Quality Over Quantity In Outdoor Season Opener
It was quality over quantity in the outdoor opener for Concordia. Because of the holiday weekend, the Cobbers took a select group to the USD Early Bird Invite, and came away with a pair of school records and a Top 10 national mark.
VERMILLION, S.D. (4/08/23)---It was quality over quantity in the outdoor opener for Concordia. Because of the holiday weekend, the Cobbers took a select group to the USD Early Bird Invite, and came away with a pair of school records and a Top 10 national mark.
The senior duo of Cal Wright and Wade Rhonemus picked up where they left off from last year's outdoor campaign, while Nolan Morical made a splash in his first 100-meter dash of the season.
Wright showed little signs of snow rust in his first outdoor 200 meters. He uncorked a 21.33 which broke his own school record in the event. His time was 0.29 of a second faster than his previous record and is currently the top time in the MIAC. Wright's time also earned his third-place honors in the race which had 99 competitors.
The 200 meters was also the top event for the Cobbers as a team. Morical posted a time of 22.16, while senior Hayden Gagnon crossed the line in 22.25. All three times are in the Top 6 on the school's all-time list and in the Top 10 of the MIAC.
Wright and Gagnon would go on to post conference Top 3 times in the 400 meters. Wright put up a time of 48.26 and Gagnon clocked a 48.66. The times are the best tandem in the 400 in a single meet by a pair of Cobbers. Gagnon's time is a PR and the third fastest in program history.
Morical was the second record breaker on the day for Concordia. He cruised to a 10.86 in the 100 meters which broke the school record of 10.89 set by Ben Vickstrom in 2014. Morical's time is also the third fastest in the MIAC this year.
Rhonemus was the hardest working Cobber at the outdoor opener. He competed in the decathlon, and went out and posted a score of 5,897 points which is the top in the conference this year and No.7 in all of Division III. During the 10 events, Rhonemus put up a PR in the 100 meters with a time of 11.45. He also had near missed in the 1500 meters, 400 meters, 100 meters and 110-meter hurdles.
Concordia had six other athletes post MIAC Top 15 marks at the meet.
Sophomore Ricky Ramirez put up a conference-best distance of 141-00 in the discus. That mark is a PR for Ramirez.
Junior Dawson Schaffer and sophomore Trevor Tiongson posted their Top 15 marks in the 200 meters. Schaffer ran a 22.52 which is No.8 in the MIAC this year and Tiongson is 12th at 23.05.
Fellow sophomore Jack Cella, who missed the entire indoor season because of a leg injury, posted the eighth best mark in conference in the pole vault with a height of 12-08.
Senior Cole Nowacki ran a 10:41.28 in the 3000-meter steeplechase which is No.12 in the MIAC.
Sophomore Jordan Petron earned his Top 15 MIAC time in the 100 meters. He ran a 11.53 which is No.14 and is also a PR.
UP NEXT: Concordia was scheduled to compete at the Jamestown Al Bortke Open next weekend, but that meet got pushed back to Apr. 28. CC will now try and find a meet for Apr. 15.