GLIAC T&F: Men's Team Places Third For Highest Finish Since 2002, Multiple All-GLIAC Honors Earned
GLIAC OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
MEET: GLIAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships – Day 3
LOCATION: Grand Valley State University – Allendale, Mich.
RECAP: The men's track and field team placed third in the team standings with 102 points to match their highest finish since 2002 to close out the 2019 GLIAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships Friday (May 3). Mason Phillips won the league title in the 100 meters and Debra Wallace was named the Women's Freshman Track Athlete of the Meet, in addition to multiple athletes earning All-GLIAC honors.
4x4 RELAY SECURES TEAM'S THIRD PLACE FINISH, MATCHES HIGHEST FINISH SINCE 2002
With first and second place in the team rankings secured, the battle for the third place team came down to the final event of the meet with Northwood and Saginaw tied at 96 points for third place heading into the final event of the meet.
The 4x400 meter relay of freshman Andrew Davis, sophomore Mason Phillips, and freshmen Stephen Barker and Josiah Morse placed third in a season best time of 3:15.60. Morse had a strong anchor leg, battling it out with a surging SVSU anchor leg on the home stretch before pulling away about 50 meters from the finish line.
The relay's 6 points gave the Timberwolves enough points to secure a third place finish in the team standings to edge out Saginaw Valley State University 102-101 points. This year's finish for the men matches the highest finish for Northwood since the 2002 team scored 105 points.
PHILLIPS WINS 100 METERS, EARNS MULTIPLE PODIUM FINISHES
Sophomore Mason Phillips took home top honors in the men's 100 meters, claiming the title in 10.43 seconds. This is his first championship in the 100 meters and his second placewinning performance in the event, placing seventh a year ago.
His day didn't stop there – he also turned in a combined four podium finishes on the final day of competition, bring his total five overall throughout the course of the GLIAC Championships. Phillips claimed runner-up honors in the 200 meters (21.10 seconds) and was part of the 4x100 relay that placed second, along with the 4x400 relay and the long jump.
His sophomore season of GLIAC Championship action concludes with three GLIAC titles, winning the indoor 60 and 200 meter dashes and the 100 meters, and a combined nine All-GLIAC honors.
INSIDE THE MEET - MEN'S T&F
Starting off the day on the track was the 4x100 meter relay team of Davis, junior Christopher Bent, Rami Gharsalli and Phillips. The quartet placed second in a time of 41.16 seconds.
In a battle featuring the No. 2 and No. 3 hurdles in NCAA Division II this season, senior Rami Gharsalli claimed second place All-GLIAC honors in the 110 meter hurdles. He crossed the line in 14.09 seconds.
His GLIAC career will end as a three-time All-GLIAC performer in the 110 hurdles, which includes a title in 2017, and seven total All-GLIAC performances outdoors. He also adds two GLIAC titles in the 60 meter hurdles indoors (2017 and 2019).
Davis joined Phillips in the 100 and 200 meter dash finals. He placed seventh in the 100 meters (10.84 seconds) for a collegiate best and finished ninth in the 200 (22.25 seconds). Davis has combined for two All-GLIAC honors and three total place-winning performances during the outdoor championships.
The 1500 meter run saw a huge result from the duo of junior Trestin Mancillas-Finnerty and freshman Chase Clark. Mancillas-Finnerty claimed a third place All-GLIAC finish, crossing the line in 3:55.90. He came into today's final seeded tenth out of 12 competitors. This is his first All-GLIAC finish and second place-winning performance after placing sixth a year ago.
Clark crossed the line in 3:57.53 to finish in sixth for his first GLIAC place winning performance. Freshman Parker Hayes rounded out the Northwood contingent in the 1500 meters with a tenth place finish (3:59.76).
In the 800 meters, Morse and Barker placed 4-5 in 1:52.62 and 1:53.60 respectively for their first GLIAC place-winning performances. Both times are collegiate bests. Morse improved upon his standing as the seventh-best runner in school history, while Barker moved into eighth all-time at NU.
Sophomore Brian Patrick and senior Dylan Rocha picked up important points in the 5000 meters. The pair finished 7-8 in the race with times of 15:03.93 and 15:11.47. Patrick improved upon his sixth-place standing in program history for the event en route to his first conference place-winning performance.
For Rocha, this is his second place-winning performance in the event after placing eighth at last year's GLIAC Championships. He will conclude his collegiate career as a four-time outdoor place-winner for the Timberwolves and six total (indoors and outdoors).
Also in the 5000 meters, freshman Zane Aldrich ran an outdoor collegiate best time of 15:21.23 to move into eighth all-time at Northwood.
The triple jump featured junior Austin Hamlet competing in the event for the first time in his collegiate career. He placed fifth on a jump marked at 12.93 meters (42 feet-5.25 inches) for a distance that ranks him fourth in school history. Freshman Darian Randolph jumped 11.84 meters (38 feet-10.25 inches) and ranks sixth in school history.
In the throws, sophomore Hunter Berecz advanced to the shot put finals and placed ninth (15.25 meters/50 feet-0.5 inches). Freshman Zechariah Stickler placed ninth in the discus finals on a collegiate best distance of 44 meters (144 feet-4 inches) – almost a two meter improvement upon his previous best. He moved up to seventh all-time in program history.
DEBRA WALLACE NAMED FRESHMAN TRACK ATHELTE OF THE MEET
Freshman Debra Wallace put together a weekend that earned her the Women's Freshman Track Athlete of the Meet, an honor voted on by the league's coaches.
Her day got started by earning All-GLIAC second team honors in the 400 meter dash finals, crossing the line in 56.86 seconds. She later returned to the track in the 200 meters and placed fourth in 24.80 seconds.
This is Wallace's second Freshman Track Athlete of the Meet honor – she also earned the recognition during the indoor championships after a fourth place finish in the 200 meter dash.
INSIDE THE MEET – WOMEN'S T&F
Senior Heaven Powell posted a mark of 1.69 meters (5 feet-6.5 inches) to earn a second place finish in the high jump. The top three finishers all cleared 1.69 meters - the end result came down to who had the fewest misses in the competition.
Powell will conclude her GLIAC career as a two-time All-GLIAC performer and three-time place-winner outdoors, earning second a year ago and coming in fourth in 2017. She is also a three-time place-winner indoors as well.
Also in the high jump, freshman Isabel Anderson placed fourth on a day's best clearance of 1.60 meters (5 feet-3 inches) for a collegiate best. Her mark puts her in a tie for third all-time in school history in her first GLIAC place-winning performance.
Sophomore Jessica Marvin earned an eighth place finish in the discus throw on a distance of 41.69 meters (136 feet-9 inches). This is her second GLIAC place-winning performance of her career – she placed sixth in the discus at last year's championship meet.
In the 1500 meter run, sophomore Madi Brooks competed in her first event final and placed tenth in 4:51.25.
The women's team finished ninth in the team standings with 25.5 points.
UP NEXT: Select athletes will compete in various last chance meets next week/weekend - GVSU Wednesday Last Chance (May 8), the Dr. Keller Invitational at North Central College on Thursday and Friday (May 9-10), and the NCAA Last Chance Qualifier at Mount Olive on Sunday (May 12).
Lauren Ellsworth / T&F