Valcin Breaks 25-year Old Record in Final Day of IIAC Championships
May 9, 2015
Day 1 Recap
Day 2 Recap
Full Results
INDIANOLA, Iowa – Senior Rick Valcin, the defending 2014 National and Iowa Conference Pole Vault Champion, eclipsed 4.95m/16’2.75” to break the long-standing Iowa Conference Outdoor Championship mark set in 1990 to lead the University of Dubuque men’s track and field team to a fourth-place finish at the 2015 Iowa Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
The Spartans tallied 95.50 points over the three day meet in their fourth-place showing. UD trailed Loras (166), Wartburg (174), and IIAC Champion, Central (213).
Valcin, set the tone after breaking a 25-year old Iowa Conference Championship pole vault record with a vault of 4.95m/16’2.75”. Valcin’s vault bested the competition by over a foot and set him up for a try at 5.15m/16’10.75”, his personal best set last year at the 2014 IIAC Outdoor Championships. The senior came close, but couldn’t quite get over the hump. No matter, the Catries, St. Lucia native is currently fourth in the nation thanks to a 16’8.75” mark at the UD Invitational on April 18.
Valcin wasn’t done and added a second-place performance in the 4x100m relay (41.83) and a third-place showing in the 100m dash (10.89). He joined Reggie Cole Jr., Kyle Williams, and Deshond Robinson in the relay as they set a season best time. Valcin, also the defending 100m IIAC Outdoor Champion, fell short of repeating after missing out on first by 0.05 seconds.
Deshond Robinson, the 2015 400m Indoor IIAC Champion, showed what he can do in the 200m with a third-place performance (21.96). The freshman was edged out by 0.08 seconds in his second career All-IIAC finish.
Already the owner of the UD school record in the discus throw, freshman Alex Link, took home his first All-IIAC performance after placing second in the discus throw with a toss of 45.04m/147’9”. Link’s record throw of 47.50m/156’1” makes him the second-best freshman in the country.
Defending IIAC Indoor and Outdoor Triple Jump champion, Kebba Bojang, fell just short of his third title with a third-place leap of 13.61m/44’8” which was 4.25” off the leader. Bojang is in contention on the national scene as his personal-best of 47’2.5” set earlier this year at the UD Invitational is 19th best nationally. The Top-20 will advance to the NCAA Division III National Meet.
Payton Nevills secured third-place in the 3000m steeplechase after re-upping the UD record books in a time of 9:32.65. Nevills dropped his personal best by over nine seconds and squeaked past Wartburg’s Frawley by 0.14 for his first All-IIAC honor.
DuVaun Goodlow added the only other IIAC Championship while Mario-John Otchere and Tyler Dobratz rounded out the other All-IIAC performers.
A select number of Spartans will have a shot at improving their national ranking in hopes of qualifying for the National Meet with the UW-La Crosse Last Chance meet on May 14 and the North Central Last Chance meet on May 15.
