Several members of Grace’s track and field team picked up All-League recognition at the 2018 Crossroads League Championships.
Four separate events resulted in All-League (top-three) honors for Grace. The men’s team finished sixth out of 10 teams while the women were 10th.
The men’s hammer throwers continued to dominate this spring. The Lancers claimed four of the eight scoring positions. Isaac Stuckey (172-feet-10) and Jacob Brown (171-11) finished second and third respectively, and Walker Hobbs (sixth) and William Shafer (eighth) also earned points for Grace in the event.
Emily Anderson was the lone All-League representative on the women’s side. Anderson placed second in the javelin with a heave of 108-5.
The men’s 4×400-meter relay team of Brendan Hamilton, Martin Schiele, Jonathan Balda and Sam Hall had one of the most exciting finishes to the meet. They crossed the finish line in 3:23.82, just 0.03 faster than the next finisher to clinch third place and All-League recognition.
The men’s 4×800 unit of Brady Willard, Balda, Hamilton and Hall placed fourth in a time of 7:44.37, which was good enough to hit the NAIA qualifying standard.
The 4×100 relay team set a school record as well. Noah Cole, Joshua Pridgen, Cameron Johnson and Schiele ended their race in 43.06, the fastest time in school history.
Johnson (110 hurdles) and Hall (800) went on to place fourth in their individual events, and Thomas Hickerson was also fourth in the javelin (148-11).
In throwing events, Hobbs earned a sixth-place showing in the shot put, and Caleb Brown was eighth in the discus. Isaiah Zaller ended seventh in the pole vault at 13-9.25, and Schiele was eighth in the 100 dash at 11.18 seconds.
Suzanne Sickafoose produced an eighth-place finish in the women’s 400.
“We had several great performances this weekend. The men’s hammer crew taking four of the eight places, the men’s 4×800 running an NAIA qualifying time, the mens’ 4×400 surprising everyone with an All-League Performance, and Emily Anderson earning All-League honors in the javelin,” said Grace coach Jeff Raymond. “I’m very pleased with the fact that our team competed very hard and held their own in an extremely tough league championships meet.”
To see complete meet results, click here.
The Lancers will turn their attention to next week’s NCCAA National Championships, hosted at Grace’s Linnie Key Track and Field Complex. The meet will start on Thursday and end Friday next week. — from gclancers.com