Track and Field Earns Pair of Fourth Place Finishes at A-R-C Championships
Feb 23, 2019
WAVERLY, Iowa - Both the UD women’s and men’s track and field teams posted fourth place team finishes at the 2019 American Rivers Conference Indoor Championships this weekend. The Spartan women finished with 92 team points, while the men racked up 104, both well above the fifth place team in the standings.
For the UD men, Blaze Murfin continued his historic career as he claimed yet another conference title in the weight throw on Saturday with a throw of 18.96m. The UD men as a whole dominated the weight throw as Austin Feyen finished behind Murfin in second place with a toss of 17.46m and John Gregory also scored serious points in the weight with a fourth place finish after a top throw of 16.84m.
The men’s triple jump was the top event for the UD men as they took home four of the top five spots. Kortez Pickett won the event after jumping 14.03m. The Spartans then took home the 3-5 spots in the event, led by Jeremiah Steed in third, Dante Burchfield in fourth and Nicholas Beatty in fifth.
On the women’s side, the Spartans won three titles on Saturday to help lift UD to a fourth place finish. Just like the UD men, the triple jump for the women was a dominating event for UD as Alyssa Skrove took home the conference championship after jumping 11.30m and Jenna Heimark finished in second place at 11.16m.
The weight throw was also a great event for the Spartan women as they grabbed three all-conference honors in the event led by the conference champion Kelsey Betthauser and her throw of 17.00m. Rebecca Burmahl claimed a fourth place finish after launching a throw of 16.3m and Shelby Lane was not far behind in seventh with a mark of 16.11m. The other conference champion for the women was won by Alison Beeman in the 200m dash, running the race in a facility record time of 24.93m.
"We didn’t do enough to achieve our goals this weekend. What we did do well, was bounce back from a challenging Day 1 and fought to the end," said Director of Track and Field Chad Gunnelson. "I’m proud of our spirit and resolve as a team, two things we need to get back on track. We return to work on Monday and will find a way to do more, because we have much more yet to do."
The Spartans earned Most Valuable Field Performer honors on both the women's and men's side. For the women, Jenna Heimark grabbed the Field MVP honors after earning the 14 points for the team. In maybe the least suprising news of the weekend, Blaze Murfin won the honors on the men's side after winning both events he competed in to rack up 20 team points.
“I’m extremely proud of the performances by Blaze and Jenna this weekend," continued Gunnelson. "Many have the misconception that track is an individual sport, but these two truly understand what it means to put the team first and they always do all that they can for our team. The MVP award is a testament to their collective efforts and team contribution in both points and leadership."
Top Finishes on Saturday
Men
Heptathlon - Tyler Fowler - 3rd place, 4022 points, 15 behind 2nd place
Heptathlon - Kevin Wissing - 7th place, 3618 points
60m Dash - Maurice Cushion-Lewis - 6th place, 7.14s
60m Dash - Dylan Kutsch - 7th place, 7.15s
200m Dash - Jeremiah Steed - 3rd place, 22.544 (.003 ahead of 4th place finisher)
Triple Jump - Kortez Pickett - 1st place, 14.03m
Triple Jump - Jeremiah Steed - 3rd place, 13.54m
Triple Jump - Dante Burchfield - 4th place, 13.47m
Triple Jump - Nicholas Beatty - 5th place, 13.44m
Weight Throw - Blaze Murfin - 1st place, 18.96m
Weight Throw - Austin Feyen - 2nd place, 17.46m
Weight Throw - John Gregory - 4th place, 16.84m
Women
Triple Jump - Alyssa Skrove - 1st place, 11.30m
Triple Jump - Jenna Heimark - 2nd place, 11.16m
Weight Throw - Kelsey Betthauser - 1st place, 17.00m
Weight Throw - Rebecca Burmahl - 4th place, 16.63m
Weight Throw - Shelby Lane - 7th place, 16.11
400m Dash - Olivia Costley - 8th place, 59.30s
60m Hurdles - Demetria Johnson - 3rd place, 9.17s
200m Dash - Alison Beeman - 1st place, 24.93s
4x400m - 5th place, 4:08.82
Women’s Team Standings
1. NWU - 181.5
2. Wartburg - 178.5
3. Loras - 156.5
4. UD - 92
5. Central - 74
6. Luther - 18
7. Simpson - 14.5
8. Coe - 14
9. BVU - 12
Men’s Team Standings
1. Wartburg - 177
2. Loras - 136.5
3. NWU - 122
4. UD - 104
5. Central - 90.5
6. Simpson - 44
7. Luther - 36
8. BVU - 16
9. Coe - 14
