Sunday, February 27, 2011

Women Repeat!!!

The WSU women set the Valley record for most points at the indoor meet and won the team title.  The men finished third in the closest team battle in Valley history.  Congrats to both teams!!!

Final Events

Looks like the men's race right now is too close to call while the WSU women appear to have the championship locked up with solid performances all around.  The men's and women's 4x400-meter relay events are the final events to take place.

Tuliamuk, Nero Go 1-2 in 5K

Aliphine Tuliamuk and Tonya Nero took the top two spots in the women's 5,000-meter run.  Cassie Craig is looking to clear 13' 4" in the women's pole vault.

More Pictures of Today



More Titles

Todd McKown claimed the Valley's honor in the men's 200-meter dash with Dylan Hartnett coming in third.  Audacia Moore has won the 60-meter and 200-meter dash and has been an all-conference selection in the long jump and triple jump.  Samantha Hallman and Shamoya Pruitt follow Moore to give the Shockers a clean sweep.  Brandon Childs is a runner-up in the men's high jump....phew!  Shocker athletes are showcasing their tremendous talent during day two of the Valley indoor championships!!!

More Pictures from Day 2






Slup, McKown Claim Titles

Krzysztof Slupkowski and Todd McKown won the heptathlon and men's 60-meter hurdle titles, respectively.  Slupkowski scored 5,266 points with Jordan Zerr, Aaron Young and Austin Bahner finishing right behind Slupkowski to give the Shockers a 1-4 finish.

McKown paced the field in the men's 60-meter hurdles (7.88, unofficial) with Lawson Montgomery coming in third (8.01) to earn his first all-conference award as a Shocker.  Congrats to all!!!

Nero Takes Mile!

The women's mile saw a familiar name to Shocker fans on top....Nero.  The always smiling Tonya Nero had another reason to smile as she clocked in with a time of 4:52.92.  Nero faced stiff competition from Mary Goldkamp who was neck-and-neck with Nero following the bell but Nero shifted it in to another gear and used a final kick to pull out the win.  Way to go Tonya!!!

More Pictures...


Today's action...




Day Two, Final Push to the Top

The women are looking strong and the men have a chance to make up some ground during day two of the Missouri Valley Championships.  Coach Bolt and staff gave the Shockers some final encouragement last night following a solid day one.

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Tish Wins LJ Title, Sets New Shocker Record

La'Taish Brown won the women's long jump title with a mark that places her fifth in the country and sets a new Shocker record, breaking the previous mark by almost three inches, congrats Tish!!!  Audacia continues to showcase why she is one of the top athletes in the Valley as she places third following her solid performances in the 60-meter and 200-meter dashes.

Moore and McKown Pace 200-meter field

Audacia Moore and Todd McKown will be the top seeds in the women's and men's 200-meter dash fields.  Joining Moore on the women's side will be Samantha Hallman and Shamoya Pruitt while McKown will have Dylan Hartnett joining him on the men's side.



Bahner Wins LJ, Childs Third - Tuliamuk, Nero Go 1-2 in 3K

Austin Bahner won the men's long jump title with a PR of 24' 5.75".  Brandon Childs, who is best known for his high jumping prowless, also had a PR with a mark of 24' 2.5" to finish third.  Aliphine Tuliamuk and Tonya Nero finished in first and second place, respectively, in the women's 3,000-meter run.  Tuliamuk cruised to the title with a time of 9:38.26 while Nero was in at 9:39.88.



More Shockers Qualify

Todd McKown, Lawson Montgomery, Samantha Hallman, Cassie Craig and Tanya Friesen all qualified in the 60-meter hurldes while Audacia Moore, Shamoya Pruitt and La'Taish Brown will compete in tomorrow's 60-meter dash finals.  Congrats to all and Go Shocks!!!

Moore and Simmons

Audacia Moore advancing in the women's 60-meter dash.  Tyler Simmons prepares for a long jump attempt with support from teammates.

Moore, Hartnett Advance to 400-meter final

Kiara Moore and Dylan Hartnett will both advance to Sunday's final in the 400-meter dash.  Congrats Kiara and Dylan!

Taylor, Wike Advance

Jennifer Taylor and Jake Wike will advance to tomorrow's finals of the 800-meter dash.

Gilbert All-Conference!

Sarah Gilbert came in third overall in the pentathlon, earning all-conference honors!  Congrats Sarah!!  The Shocker women go 3-4-5 in the event with four athletes registering new PR's.

Find MVC Indoor Results

Be sure to check out the live results online at UNI-MVC Championship Results

Multi Update

Sarah Gilbert and Austin Bahner set PR's in the high jump and long jump, respectively.  Gilbert cleared 5' 9", a personal best while Bahner gained 898 points with a mark of 24' 1.5".  Gilbert is second the pentathlon with 1,754 pts., behind Olimpia Nowak of UNI who has 1,784 pts.  The women still have the shot put, long jump and 800-meter run remaining.  The men have completed the 60-meter dash and long jump and have moved on to the shot put.


