Moorhead, Minn. – The Gustavus men’s outdoor track and field team compiled 87 points on the final day of competition at the 2012 MIAC Championships to finish in third place with a two-day total of 118 points. The Gustie men have now finished third at the conference meet in back-to-back seasons.
After losing the title to Saint John’s last season, St. Thomas would not be denied in 2012. The Tommies captured their 30th MIAC Championship after scoring 187 points over the two-day meet. Rounding out the podium was Hamline in second place with 153 points.
Gustavus’ top performance on Saturday was credited to the first place 4×100-meter relay team who crossed the finish line in 42.05. The 4×100-meter lineup included senior Matt Dvorak (Burnsville, Minn.), sophomore Phillip Butler (St. Paul, Minn.), junior Kendrick Hall (Minneapolis, Minn.), and sophomore Blair Riegel (Lakeville, Minn.). The group is the first MIAC Champion in the 4×100 since Ben Treichel, Adam Caulfield, Matt Wittmer, and Chad Arlt took the podium in 2006.
Also earning gold today was hurdle specialist Steve Groskreutz (Faribault, Minn.). Groskreutz won the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 53.51, becoming the first Gustavus athlete to win the MIAC Championship in the 400 hurdles in 15 years. The last Gustie to do so was Mark Ohlmann in 1996. Groskreutz also turned in a fifth place finish in the 110-meter hurdles after going 15.60.
Both Matt Dvorak and Blair Riegel provided the Gusties big points on the second day. Dvorak capped off his collegiate career with his two fastest runs of the season in the 100 and 200-meter dash. He finished second in the 200 with a time of 10.88 and fourth in the 200 with a time of 22.30. Nursing a lower-body strain in both the 100 and 200, Riegel finished seventh in both races. Riegel scored Gustavus eight points with a second place finish in the triple jump after recording a mark of 46-feet 0.50-inches.
Steve Groskreutz races down the backstretch of the 400-meter hurdles.
After improving his season-best time by nearly 10 seconds, senior Anders Bowman (Plymouth, Minn.) achieved All-Conference honors in the last conference meet of his career. Bowman crossed the line in a season-best 9:26.99 to finish second behind Carleton’s Marcus Huderle who won the race with a time of 9:11.16.
In the 800-meter run, Gustavus had two individuals score points after earning a place in Saturday’s final. Sophomores Eric Jorgenson (Maple Grove, Minn.) and Tanner Davenport (Ham Lake, Minn.) finished fifth (1:55.51) and eighth (1:57.50), respectively, in the race.
In the field events on day two, it was Josh Owens (Jr., Brooklyn Park, Minn.) and Mark Stice (Sr., North Oaks, Minn.) leading the way with All-MIAC performances. Josh Owens cleared 15-1 to take second in the pole vault, while Stice recorded a toss of 173-8, a season-best, to finish third.
Ryan Obele (So., Le Sueur, Minn.) and Cameron Clause (So., Mankato, Minn.) rounded out the day’s top performers. Obele placed sixth in the discus with a throw of 145-2, and Clause cleared 14-3.25 to place 10th in the pole vault.
For complete results, recaps, photos and more from the 2012 MIAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships, visit the MIAC’s event page. The host school – Concordia – also has a great online presence from the meet, and their coverage can be accessed here.