February 27, 2004

Track 1^st, 2^nd After First Day of Championships

Lopers Have One Champion

            Kearney, NE – The Nebraska-Kearney track teams sit in first (men) and second (women) after the first day of the RMAC Championships in Golden, Colo. Colorado School of Mines is hosting it.

            The Loper men, in search of its seventh straight title, have scored 62 points, 10 better than Adams State. Western State (33) and Fort Hays State (25) sit in third and fourth, respectively.

            On the women's side, UNK has tallied 52 points to trail 11-time champ Adams State by 8.5 points. Chadron State (32) is third with Western State (21) fourth.

            In the men's race, UNK had five of the first six finishers in the 35-weight throw to score 30 points. Kansas senior Nate Wheat won his first-ever RMAC indoor title with a toss of 58-7.50. That effort also puts him on the national list. 

            Walthill junior Derek Frese was runner up (58-6.50) with Grand Island senior Scott Jorgensen fourth (53-11).

            UNK scored 15 points in the pole vault as Bertrand junior Mike Ford was second (15-10) and Alliance junior Will Hood fourth (15-4). Ford actually cleared the same height as the winner, Josh Oberless of Western State, but Oberless got reached the higher sooner.

            The Lopers then scored 12 points in the long jump as the team had four in the top eight. Lexington senior John Laux (22-11) led the way with a fourth place finish.

            UNK also scored four points in the distance relay (fifth) and then Kearney sophomore Drew Tonniges tallied one point in the 5,000 by finishing eighth (15:39.12).

            In the sprint prelims, UNK qualified five in the hurdles, three in the 60, two in the 200 and one in the 400. Kearney freshman Joe Richardson made the cut in both the 60 and 200 while Brady sophomore Lane Fattig turned in the second best time in the 400 (50.84).

             On the women's side, Kearney freshman Kellie Hawkins broker her own school record in the pole vault as she went 11-5 to place second. Like Ford, she cleared the same height as the winner, Jessica Isenberger of Chadron, but Isenberger reached the higher earlier.

            UNK scored nine more points in the event as Hooper junior Cali Cordes (10-5) was third.

            Butte junior Amber Tiefenthaler placed second in the 20 lbs. weight throw (55-10) to help UNK tally a total of 13 points in the event while Culbertson freshman Sara Wagner notched another second place effort for the team, this time in the long jump (19-4.50). UNK totaled 17 points in the event.