The Gustavus Adolphus men’s track and field team battled through a cold and gusty first day of competition at the 2011 MIAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships to record 44.5 points, sitting in second place heading into day two. Saint John’s is the current leader with 67 points, while St. Thomas (36.5 pts) and Hamline (35 pts) sit in third and fourth place, respectively. The MIAC Championships are being held at the Gustavus Track and Field Complex in St. Peter, Minn. on May 13-14.
Like he has done all season, freshman Blair Riegel continued to perform at an elite level, winning the long jump with a leap of 22-9 to earn the Gusties 10 points.
Josh Owens was Gustavus’ other All-Conference performer on the day, finishing runner-up in the pole vault after clearing 15-3.75. Gustavus had three finish in the top-10 in the pole vault, as Camerion Clause placed fifth (14-8) and Carl Stenoien took seventh (14-2).
Blair Riegel, MIAC Champion in the long jump.
Ryan Obele rounded out the day’s top field event finishers with a fifth place performance in the discus with a toss of 142-6.
On the track, the 4×800-meter relay team consisting of Anders Bowman, Justin Lund, Tanner Davenport, Eric Jorgenson placed fourth with a time of 7:55.26, while Mark Bartley added a seventh place finish in the 10,000-meter run with a time of 32:49.47.
“The men have stepped up and are in good shape heading into tomorrow,” said Head Coach Dale Bahr. “Looking at the lists, we have someone in every event and that’s where we want to be.”
Day two of the MIAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships will begin with the men’s javelin at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 14 in St. Peter.