Jumpers Help Cobbers Soar To Sixth Place

MOORHEAD, Minn. (3/07/15)—Concordia athletes earned All-Conference honors in all the jumping events and the heptathlon which vaulted them all the way into sixth place in the final team standings at the MIAC Indoor Championship Meet. It is the second time in the past three seasons that the Cobbers have finished in sixth place at the conference indoor meet.

Brandon Zylstra, Jackson Schepp and Gabe Wright did the damage for the Concordia field crew. All three earned MIAC All-Conference honors by placing in the top 3 of an event.

Ben Vickstrom carried the torch for the Cobber track crew as he earned the only conference award in the track events.

Zylstra earned the distinction in two events. He won the long jump and placed second in an epic high jump battle. Zylstra earned the win in the long jump on Friday by posting a distance of 22-07.75 in his third attempt. That mark ended up being over four inches farther than the next competitor and was a season best for Zylstra.

Freshman Dominic Neameyer narrowly missed all-conference honorable mention honors in the long jump. He qualified for the final and finished with a career-best distance of 21-03.50. That was just a single inch from sixth place and all-conference honorable mention honors.     

Zylstra then doubled up his all-conference award count by narrowly losing out in the high jump.  He easily cleared 6-04 which put him the final 3 of the event. He then became locked in a back-and-forth dual with Logan Hovie of Macalester as the two top jumpers in the MIAC took turns clearing 6-06, 6-07 and then 6-08.25 before Zylstra missed at a height that would have set a new school record. Zylstra's finishing height of 6-08.25 is a career best and places him in the top 20 of the nation.

The high jump belonged to the Cobbers as they had six of the top eight finishers in the event. Besides Zylstra, Mark Goss, Wright and Schepp all earned All-Conference Honorable Mention honors for finishing in fourth, fifth or sixth place. Goss and Wright tied for fourth at 6-02 while Schepp was sixth. He also cleared 6-02 but finished sixth due to misses at lower heights. It is the second straight year for Goss to place in the top 5 in the high jump at the MIAC Indoor Meet.

Theo Betting and Nick Anderson placed seventh and eighth to finish off the top 6 Cobbers in the high jump. Betting also cleared 6-02 while Anderson topped out at 6-0.

Schepp then earned his all-conference award on Saturday when he put down a season-best distance of 44-02.50 in the triple jump. That was good for third place in the event. Schepp has steadily climbed the ladder in the conference triple jump. He was sixth at last year's conference indoor meet and then fourth at the MIAC Outdoor Meet.    

Wright earned his All-Conference award on Friday in the completion of the heptathlon. He posted a final point total of 4,233 points and finished third in the event. His final point total is a career best and 254 points better than last year's total which placed him seventh in the event.

The Concordia track contingent was once again led by the speedster Vickstrom. He earned All-MIAC Honorable Mention honors in the 200 meters and placed ninth in the 60-meter dash. Vickstrom clocked a time of 22.77 in the 200 meters on Saturday. He was only .25 of a second off the winning time. His finishing time is a season best. Vickstrom was ninth in the 60-meter dash on Friday with a time of 7.16.  

Concordia will now turn its attention outdoors. The Cobbers will start the outdoor portion of their schedule when they compete in the St. John's Indoor/Outdoor Invite on Mar. 28.
 
ALL-MIAC PERFORMANCES
Long Jump
1. Brandon Zylstra - 22-07.75 (new PR)
High Jump
2. Brandon Zylstra - 6-08.25 (new PR)
Triple Jump
3. Jackson Schepp - 44-02.50 (new indoor PR)  
Heptathlon
3. Gabe Wright - 4,233 points (new PR)

ALL-MIAC HONORABLE MENTION
200 Meters
4. Ben Vickstrom - 22.77
High Jump
T4. Mark Goss - 6-02
T4. Gabe Wright - 6-02
6. Jackson Schepp - 6-02