A Pair Of Breathtaking 400s Highlight MIAC Meet

ARDEN HILLS, Minn. (5/13/23)---For sports fans who don't think there is enough excitement in track & field – we give you the 400 meters at the MIAC Championship Meet.

Senior Cal Wright battled to the wire in a thrilling 400-meter race where both the first and second-place finishers posted times in the Top 5 of Division III. Not to be outdone by the individual 400, the 4x400-meter relay ratcheted up the excitement level to full volume as senior Hayden Gagnon made a finishing kick that would have made Michael Johnson envious.

Those two high-level races helped the Cobbers record a 7th-place finish at the MIAC Championship Meet. Concordia finished the 2-day meet with 41.5 points, which was 1.5 points ahead of Gustavus.

The individual 400-meter competition had the top two finishes for Concordia and also provided a pair of school-record marks. Wright opened up his final conference meet by breaking his own school record in the prelims of the 400 on Friday. He ran a 47.31, which was the top qualifying time and bettered his previous school record by .25 of a second.

Just when you don't think it can get any better, the final of the 400 went above and beyond that level. Wright got locked in a duel with Bethel sophomore Jacob Parent. The two were side-by-side the entire race and helped each other run the first sub-47-second 400 meters in MIAC history. Parent won the race with a time of 46.76 and Wright was second at 46.95.

The two times were both in the Top of Division III at the time of the finish of the race. Parent's time is now No.4 in the country and Wright is No.7. Both athletes are a lock to earn a spot at the national meet and will have a chance to recreate their epic battle in Rochester, N.Y.

Wright also provided histrionics in the 200 meters. He broke his own school record in the event in the prelims with a time of 21.34. That time also broke the conference record in a non-wind-aided race. Unfortunately for Wright, he couldn't back up his prelim performance as he had to withdraw from the final after suffering a severe cramping issue as he got into the blocks.

Wright's cramping issue also kept him out of the final event of the meet – the 4x400-meter relay. His absence put a damper on the Cobbers' chances to post a Top 3 finish in the event, which would help them surpass Gustavus in the final team standings. Fortunately for Concordia, the quartet of Trevor Tiongson, Wade Rhonemus, Gavin Groshelle and Gagnon never got the word that they had no chance.
 
Tiongsen led off with a time of 50.99 and gave the baton to Rhonemus, who put up a PR time of 49.55. Groshelle, who was Wright's replacement for the race, took over for Rhonemus and clocked a career-best time of 51.96. The stage was set for Gagnon, but not before he had to stiff arm an opponent during the exchange with Groshelle. Gagnon recovered and slowly set his sights on the Top 5 in the race. He kept gaining ground and was within striking distance in the final 75 meters. He then found a fifth gear, passed three runners own the stretch and gave Concordia a runner-up finish.

Gagnon's finishing split of 47.91 was a career-best time by .33 of a second and was 1.26 seconds faster than his mark in the individual 400 that earned him a 5th-place finish.
Gagnon's finishing kick also gave the Cobbers eight team points, which helped them pass the Gusties for seventh place in the final standings.

Gagnon also helped CC by recording a 6th-place finish in the high jump. He cleared the bar at 6-01.25 to give the Cobbers three points.

Concordia had three other individuals score points at the conference meet. Rhonemus was second in the decathlon last weekend and eighth in the pole vault with a height of 12-11.50.

Ricky Ramirez had a Top 5 finish in the discus. He came up with a throw of 40.67 on his third attempt, which got him into the finals and was good for fifth place in the final standings.

Logan Clark capped off his freshman season by qualifying for the finals of the 110-meter hurdles in a career-best time of 15.66. Clark placed seventh in the finals after crossing the line at 15.74.                        
  
UP NEXT: Wright will lead a select group of Cobbers, who will travel to Wisconsin to compete at the Wis.-La Crosse NCAA Qualifier Meet. Wright will try and qualify in the 200 meters. He is currently No.25 in Division III with his MIAC prelim time of 21.34.