Eastman breaks 25-year record at KCAC meet, men’s and women’s teams take 3rd in conference

Written by Katie Morford Tuesday, 08 May 2012 15:05

The Tabor men’s and women’s track teams garnered six school records and a conference record to help them to third-place finishes at the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference meet Thursday and Friday. The men’s team scored 135 and the women’s 121.

“Amazing weather for track and field brought out a number of amazing performances from athletes throughout the KCAC,’ said coach David Kroeker, who was voted Women’s Outdoor Coach of the Year by conference coaches.

Headlining Tabor’s performances was Bluejay stand-out Dominick Eastman, who won Male Athlete of the Meet and took gold in the 110-meter hurdles with a KCAC meet record time of 14.17, which ranks second in the NAIA. The record had stood for 25 years.

Eastman also won the 400 intermediate hurdles in 54.52 seconds, taking silver in the triple jump with a leap of 46 feet, eight inches and running legs in the 4x100 and 4x400 relays.

"Dom just had an incredible meet,” Kroeker said. “He works very hard in practice and is very talented athletically. It was fun to watch him compete.”

Emily Post set the standard for the women’s team, sweeping the jumps with nationally-qualifying marks. She won the high jump (5-5), long jump (18-1.75) and triple jump (38-0.75).

Other notable performances included a nationally-qualifying “A” standard run of 7:44.65 from the men’s 4x800 relay team of Chris Lopez, Garrett Daugherty, Phillip Magos and Nathan Vogel, which took silver and broke their school record set last week.

"We had an athlete on the team gut it out and run injured and the three other guys just weren't going to be denied,” Kroeker said. “They really stepped up."

Michael Klaassen won the hammer (167-9) for the men’s team.

Other silver medalists included Ryan Chippeaux in the high jump (6-7), Mickey Polley in the pole vault (13-3.5), Brandon Gooden in the 400 (49.0) Nathan Vogel in the 800 (1:53.62) and the 4x400 relay team of Eastman, Garrett Daugherty, James Dotson and Vogel (4:22.34).

Bronze medalists were Joel Allen, who set a school record in the 10,000 run (33:12), Daugherty for a school record in the 1,500 run (4:02) and the 4x100 relay team of Tyson Brockel, Dotson, Gooden and Eastman (42.42).

Fourth-place finishers were David Loewen in the javelin (168-03) and Phillip Magos in the 800 run (1:57.34). Taking fifth were Henry Kellumen in the triple jump (43-10), Klaassen in the shot put (44-6.75) and Allen in the 5,000 run (15:57). Aziz Spellman-Smith came in sixth in the triple jump (43-5.75).

Additional gold medalists for the women’s team included Tynan Honn in the shot put (42-11), whose toss broke her previous school record and gave her a ticket to nationals, and Mackenzie King, who broke the minute mark in the 400 dash (59.63).

Taking silver were Yvonne Brubacher in the pole vault (10-6) and Brielle Lund in the 5,000 run (19:24). Bronze medalists included Jasmine Peggese in the hammer (132-03), Lund for a school record in the 1,500 run (4:52) and the 4x400 relay team of King, Katarina Plaza, Brubacher and Kaitlyn Lowry (4:17.28).

Taking fourth were Peggese in the discus (124-0), Samantha Van Ranken in the javelin (122-0) and hammer (127-11) and the 4x800 relay team of Lund, Hannah Holmes, Lowry and King (10:13.32). King came in fifth in the 200 dash (26.93). The 4x100 relay team of Brubacher, King, Plaza and Post took sixth (52.82).

Top three finishers in all events, including relays, earned All-KCAC honors. Honorable Mention All-KCAC recognition was given to fourth through sixth-place finishers.

Coming —The Bluejays were slated to compete at the Last Chance Meet at Emporia State University Saturday.

They are scheduled to travel to the NAIA nationals at Indiana Wesleyan University May 24-26.