Off And Running - And Jumping - In 2012
MOORHEAD, Minn. (1/28/12)--Concordia is off and running, and jumping, in the 2012 indoor season as they hosted the annual Cobber Open on Saturday. The Cobbers did not win an event but they rode their team depth and roster size to a second-place finish. Concordia finished with a final team total of 115.5 points which was 14 points in front of the University of Mary who finished in third-place.
The opening meet of the season was highlighted by a pair of local freshmen field athletes. Cherae Reeves posted an all-time Cobber top 10 distance in the shot put and Chelsea Klemetson tied for the top mark in the MIAC this season in the high jump in her very first collegiate meet. Reeves, who is from West Fargo, unleashed a throw of 40-08.25 in the shot put to finish second in the event. That distance is the 10th best in CC history and the second farthest in the MIAC this season. Klemetson, who is from Moorhead and also played on the Cobbers' NCAA Tournament soccer team, had a finishing height of 4-11.75 in the high jump. She finished with the same height as the second-place finisher but placed fifth because of misses at lower heights. Klemetson's mark is currently tied for the top spot in the MIAC. She is tied with teammates Kaari Jensen and Olivia Decker who also cleared 4-11.75 on Friday night as part of the Cobber Pentathlon.
Several other Concordia athletes recorded marks that place them among the top in the MIAC in the early part of the season. Katrina Gerzema and Hilary Thompson finished second and third in the long jump. The pair posted distances that have them in the top 5 of the conference. Gerzema was third with a mark of 17-02.00 and Thompson was fourth at 16-09.25. Thompson is also ranked third in the MIAC triple jump. She had an opening-meet distance of 35-03.25 while senior teammate Tatijana MullerDahlberg was right behind at 35-02.00. The formidable duo has the third and fourth farthest jumps in the MIAC this year. MullerDahlberg also placed sixth in the 60-meter dash in a time of 8.27 which is only .03 seconds behind her fastest time from 2011.
Page Rygg and Morgan Christian led the Concordia track athletes. Rygg placed fourth in the 600 meters in a time of 1:43.22. That is currently the sixth fastest in the MIAC. Christian, who is returning from an injury she suffered during the cross country season, finished third in the 1000 meters with a mark of 3:11.05 which is the fourth fastest in the conference.
The Cobbers also had a pair of distance athletes post fifth-place finishes. Junior Liz Hanson was fifth in the mile with a time of 5:35.82 and freshman Haylee Hastad placed fifth in the 5000 meters, crossing the line in a time of 20:31.49
Another meet highlight for Marv Roeske's crew came from sophomore Morgan Bubach who had three personal bests in the weight throw and finished with a final distance of 38-09.75 which is over three feet farther than her season last from last year.
The Cobbers conclude the home portion of the indoor season on Saturday, February 4 when they host the Cobber Duals at noon in the Olson Forum.
COBBER NOTABLES:
COBBER ALL-TIME TOP 10
Shot Put – 40-8.25 (12.40m) – Cherae Reeves – Top 10-#10
PERSONAL RECORDS:
60- Laura Farnam, Alyssa Schmidt, Danielle Bolme;
200- Alyssa Schmidt, Kristin Boyum;
600- Paige Rygg;
Mile- Erin Colenso;
3000- Erika Nelson;
60H- Hillary Birchem, Kristin Boyum;
long jump- Trina Gerzema, Hilary Thompson, Chelsea Klemetson, Alexa Cole;
high jump- Chelsea Klemetson;
shot put- Cherae Reeves;
weight throw- Morgan Bubach.