It begins...

The Shockers are off to a solid start so far with Tanya Friesen setting a new personal best in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.75.  Continue to check back for further updates, and Go Shocks!!


Friday, February 25, 2011

Gearing Up

The Shockers are getting in some last minute practice.  Newcomers are getting used to the UNI Dome while the returners are getting re-acclimated.  The title defense begins tomorrow!


Shocker Women Picked to Repeat, Men Second

The Valley coaches picked the Shocker women to repeat as MVC Champions!  They have the Shocker men in a close battle for second place with the top spot not out of the question.  Its going to be a great two days in Cedar Falls!  Official MVC Release

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Warming up at Iowa State

Taking some time to get loose and work out at Iowa State in preparation for the MVC Championships on Saturday.


On the way to Iowa

The Shocker track & field team is on their way to Iowa and the Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Championships.  This is what has greeted us...

Even with the snowfall the Shockers spirits are high as they look to defend their indoor conference titles!!

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Live updates from the MVC Indoor Championships! Feb 26-27

Shocker Track and Field Media Relations Director Mike Zucconi will be blogging live from the MVC Indoor Championships this weekend Feb 26-27 at Northern Iowa University.  If you can't be at the meet this will be the next best thing!  He will be able to give special insights throughout the competition as to how the Shockers are doing in their march towards defending their titles from last year.  If you have any questions during the blog forward them to Mike at mzucconi@goshockers.com.

Enjoy!

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

WSU Track update

by Kirk Hunter, WSU Cross Country and Distance Coach

In my anticipation to the upcoming Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Championships, I cannot help but reflect on the season that we have had so far. This is an amazing team of individuals, led by their leader Coach Rainbolt. I have enjoyed getting to know more of the team each day, and look forward to learning more about those that I watch compete every week. Audacia Moore is amazing. Her performances on the track can only be outdone by the person she seems to be off the track. The multi group, (which I will talk more about later) seem to be a family in itself, and competes at the highest level every time they step on the track. Dylan Hartnett continues to impress me with his 400/4 x 4 performances, while Jennifer Taylor has that ‘fire’ in her eyes when she lets loose on each of her races!!! There are sooo many more to mention, but not enough room to get it done here!!! What I enjoy most is the personalities; this team is full of them. I appreciate how the team has welcomed me in to their track family and how pleasant they are to talk to in person, but also how ferocious they are as competitors.

So far this season I have had the opportunity to coach at Nebraska, and two home track meets. I love track and field, every event, so to me, this is like a vacation each time out. I always enjoyed coaching the multi event groups, the throwers, and (and obviously the distance group!), so it has been nice to watch these athletes compete and practice day in and day out. WSU has some outstanding multi/hurdlers to say the least!! When they step on the track, look out! I also enjoy working with this staff. Coach Yost has unlimitless energy, which she showed me when I tried to keep up with her shoveling/raking pits at our home meet!! Coach Wise keeps us up to date on everything, conference standings, upcoming meets, recruiting, etc., etc., etc. Since I coached throws for 22 years, I really enjoy watching Coach Hetzendorf coach the throws group. He definitely knows his stuff, and more importantly knows how to pass that knowledge on to his athletes. I wish I would have known all the things he does all those years I coached the throwers! I also like watching Coach Wilson with the pole vaulters when I can. Thanks to him, our WSU women vaulters achieved some major vaults at our home meet last weekend. I like how he is laid back, but when it comes to competition, he expects people to compete! Obviously his style is working. Leading us all is Coach Rainbolt. He keeps things rolling the right direction. His expectation for his team are the same as ours, do what you can to be ready for conference, and give your best in everything you do. He supports everyone who is willing to put up the good fight. He expects excellence in the classroom, on the track, and in life, from everyone, what more can you ask.

Last, but definitely not least is my distance group. The ladies keep rolling along. They are such a wonderful group, and always try to do everything I ask them to do, even the “little things” that lead to any success we may ever have. If you ever talk to one of these ladies, you would see an individual who is humble, but when that gun goes off, will simply run you in the ground if they can!!! I LOVE their incredible desire to do what it takes to become the best they can be. Our men are no different. We have some very talented men on our team, and every person here will work their best to improve their performances. Sickness has hurt us a little recently, but if we maintain and do everything in our power to be ready, we will be an impact at conference!

This week we go to Iowa State with the ‘track’ people, while the field event people go to Air Force. It is considered a very big week for us. I expect big things from my group, and so do they. This leads us into conference, and hopefully puts us where we need to be. I have never been one to get too excited about any early season meets, but when we get to the ‘big’ ones, I change!!!! I have high expectations from my group, as do they. Tradition is important, and WSU has a tradition of being the best. I love being a part of that, and plan on doing my part to keep that tradition alive.