KEVIN JENISON
GoSycamores.com
WICHITA, Kan. - Indiana State senior Craig Padgett and junior teammate Albaro Escalera broke away from the pack with less than a 1000 meters left and pulled away to finish 1-2 in the men's 10,000 meter run on the opening day of the 2012 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Cessna Stadium on the campus of Wichita State University.
Padgett was the second individual champion for the Sycamore men's team on the day as Indiana State junior Brandon Pounds was also an individual champion as he captured his second career conference championship Friday, winning the men's hammer throw.
The Sycamores, the defending MVC Outdoor Champions, lead after the first day of competition with 28 points. Southern Illinois is in second with 24 with Illinois State third with 22, Drake fourth at 15, and pre-championship favorite Wichita State is tied with Northern Iowa with 14 points.
"It is a great start but we have a long, long way until Sunday," John McNichols, Indiana State men's track & field coach, said.
Pre-championship favorite Wichita State has the first day lead in the women's team race with 49.5 points. Southern Illinois, on the strength of 24 points in the women's hammer, is in second with 40.5 with Illinois State third with 32. Indiana State and Northern Iowa are tied for fourth with 15 points while Bradley is sixth with four points.
"The team is getting steady points," Angela Martin, Indiana State women's track & field coach said. "Tomorrow will be the true test but the team is ready. They just need to focus at the task ahead of them."
Padgett, who set the school record for the 10,000 meters at the Mt. SAC Relays earlier this season, was in the lead pack along with Escalera and Southern Illinois' Neal Anderson for most of the race. Escalera moved to the front with three laps remaining and Padgett moved out with him. The Sycamore duo never looked back with Padgett crossing the finish line first in 31.23.53 and Escalera second in 31:24.46. Anderson was third in 31:33.01.
Padgett was fourth in the 10,000 meters in 2010 while Escalera was fourth last year.
Pounds went 209-feet-10-inches (63.97 meters) to claim the men's hammer throw championship, outdistancing Tanner Hurt of Northern Iowa (198-feet-1-inch) and Curtis Jensen of Illinois State (197-feet-7-inches). ISU's Chris Fields threw 171-feet-5-inches (52.25 meters) for 15th.
Pounds missed the 2011 championship with a wrist injury and placed fourth in the hammer throw at the 2010 MVC Outdoors. The Sycamore junior will be back in action Saturday in the men's discus, an event that he finished fourth in during the 2010 championships.
In the only other men's field event completed Friday, Sycamore sophomore Jordan Colanese posted the 10th best distance in Indiana State history as he went 178-feet-3-inches (54.33 meters) in the javelin to finish ninth overall.
Illinois State's Tim Glover won his third straight MVC title in the event (254-feet-6-inches) with Wichita State's Brett Trudo second (237-feet-1-inch) and Drake's Phillip Beeler third (208-feet-7-inches).
For the second straight year, Indiana State junior Richelle Kimble finished second in the women's pole vault but this time it was not to a teammate as she cleared 13-feet-0¾-inches (3.98 meters) to tie for second with Northern Iowa's Jenna Wexter. Wichita State's Cassie Craig won the title by clearing 13-feet-4½-inches. Sycamore sophomore Hannah McKnight cleared a personal best height of 11-feet-9-inches (3.58 meters) to finish 10th overall.
Kimble was second at the 2011 championship behind teammate Nicole Hope who missed this year's championship as she is still recovering from an injury suffered at the end of the indoor season.
The women's hammer competition didn't go exactly as planned for the Sycamores with just one of ISU's three competitors earning points. Sycamore junior Felisha Johnson went 191-feet-9-inches (58.44 meters) to finish fifth with junior Mary Theisen ninth despite a career best throw of 174-feet-0 inches (53.03 meters).
Southern Illinois had four competitors scoring points in the event led by Jeneva McCall who won the hammer throw with a distance of 225-feet-9-inches. Illinois State's Brittany Smith was second (222-feet-10-inches) with SIU's Kim Fortney third (194-feet-10-inches).
