Track & field teams place eighth at Michigan-Indiana Indoor Championships

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Olivet College men's and women's track and field teams both placed eighth at the 2012 Michigan-Indiana Indoor Championships at Calvin College's Sturris Track in Grand Rapids.

For the men, freshman Jalen Weaver (Albion) had the top finish, as he was third in the 800-meter run at 1:58.05. Freshman Henry Pettway (East Lansing) had the second fastest time in the preliminaries of the 60-meter dash (7.18 seconds) but finished a tie for fourth in the finals (7.27 seconds). Senior James Williams (Battle Creek/Central) was ninth in the prelims (7.29 seconds) but finished three spots higher in the finals with a time of 7.31 seconds.

Freshman Evan Simpson (Romeo) finished in seventh-place in the mile run at 4:37.31. Freshman Jacob Bramen (Edmore/Central Montcalm) was ninth in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.49 seconds. He had a faster time, 9.22 seconds, in the preliminaries.

For the women, junior Becca Gaarde (Parma/Western) finished in seventh-place in the 200-meter dash, with a time of 27.75 seconds. She was also fifth in the 60-meter hurdles, crossing the line in 10.40 seconds. Sophomore Jenna Mayle (Ionia) was right behind her in sixth-place with a time of 10.53 seconds.

In the field events, sophomore Sara Wegener (Lansing/Lansing Catholic) broke the school indoor record in the shot put with a throw of 36 feet, 9.75 inches, which placed her fourth among 28 throwers. She also finished fifth in the weight throw with a 39 feet, 9.25 inch toss.

This meet concluded the first indoor season in school history. The Comets will now be off until March 30 when they open the outdoor portion of their schedule at the Defiance (Ohio) College Open Meet.