you take out SUU and ORU.
Women
1. NDSU 226
2. USD 146
3. SDSU 94
4. UMKC 92
5. WIU 70
6. OU 16
7. IPFW 9
Men
1. NDSU 169
2. USD 148
3. SDSU 134
4. UMKC 120
5. WIU 58
6. OU 21
On both sides it is a Dakota battle with UMKC on the outside, looking it. Nebraska-Omaha's women will probably be about as good as Western Illinois. They have some great athletes that will score some points but lack depth. IUPUI will add more distance runners to the mix but will have little to no effect on the team scoring. I think the Summit League should look for another school to join and hopefully that school is good at track. The Summit League track landscape is going to be much different in some events- the men's 400 or 5000 for example. Those events lose 5 and 6 scorers respectively just to teams leaving the conference.
Showing posts with label Jeffrey Gibson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jeffrey Gibson. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
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.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Summit League Indoors- IPFW Facility
Below is a picture of the new facility at IPFW. The track surface looks to be nice and fast. My main concern would be overall space in the building for warm-ups, team camps, and field event areas. Those concerns aside, this is still the premier facility in the Summit League. And this is for a school that isn't very good at track and doesn't even have a men's team. Below the picture is a link to the Summit League Schedule.
Summit League Schedule
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