The Conversion Conundrum

BROOKINGS, S.D. (02/12/22)---Concordia split its group between the South Dakota State Classic and the St. John's Invitational. The group that went to SDSU posted some incredible times but they are skewed by the fact that they were run on a 300-meter track rather than the normal 200-meter variety.

In order to explain the whole conversion condrum, we've enlisted the help of head coach Garrick Larson who will write this recap.

Take it away Garrick: Over the past 9 days, the Cobber Men's Track and Field team has set an astonishing ten "program bests." So why are only six of the marks school records?

Well, setting a record depends on the size (200-meter or 300-meter) and configuration (flat or banked) of the track for the oval running events. A 300-meter track or a 200-meter banked track are an advantage compared to a flat 200-meter track because they both take less effort to run the corners and produce faster times. In 2012, after two years of statistical analysis, the NCAA developed conversions to make times directly comparable between the different sizes and flat or bank tracks.

The closest analogy in the track and field world is the concept of wind-aided times in the short sprints and horizontal jumps when competing outdoors. For example, an athlete could run the fastest 100-meter time ever, or have the farthest long jump ever, but it wouldn't count as a record if the mark was assisted by too much of a tailwind. So, whether indoors or outdoors, if a performance is set with an advantage (size, bank, wind), then consider the mark as the "program bests" – all-conditions or all-configurations.

At the SDSU Classic, the Cobber men delivered the fastest times ever run in Concordia history in four different events (400M, 600M, 1000M, and 4x4). Four individuals and the 4x400 meter relay finished in top 5 spots in deep fields against scholarship schools from DI, DII and NAIA.

200M – Cal Wright, 22.26 (11th); Trevor Tiongson, 23.69 (72nd)
400M – Cal Wright, 48.25 (3rd)
600M – Tommy Kern, 1:19.82 (2nd)
1000M – Jesse Middendorf, 2:27.06 (1st); Munir Isahak, 2:32.54 (5th)
Mile – Munir Isahak, 4:18.54 (15th)
4x4 – Cal Wright, Colin Schuller, Trevor Tiongson, Tommy Kern, 3:18.64 (2nd)

In the most competitive event of the meet, the Mile, Munir Isahak dropped back from the leaders after narrowly avoiding an early-race fall, but worked up back through the field to run the second fastest time in Cobber history at 4:18.54 (4:21.85 converted) to finish 15th in a race where the winner ran 4:06.07 and 20 runners finished under 4:20. Tom Sederquist's 2011 school record mark of 4:18.10 still stands, "for one more week," said Isahak, who plans to give the Mile record one more shot in his senior-season final attempt at the University of Minnesota next Friday.

In the next race, Cal Wright unleashed the fastest Cobber 400 meter time ever run, indoors or outdoors, with a 3rd place 48.25 (49.03 converted). "I felt under control early race and I think I had a little more left at the end," reflected Wright who now ranks #6 on the 2022 NCAA Indoor Division III national list. Late meet, Wright doubled back into the 200 meter and dashed to #2 in the MIAC with a 22.26 (22.66 converted). Wright is now #2 in the MIAC in both the 200 meter and 400 meter.

Still experimenting with different distances, Tommy Kern's learning curve went exponential in the 600 meter after last week's first try 1:25.36 at the NDSU Bison Open. Kern latched onto NJCAA #4 nationally-ranked Yared Kidane of Iowa Central CC and was pulled to the fastest absolute time in MIAC history, 1:19.82 (1:21.02 converted) and finished 2nd. Kern is the top MIAC runner at 400M and 600M so far this season, plus stands #2 on the 200M list.

Not to be outdone by the team's earlier fireworks, Jesse Middendorf took over the 1000 meter race with one lap to go and pulled away from three other contenders down the home stretch to win the SDSU Classic in 2:27.06. Even with the 300-meter track conversion to 2:29.09, Middendorf hammered off almost 2 second from the Cobber school record previously held by Matthew Lillehaugen at 2:30.91. Middendorf is now ranked #1 in the MIAC in the 800 meter and 1000 meter runs.

The unusual SDSU Classic meet schedule, positioned Middendorf's 1000 meter run back-to-back with the 4x400 Meter Relay, eliminating the key runner's availability for the relay team. No Middendorf, no problem. In the culminating event, the 4x400 Meter Relay, the Cobbers called up a second freshman, Trevor Tiongson, to fill in the relay leg. The foursome of Wright, Colin Schuller, Tiongson, and Kern ran wire-to-wire with the top 4 teams in the race. On the anchor leg, Kern was a step away from the win, but eventually ran out of space and time to close on the leader and finished 2nd, squeezed between University of Mary and Minnesota State-Moorhead (3:18.49-3:18.64-3:18.71). The 300-meter track converted time of 3:21.82 ranks #15 in NCAA DIII, although the Cobbers top relay time of 3:19.15 still ranks #4 on the NCAA list.

UP NEXT: The Cobbers will send a select group to the University of Minnesota on Friday night, Feb. 18, while the majority of the squad heads to UND on Sat., Feb. 19.