Collegeville, Minn. – The Gustavus Adolphus men’s indoor track and field team registered 47.5 points for a fourth place standing after the opening day of the 2014 MIAC Championships being held over the weekend at the McNeely Spectrum on the campus of Saint John’s University. St. Thomas leads the way with 104.5 points, St. Olaf sits in second with 70 points, and Hamline rounds out the top three in third with 65 points.
The highlight of the opening two days came in the heptathlon performance showcased by senior Cameron Clause (Mankato, Minn.). Clause took gold in the heptathlon with a score of 5,088 – defeating second place finisher Max Dunne of St. Thomas who scored a 5,030. Clause is the first Gustie to win the MIAC heptathlon since Jared Hokenson did so in 2006.
Clause’s score not only broke his own school-record of 4,912 set last season, but he also succeeded in shattering both the meet and McNeely Spectrum records for the event. Saint Mary’s Rob Friendt previously held the meet record with a score of 4,861, while Saint John’s Mike Leither held the track record with a score of 4,753.
To earn the title of MIAC Champion in the heptathlon, Clause won two individual races and finished inside the top three in a total of six events. He won the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.79 and 1,000-meter run with a time of 2:41.20. His other highlights included second place finishes in the long jump (21’ 5.5”), high jump (6’ 0.75”), and pole vault (14’ 11”), and a third place run in the 60-meter dash (7.28).
Clause then capped the final MIAC Indoor Championships of his career with a second All-Conference performance. The senior finished runner-up in the pole vault, going over the bar at 15-feet 1.50-inches.
Ryan Obele (Jr., Le Sueur, Minn.) led Gustavus in the throws with an All-Conference effort in the weight throw. Obele finished second with a toss of 58-feet 3.75-inches. St. Thomas’s Bryan Thell won the event with heave of 58-feet eight-inches.
Jordan Lovestrand (Fr.., Bloomington, Minn.) rounded out Gustavus’s top performers with an All-Conference run in the 60-meter hurdles. Lovestrand crossed the finish line in 8.63 to place third.
Saturday’s final event begins at 4:10 p.m., and there will be a short awards ceremony following the conclusion of the meet to honor both team champions. The top three individuals in each event and the first-place relay team will automatically earn All-Conference honors, and the 4th-through-6th place finishers in each open event and 2nd-through-6th place relay teams will all be named All-Conference Honorable Mention.
The MIAC has a home page dedicated to the 2014 Indoor Championships, complete with venue and admission information, the event schedule, entries, heat sheets and links to follow the results live. Results, recaps, and multimedia coverage of the championships will be available throughout the event. There will be live results available for all events courtesy of Apple Raceberry Jam and Wayzata Timing and fans can also find entries and heat sheets on the MIAC’s event page as they become available.
Admission for the event is $7 for adults and $3 for students per day, with children ages 5 and under admitted free. MIAC passes will be honored. The MIAC would like to thank Saint John’s University and the College of Saint Benedict and their coaches and staff for their efforts to host the event.