Wheeler Sets Hammer Throw Standard

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A program record in the women's hammer throw and three first-place finishes highlighted the performances of the Central Michigan track & field team this weekend at the 34^th Jesse Owens Classic at Ohio State's Jesse Owens Stadium.

Sophomore Quiara Wheeler shattered the CMU program record in winning the hammer throw, while the Chippewas' Shane Moffo and Gabriella Beauvais also recorded first-place finishes, Moffo in the men's 110-meter hurdles and Beauvais in the women's 400-meter dash.

A select number of Chippewas also competed this weekend at the Gina Relays at Hillsdale College.

JESSE OWENS CLASSIC
Wheeler's throw of 206 feet, 8 inches broke the program record of 198-8 set by teammate Marissa Dunn earlier in the year.

"Quiara has been ready to drop a big throw for a while now," CMU assistant coach Bryant Wilson said. "(Throws) coach Stephen Saenz has seen it in practice, and a little bit in meets. He believed it was just a matter of time (before she broke the record) and you look at her series (of throws), and it was really good.

"She progressed all the way through (training), hitting personal records along the way, and then unleashed that (record) throw. That throw should punch her ticket to" the first round of the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Beauvais, a junior, won the 400 in 53.63 seconds, while Moffo finished the men's 110 hurdles in 13.91 seconds. Beauvais also placed third in the women's 200 in 24.24.

Also for CMU at the Jesse Owens Classic:

• Janelle Perry and Nadia Williams placed second and third, respectively, in the women's long jump. Perry's best mark measured 19-10 ¾, while Williams' top lead measured at 19-5 ½. Perry also placed seventh in the women's 100 (14.08).

• Alexandria Robinson (5-6 ½) and Calli Stemple (5-5) placed second and third, respectively, in the women's high jump.

• Jack Dodge placed second in the men's 400 (47.29) and was fourth in the men's 200 (21.52).

• Megan McElroy placed second in the women's javelin (153-10).

• Siobhan Szerencsits was third in the women's pole vault (13-1/4).

• Jackson Blanchard (52.74) and Dante Lander (54.39) placed third and seventh, respectively, in the men's 400 hurdles.

• Samantha Cuneo placed fourth in the women's 400 (54.37).

• Logan Targgart placed fourth in the men's hammer throw (209-10) and eighth in the men's discus (149-5).

• Connor Covert placed fifth in the men's discus (154-7).

• Erin Howard placed fifth in the women's shot put (51-7) and seventh in the women's discus (158-0).

• Avery Joseph finished sixth in the men's javelin (196-11).

• Dunn placed sixth in the women's hammer throw at 194-5, while Wheeler, a sophomore, also placed seventh in the women's discus (147-3).

• Isaac Sadzewicz was eighth in the men's pole vault (15-9 ¼)

• John Mitrzyk placed eighth in the men's long jump (22-10).

• Kyra Harrison placed eighth in the women's triple jump (37-1/4).

"It was good to see them all handle their business," Wilson said. "This just shows that they're in control of what they do on the track. This is not a sport like football where the coach has to call the plays. We've put a lot of work in, but then at meet time, it's time (for the athletes) to take over and show us what we see in practice every day. They're just ready. These kids are starting to come together as a group at these meets, and it was really good to see how good they were as a team."

GINA RELAYS
Emily Shelton and Julianna Brown placed fourth and eighth, respectively, in the women's 10,000. Shelton's time was 36:43.71, Brown's time was 38:32.95.

Carissa Gobbi finished eighth in the women's steeplechase in 11:11.52.

The meet was contested in very strong winds, which made it difficult on the competitors, CMU director of track & field Jenny Swieton said.

"I was very impressed with the performances we had," she said. "I think our athletes fought really hard. Even if an athlete didn't have a personal record, they came close to having one, and to do that in (in such high winds) was really good. I think we got what we needed out of (that meet) for sure."

NEXT
The Chippewas are scheduled to complete at the Michigan Len Paddock Open on Friday, May 3. It is their final meet before the Mid-American Conference Outdoor Championships at Ball State in Muncie, Ind. May 9-11.

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Players Mentioned

Gabriella Beauvais

Jackson Blanchard

Julianna Brown

Connor Covert

Samantha Cuneo

Jack Dodge

Marissa Dunn

Carissa Gobbi

Kyra Harrison

Erin Howard

Avery Joseph

Dante Lander

Megan McElroy

John Mitrzyk

Shane Moffo

Janelle Perry

Alexandria Robinson

Isaac Sadzewicz

Emily Shelton

Calli Stemple

Siobhan Szerencsits

Logan Targgart

Quiara Wheeler

Nadia Williams