Multiple Timberwolves Earn First Place Finishes At Dick Small Meet
DEFIANCE, OHIO – The Northwood University track and field teams opened the 2016 outdoor season at the 21st Annual Dick Small Meet at Defiance College on Saturday (March 26).
The women's team placed third with 118 points. Case Western was the overall winner with 149 points, followed by Alma with 123 points. Multiple Timberwolves stood atop the podium, as NU took eight first place finishes. With a pair of top finishes, Elaina Meadows (Schoolcraft, Mich. / Schoolcraft) not only ran 26.28 in the 200 meter dash but also broke her own school record (5.61 meters) set a year ago with a long jump of 5.69 meters. Another winner for NU was Madison Arnouts (Grand Ledge, Mich. / Grand Ledge) who won the 400 meter hurdles at 1:08.42 and the 100 meter hurdles with a time of 16.45, while Drew Findlay (Reese, Mich. / Reese) finished third at 17.00. Arnouts time beats her personal best of 16.62 for the second fastest time in Northwood history.
Kara Young (Zephyrhills, Fla. / Zephyrhills) won the 100 meter dash clocking 12.38. The 4x100 winning relay team of Kara Young (Zephyrhills, Fla. / Zephyrhills), Findlay, Dana Turner (Maywood, Ill. / Walther Lutheran) and Meadows ran 49.10. Young, Findlay, McKenna and Arnouts ran 4:18.82 in the 4x400 for another first place finish. Finishing second in the 800 meters was Jennifer McKenna (Orchard Lake, Mich. / Walled Lake Northern) at 2:22.47. Hunter Perry (Moran, Mich. / Rudyard) threw the discus 41.88 meters for a first place finish, followed by Riley Johnson (Commerce Twp., Mich. / Walled Lake Northern) at 40.96 meters for second. Perry also finished third in the hammer throw at 42.43 meters. Carly D'Almeida (Harrison Township, Mich. / L'Anse Creuse / Macomb CC) finished fourth in the shot put with a throw of 10.61 meters.
Northwood's men's team also finished third with a total of 110 points. Again, Case Western was the overall winner with 167.5 points, while Albion followed with 119.5 points. There were six victories on the men's side, led by Tray Thompson (Fort Worth, Tx. / Duncanville) who won the 400 meter dash, clocking 50.53. John King (Mesick, Mich. / Mesick) followed close behind in third at 52.04. Thompson was also a part of a winning relay team. Paul Evans (Lenox, Mich. / New Haven) won the discus with a mark of 48.88 meters, while Cody Patterson (Wolverine Lake, Mich. / Walled Lake Central) finished in third at 40.57 meters. Patterson also finished third in the shot put with a throw of 13.49 meters. Kyle Martin (Brownston, Mich. / Woodhaven) won the pole vault after clearing 3.9 meters on his first jump. Kyle Vandersyde (Hopkins, Mich. / Hopkins) took first with a time of 15.36 in the 110 meter hurdles. Josh Gardner (Howell, Mich. / Howell) finished second in the 200 meter dash at 22.80 and fifth in the 100 meter dash with a time of 11.27. Tyler Jensen (Ovid, Mich. / Ovid-Elsie) finished fifth in the 1,500 meter run with a time of 4:08.27.
The 4x100 meter relay team of Jordan Fields (Lauderhill, Fla. / Blanche Ely), Karmine Jarmon(Chicago, Ill. / Simeon), Jalen Hodgson (Kalamazoo, Mich. / Parchment) and Gardner won with a time of 42.82. Also winning the 4x400 relay were King, Jarmon, Fields and Thompson at 3:25.01. Finishing second in the 4x800 meter relay with a time of 8:27.69 were Jensen, Josh Plishke (Arlington Heights, Ill. / Hersey), Sammy Tanui (Eldoret, Kenya / Universal) and Will Moench (Holland, Mich. / West Ottawa).
The Timberwolves travel to Alma College next weekend for the Charles A. Gray Invite on Saturday (April 2).