Senior Tara Perigo provided the Sycamores with a point in the women's javelin as she placed eighth with a distance of 120-feet-3-inches (36.65 meters). Freshman India Williams was 14th at 90-feet-7-inches (27.61 meters) in just her second collegiate javelin competition.
Illinois State's Leigh Petranoff won the javelin at 161-feet-4-inches with Wichita State's Sarah Gilbert second (136-feet-8-inches) and Southern Illinois' Mallory Dreyer third (129-feet-5-inches).
In the only track event completed today for the women, ISU sophomore Jessica Zangmeister ran the eighth fastest 10,000 meters in school history as she finished in 36:56.99 which placed in seventh overall. Aliphine Tuliamuk of Wichita State won the event in and MVC Championship meet record time of 34:53.20. WSU teammate Nero Scarla was second (36:03.28) and Southern Illinois' Lacey Gibson finished third (36:20.96).
WOMEN'S HEPTATHLON: Indiana State sophomore Kelly Steffen is in third place and senior Patricia Merrion ninth after the first four events of the women's heptathlon. Steffen has 2,924 points heading into the final three events (long jump, javelin, and 800 meters) which will be contested Saturday while Merrion has 2,365 points.
Wichita State's Tanya Friesen leads after day one of the heptathlon with 3,207 points while Northern Iowa's Paige Knodel is second with 3,106 points.
"Kelly had a very steady day and is sitting really well going into tomorrow," Angela Martin, Indiana State women's track & field coach and coach of the multi-event athletes, said. "Patty is on a personal record pace and is within striking distance. I am very proud of their accomplishments today."
Steffen recorded two personal bests in the four events completed today including running the 10th fastest 100 meter hurdle time in school history of 14.58 that won the opening heat and placed her third overall. She also had a personal best in the 200 meters with a time of 26.37 which was fourth best of the day. The sophomore also cleared 5-foot-3-inches (1.60 meters) to tie for third in the high jump and had a throw of 31-feet-3¾-inches (9.54 meters) to tie for sixth in the shot put.
Merrion also had a couple of personal records on the day as she ran her fastest 100 meter hurdle of her career with a time of 16.65 which was ninth fastest overall and then cleared a personal best height of four-feet-9-inches (1.45 meters) in finishing eighth in the high jump. The senior had a throw of 28-feet-11¾-inches (8.83 meters) to place ninth in the shot put and ran 27.03 in the 200 meters to place eighth.
MEN'S DECATHLON: Indiana State junior Robert Webb completed the first five events of the decathlon Friday and stands in fifth place with 3,602 points. The final five events (110 meter hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin, and 1500 meters) will be contested on Saturday.
Wichita State's Aaron Young leads the field after day one with 3,903 points with Northern Iowa's Daniel Gooris second with 3,766, Wichita State's Mac Griffith third with 3,639 points, and Wichita State's Tobias Boese fourth with 3,630 points.
"Bobby is right there and with some of his strongest events coming up on Saturday," Martin said. "He competed well in each event today even though he struggled with cramps in the final two."
Webb set a pair of personal bests through the first five events including a career best distance of 23-feet-0-inches (7.01 meters) in winning the long jump portion of the event. He also set a personal best in the shot put with a heave of 35-feet-8¾-inches (10.89 meters) in finishing 10th overall.
The junior nearly posted another personal record as he finished second in the 100 meters with a time of 11.17 seconds, just two-hundredths off his personal best of 11.15 set at the EIU Tuesday Tweener. Webb cleared 6-feet-4-inches (1.93 meters) to tie for third in the high jump and ran 52.94 to place seventh in the 400 meters which were the final two events for the day.
The second day of the MVC Championships begins at 11 a.m. (ET) Saturday with competition in the women's heptathlon. The men's decathlon resumes at 11:30 a.m. The women's shot put and long jump, and the men's high jump will start the regular meet schedule at 5 p.m. (ET).
