Central Michigan University Athletics
Central Michigan University
Jack Skoog Dual
Chippewas Sweep Indoors Season-Opener
1/17/2015 12:00:00 AM | MTF
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - Central Michigan won 23 of 28 events Friday in sweeping Oakland in the indoor track & field season-opening Jack Skoog Dual at the Jack Skoog Indoor Track & Field Complex.
"First meets are firsts meets," said Mark Guthrie, CMU's director of track & field/cross country. "Obviously everything builds toward the conference championships and to the NCAA Championships.
"We're better than we were a year ago. As long as we can keep the program getting better and moving forward that's what it's about at this point. We've got good kids. They do a nice job in the classroom, they're good people and they competed today. That's what we're looking for."
The CMU men defeated the Grizzlies, 98-44, and the women posted an 80-60 victory.
Four Chippewas were double winners. Cole Walderzak won the men's shot put and weight throw; freshman Tina Davis was first in the women's 60- and 200-meter dashes; Shaya Wilkerson won the women's triple jump and high jump; and Kelsey Ross won the women's 800-meter run and ran a leg on the Chippewas' winning 4x400 relay team.
The two highlights of the meet came from CMU high jumper Matt Mueller and teammate Nate Ghena in the men's mile.
Mueller cleared 7 feet, ¼ inch in winning the high jump, and Ghena outkicked Oakland's Bryce Stroede to win the mile by 1-100th of a second.
"This summer I put in a lot of work," said Mueller, a junior who earlier in the meet set a career-best 6-9 ¼ before attempting, and clearing, 7-1/4. "My previous summers I didn't put in too much work and this past summer I decided I wanted to do something and I put in the work. You don't know if it's actually going to pay off until you see the results.
"Just happy that I got the season off to a good start."
Mueller's jump was 3 1/4 inches shy of Mike Winsor's indoor school record 7-3 ¼, a mark that has stood since 1980.
"I've got my eye on it," Mueller said. "But it's a pretty good distance away."
Ghena won the men's mile in 4:19.97, while Stroede finished in 4:19.98. Stroede led most of the race, but Ghena was never more than a few strides behind.
On the final lap, Stroede, Ghena and two other Oakland runners broke from the pack and ran in tight formation for the final 75 meters.
"I was a little worried they were going to box me in and I was going to get stuck, but I took the opportunity when I got it," Ghena said.
That opportunity came as the quartet rounded the final turn. Ghena broke to the outside and outsprinted Stroede - a former high school rival - to the finish line in front of the cheering partisan Chippewa crowd.
"I think that helped too, with the crowd," Ghena said. "As soon as we got to the straightaway I didn't know if I could catch him. Then everyone started cheering and it gives you a last little kick, a nice boost.
"Whenever you have fans involved, it's really kind of special."
Davis, in her first meet as a Chippewa, displayed some special potential as well, winning the women's 60 in 7.66 seconds, nearly .35 ahead of runner-up Markala Goodson, also of CMU. Davis won the 200 by nearly 1.5 seconds, finishing in 25.72.
"I'm actually kind of disappointed in my performance," said Davis, who wasn't pushed in either event. "I expected to do a lot better, but for the first meet, it's good."
Walderzak won the men's shot put with a toss of 56 feet, 3 ¾ inches; and the weight throw at 61-10 ¼.
Wilkerson captured the women's high jump at 5-4 ½, and the triple jump at 37-8 ½.
Ross edged teammate Michaela Bundy in the women's 800, coming in at 2:20.36. Bundy finished in 2:20.53.
Ross anchored the Chippewas' 4x400 relay team, which finished in 3:55.77, winning by nearly 20 seconds. Ravyn Baxter, Emma Fishnick and Bridget Doughty joined Ross in the relay.
Ja'Corey Lipsey, Ziemowit Dutkiewicz, Erick Huertes and Malik Vasquez comprised the CMU men's 4x400 relay squad, which was first in 3:19.97, more than eight seconds ahead of the second-place squad.
"Both of our 4x4s ran well," said Guthrie, whose team will partake in the Sagainaw Valley State Doug Hanson Open next Friday. "I challenged them to beat the other team by 10 and 20 seconds. We did not run those people in the open. Next week's their week.
"We had more good than bad, we got out of it relatively healthy and with a heavy training load. Going into competition the first week, that's what you're looking for. These first two meets are developmental to see where we're at see what we can build on, where we need to go."
The CMU men also got victories from Ben Wynsma in the 800 (8:50.22), Ali Taha in the long jump (22-4 ½), Shane Moffo in the 60 hurdles (8.42), and Ryan Vincent in the pole vault (15-5).
The Chippewa women got wins from Kelly Schubert in the 3,000 (10:04.44), Goodson in the long jump (17-6 ¼), Devene Brown in the shot put (49-1 ¾), Kylee Dobbelaere in the weight throw (52-11), Abbey Kelto in the mile (5:09.88), and McKenzie Wieber in the pole vault (12-5 ½).
