By Jeff Kontz, sports editor
The Friends University Track and Field team is ready to take on the outdoor season after the conclusion of the National Indoor Championships in Johnsonville, Tenn., this weekend. Both the men’s and women’s teams were well represented and altogether the Falcons sent 18 athletes to the meet.
Women’s Head Coach Matt Kennedy described the indoor season as a solid first yea,r but both Kennedy and the men’s Head Coach Brad Peterson said there is much to be desired heading into this year’s outdoor season.
“Just getting there with such a large number and having them experience the level that we expect them to compete at all the time was really big,” said Kennedy.
None of the Falcons made All-American status at the national meet, but several of the Falcons placed in the top 20.
The women’s 4x800 meter relay team did exceptionally well and destroyed the previous Friends record for the race. This performance had the squad in close contention for an All-American title for most of the race, but the Falcons finished 12th overall. Three of the relay team’s members also competed well individually. Megan Shepherd placed 17th in the 600m, Sara Wiebe finished 14th in the high jump, and Lanae Kidd took 11th in the 800m. Sophomore Kristie Adams was the fourth member of the relay.
Sophomore Jordan Arnold was the closest Falcon to gaining national recognition in the 5000m race. Arnold made it through the preliminary race to finals where she placed eighth and missed the All-American standard by only five seconds.
Junior Doug Pierce and Sophomore Matt Ditzler were the other Falcons to place in the top 20. Pierce placed 15th in the triple jump and Ditzler finished 10th in the 5000m.
Other athletes who competed well for Friends were Damien Berry, 30th in the 400m, Karissa Cominator, 27th in the 5000m, Quentin Benning, 23rd in the shot put, and the men’s distance medley relay placed 25th.
Already looking at the outdoor season, which begins this Saturday at McPherson College, the track coaches are optimistic and believe that both teams will do well.
“Hopefully it was a good experience [at nationals] and they know the level to get to for becoming an All-American and also scoring points,” said Peterson.
The men’s team looks to be stronger in the outdoor season and display several athletes that could not compete indoor for various reasons. Nathan Nonhoff and Frank Miles hope to return to the outdoor national meet as they did in 2009 for the long and triple jump. Chris Steen qualified for indoor nationals but was forced to miss due to injury. Steen looks to be a force in KCAC this spring in the short sprints.
“It’ll be a slow start with some down time, but March is not very important. We want to hit our stride in April and ultimately compete and win the league meet,” said Peterson.
The Falcons will face their strongest schedule yet this spring with a trip to California for the nationally prestigious Mount Sac Relays. The Drake Relays in Iowa and the Kansas Relays in Lawrence will also be competitive and test the Falcons.
The Falcons host the Enduro Classic at Adair-Austin Stadium on April 3.