Jacks Women's Recruits

Early signing day for Track and Field/Cross Country was Wednesday February 3rd.  So far the Lady Jacks have signed 4 women and are in the process of signing many more.  Here are some stats of the incoming women:

Samantha Anderson, Prior Lake, MN- Samantha is a distance/mid-distance runner with PRs of 2:19 for 800m,  5:19 for 1600m, 11:48 for 3200m, and 14:57 for 4km cross country.

Kristin Anderson, Prior Lake, MN- Kristin is a distance runner with PRs of 5:12 for 1600m, 11:30 for 3200m, and 15:30 for 4km cross country.

In case you were wondering, the Andersons are twins.

Celeste Borchardt, Belle Plaine, MN- Celeste is a long jumper and sprinter with PRs of 13.0 seconds in the 100m, 26.77 seconds in the 200,. and 17'6.25" in the long jump.

Jenna Grossenburg, Yankton, SD- Jenna is a long distance and cross country runner.  Jenna finished 3rd in the 3200m with a time of 11:21 and 8th in the 1600 with a time of 5:17.  She also finished 4th in the State Cross Country meet with a 4k time of 14:37.

Andersons, Front Left on Signing Day

Super Bowl Commercials- Skechers GoRun

My favorite Super Bowl commercial was definitely Skechers.  I don't know about you but I was definitely inspired by the chunky little pug overcoming the odds by taking out the greyhounds in the homestretch.  The commercial definitely made me want to buy some Skechers GoRuns as well.  Ok, maybe neither of those statements is true but I have wanted to try some Skechers GoRuns for awhile and I was just generally surprised to see a Skechers commercial on during the Super Bowl.  I was almost as surprised as when Meb Keflizighi, former NYC champion and 2012 Olympic Trials Champ, signed an endorsement deal with Skechers and actually wore the shoes to two PRs and an upset Trials victory.

I have had many people ask me what I think of Skechers as a running shoe maker.  My answer usually is that I would like to try a pair of GoRuns- if they were free.  And that I probably wouldn't wear anything else that they currently have out.  The GoRuns have taken a different approach to the whole minimalist battle among shoe makers today.  It is said to "guide body to efficient mid-foot strike".  I'm not really sure how it does that.  Is that why the shoe looks like it doesn't have much heel?  Giving it an almost Shape-Up like look.

I'm sure the shoe is comfortable and it sure is light at 6.9 seconds.  And guess what, I'm going to buy some, if they cost me like 30 dollars or less.  And I'm going to give them a serious try.  Or maybe I'll just apply to be a Skechers wear tester for the GoRun 2.  We'll see.

Other thoughts on the topic: I think it's really funny that they didn't use Meb in the commercial at all- but how many everyday Americans know who he is?  Less than %1 most likely.

-Running back Danny Woodhead is sponsored by Skechers as well.

-I guesstimated that it cost Skechers the profits of about 100,000 pairs of GoRuns to play that commercial.

Commercial Here

Success at Nebraska

Day 2 of the Husker Invite saw much success for the Jackrabbits.  Here are some highlights:

1. Lora Shearer setting a school record in the 60m Hurdles with a time of 8.69 seconds.  She won the consolation heat and beat most of the finals heat as well.  The finals heat included Alexa Duling of USD and Deborah John of NDSU, Lora's main competition for the Summit League.  The race was followed up by typical Shearer celebration as usual after a good performance.

2. The women's Mile saw Erin Hargens and Danielle McCann unveil the new Jackrabbit uniforms and set Personal Bests in the process.  Erin ran 5:05 and Danielle ran 5:09.

3. The Men's 3k saw two Jacks run well in very different heats.  Greg Vollmer made a big move in the unseeded section and ended up with a time of 8:33.  Trent Lusignan basically ran a time-trial in the Special heat and ran 8:31.  Both of those times rank just outside the top-10 in the Summit League.  In my opinion, the Men's 3k is the hardest event to finish in the top 8 in the Summit League.

4. The 4x4s!  A good 4x4 race may be the best race in track.  Especially on an indoor track.  It is full of drama and usually has the attention of all the fans as it is the last race of the day.  Our 4x4s had their first good meet of the year.  The men ran 3:17, the second fastest time in school history.  They also ran a faster time than USD and NDSU in the fast heat.

5. Jake Schneller's 800m race was nearly a school record.  Jake ran 1:51.58 and coach Rod DeHaven's school record is 1:51.31.  In the process he defeated rivals Travis Fitzke of NDSU and Casey Shade of USD.

Next up, the Iowa State Classic.  Friday February 10th and 11th.  This meet is usually the most competitive meet the Jacks attend all year and as a result produces many of the best times of the year.  Go Big! Go Blue! Go Jacks!  Thanks for reading and don't forget to support my blog by clicking an ad!

Day 2 Results