University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
MVC Outdoor Championships
Panthers Ready For MVC Outdoor Championships
5/10/2017 10:30:00 AM | Track and Field
Live Results | Heat Sheets
|Sunday, ESPN3 | Saturday, ESPN3 | Friday, ESPN3 | Championship Central Page
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - The University of Northern Iowa track and field program is headed to Wichita, Kan., for the 2017 Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships, taking place May 12-15.
The meet gets underway on Friday, May 12 with the start of the decathlon at 10 a.m. and the heptathlon at 11 a.m. The Panthers were picked to finish second on the men's side while the women were picked to finish fifth in the pre-championship poll.
Heading into the weekend, the men have 26 student-athletes ranked in the top-eight in 14 different events with the women adding 12 athletes ranked in 10 events. The top-eight finishers in each event at the MVC Outdoor Championships score team points with the top-three earning All-Conference honors.
The Panthers will enter the meet with some fire power, coming off a strong outdoor season that saw three UNI records, a MVC record, and 13 athletes land marks that ranked them in the top-five all-time in school history.
UNI returns multiple all-conference performers from the 2017 indoor meet and last year's outdoor championships. Highlighting UNI's top returners is senior sprint star Brandon Carnes, who will look to defend his 100 and 200 meter titles. The Bradenton, Fla., native enters the meet with 14 individual MVC titles.
Also on the men's side, the Panther hurdlers enter the meet with four athletes ranked in the top-eight in the conference in Jon Rus, Cole Phillips, Daurice Fountain and Connor Ham. Rus returns to the track after earning all-conference in 2016 with Fountain coming off an outstanding indoor season that saw him finish third in the 60 meter hurdles in February.
The Panthers also bring four athletes ranked in the top-eight in the 800 meters, with returning all-conference performer Colynn Black who ranks in the top-five. Along with Black, Luke Johnston, Jordan Pingel and Hunter Lavaellee will all look to score team points in the 800 this weekend for the men.
In the field, Isaac Holtz and Brad Walski rank high in the throws, with Holtz entering the meet ranked second in the discus and Walski first in the hammer throw. Holtz won the discus throw at last year's championship meet while Walski earned all-conference in the discus. Both Panthers rank in the top-40 in the NCAA West in the hammer and discus entering the weekend.
On the women's side, UNI will bring the tandem of Lindsey Kite and Lyndsie Schinkel in the 800 meters after Kite was an all-conference performer in 2016 and Schinkel finishing third in the indoor meet. Schinkel also ranks in the top-eight in the 1,500 meters, posting the fourth fastest time in school history this season.
In the distance races, Hannah Truniger and Kelsey Kirchoff have shined for the Panthers, ranking No. 2 in the 5,000 meters and No. 5 in the 10,000 meters, respectively. Truniger has come close to setting a new UNI record in the 5K twice this season with Kirchoff also ranking No. 2 all-time at UNI in the 10K this season.
Sarah Pate enters the meet ranked fifth in the discus and second in the hammer throw in the MVC this season after breaking the school record in the hammer. She finished second in the hammer throw at the 2016 MVC Outdoor Championships and will look to improve not only her mark, but also her finish.
Rounding out UNI's top ranked athletes are a pair of jumpers in the high jump in Kassidy Sharp and Maria Gonzalez. Sharp ranks first in the Valley this season with a mark of 5-7.25 while Gonzalez sits at No. 2 with a mark of 5-7.00.
Fans wishing to follow along with the action this weekend can access live results on the MVC Championship Central Page along with a live stream on ESPN3 on Friday (stream starts 7:50 p.m.), Saturday (stream starts 4:45 p.m.) and Sunday (stream starts 12:55 a.m.). Live updates will also be available on Twitter (@UNITrackFieldXC) with a full set of results and a recap available at www.UNIPanthers.com following the completion of each day's events.
UNI Men's Top-Eight MVC Rankings:
1. Brandon Carnes, 100 Meters: 10.06
1. Brandon Carnes, 200 Meters: 20.31 (wind-aided)
1. Brad Walski, Hammer: 204-0.00
2. Isaac Holtz, Discus: 177-7.00
2. Shane Kirchoff, 3,000 Steeplechase: 9:17.04
2. Jon Rus, 110 Hurdles: 13.85
3. Charles Brown, Triple Jump: 48-8.00
4. Colynn Black, 800 Meters: 1:49.86
4. Austin Heitland, Decathlon: 6,213
4. C.J. May, 3,000 Steeplechase: 9:22.84
4. Jacob Smith, 400 Hurdles: 51.68
4. Brad Walski, Shot Put: 56-5.75
4. Thomas Yezek, Discus: 176-5.00
5. Ben Ahlrichs, 3,000 Steeplechase: 9:23.24
5. Daurice Fountain, 110 Hurdles: 14.15
5. Isaac Holtz, Hammer: 185-6.00
5. Cade Kirkpatrick, Decathlon: 5,999
5. Brett McCalla, 400 Meters: 48.05
5. Brad Walski, Discus: 170-5.00
6. Evan Colfack, Hammer: 183-4.00
6. Isaac Holtz, Shot Put: 55-11.00
6. Luke Johnston, 800 Meters: 1:50.14
6. Cade Kirkpatrick, Javelin: 154-11.00
6. Cole Phillips, 110 Hurdles: 14.18
7. Charles Brown, Long Jump: 23-11.00
7. Evan Colfack, Discus: 160-4.00
7. Corey Hertz, 400 Meters: 48.45
7. Jordan Pingel, 800 Meters: 1:50.19
8. Connor Ham, 110 Hurdles: 14.40
8. Jake Humpal, Discus: 159-10.00
8. Hunter Lavaellee, 800 Meters: 1:51.94
8. Jamison Whiting, Triple Jump: 45-10.75
1. Kassidy Sharp, High Jump: 5-7.25
2. Maria Gonzalez, High Jump: 5-7.00
2. Sarah Pate, Hammer: 203-6.00
2. Hannah Truniger, 5,000 Meters: 16:23.87
3. Hope Koerperich, Discus: 165-8.00
4. Lindsey Kite, 800 Meters: 2:08.51
4. Maddy O'Brien, Hammer: 176-9.00
5. Kelsey Kirchoff, 10,000 Meters: 35:53.27
5. Anna Loken, Pole Vault: 12-1.50
5. Sarah Pate, Discus: 163-9.00
5. Lyndsie Schinkel, 800 Meters: 2:08.62
6. Lauren Frederick, Heptathlon: 4,784
6. Lyndsie Schinkel, 1,500 Meters: 4:30.85
7. Allison Griffin, Hammer: 175-2.00
8. Hope Koerperich, Javelin: 131-2.00
Players Mentioned
