From VCSU Athletics
BROOKINGS, S.D. (VCSUAthletics.com) – Valley City State University athletes won three conference championships, set or tied five school records, and had 13 All-Conference performances during the NSAA Indoor Track & Field Championships contested Sunday in Brookings, S.D.
Zachary Co (shot put), JT Reed (60 meters) and Brooke Malsom (long jump) all won individual conference titles for the Vikings, and both Valley City State teams finished in fourth place out of seven team at the North Star Athletic Association conference championships.
VCSU head coach Laquone Robinson was proud of VCSU’s accomplishments on the day, with numerous athletes competing at their highest level yet this season.
“Hands down, this was the best meet I’ve been a part of since joining Valley City State,” said Robinson. “Going into this meet, we were clear that each athlete had a job to do; to focus on themselves and perform their personal best. When each individual focused on themselves in their moment, it allowed our team to rise as a whole. They competed at their highest level today, and it was so much fun to be a part of.”
The top three individual finishers in each event – and the top two relay teams – earned All-Conference honors. The top eight finishers earned team points. VCSU’s women scored 100 team points to finish fourth, while the Viking men also finished fourth with 65 team points.
Sprinter and jumper Brooke Malsom had a day to remember on Sunday as she was named both the NSAA Indoor Track & Field Most Valuable Athlete and the NSAA Field Athlete of the Meet. Malsom won a conference title in the long jump, placed second in the triple jump and set new school records in both the 60 and 200 meter races. In her four events, Malsom finished with four Top 4 finishes – including three All-Conference performances. She racked up 29 team points during the meet – including 18 points in the field events.
She won the long jump with a leap of 5.28 meters and placed second in triple jump with her mark of 10.42 meters. In the 60 meter dash, Malsom placed fourth with a school record time of 7.99 seconds – becoming the first Viking in history to break the eight second mark. Malsom shattered the school record in the 200 meters, placing third in a time of 25.83 seconds. That was nearly a second faster than the old record of 26.70 seconds set by Kerri TurnBough in 2002.
On the mens’ side, JT Reed won a conference title in the 60 meter dash and tied his school record with a time of 6.96 seconds. Reed qualified second in the 60 meter prelims, and then improved his time by four one-hundredths in the finals to win the title. Reed also lowered his own school record in the 200 meter dash, placing fourth with a time of 22.54 seconds.
Zachary Co won his third straight conference title in the shot put and added another All-Conference performance with a third place in the weight throw. Co has now won five individual conference titles and has won the last three NSAA indoor shot put titles. He has qualified to compete at the national championships from March 3-5 in both the shot put and weight throw.
The fifth school record came by Taylor Sargent, who lowered her own record in the 60 hurdles to 9.22 seconds. She placed third to earn All-Conference. It was one of two All-Conference performances by Sargent, who also placed second in the conference pentathlon contested earlier this season.
Hannah Gordon also earned herself two All-Conference performances, placing second in both the shot put and the weight throw. Gordon threw a personal best 12.71 meters in the shot put. It was part of an impressive event for the Viking women as Sadie Hansen placed third to earn All-Conference and Jade Azure took fourth in shot put.
In the men’s 60 meter hurdles, Clay Kummer raced to a personal-best time of 8.74 seconds as he placed second. Kummer was seeded fifth entering the meet, but lowered his season-best time by .18 seconds on Sunday.
Noah Rolfe raced a personal-best time in the mile run by almost six seconds as he placed third to earn All-Conference in an exciting race. The top three runners in the men’s mile were separated by less than 2 seconds.
Robinson said the team showed humble confidence heading into Sunday’s meet, which helped them achieve a strong meet with numerous personal-best performances.
“They were mentally strong, which ultimately helped us succeed in our physical performance. They trusted their training and knew that they were capable of great things. I’m proud of the way this team showed up for themselves, and for each other,” he said. “We will continue to reach for new goals and we look forward to what we can achieve in the upcoming outdoor season.”
Up next: Zachary Co will compete at the NAIA Indoor National Championships, March 3-5 in Brookings. Co is ranked fourth in the nation in the shot put. The rest of the team will being preparations for the outdoor season. Valley City State is scheduled to host the NSAA Outdoor Conference Championships from May 12-13.
NSAA Indoor Championships
Men’s Team Scores
1. Dakota State, 253; 2. Dickinson State, 206; 3. Viterbo University, 88; 4. Valley City State, 65; 5. Waldorf University, 51; 6. Iowa Wesleyan, 23; 7. Bellevue University, 4
Women’s Team Scores
1. Dickinson State, 216.5; 2. Dakota State, 178; 3. Viterbo University, 121.5; 4. Valley City State, 100; 5. Bellevue University, 37; 6. Iowa Wesleyan, 21; 6. Waldorf University, 21
VCSU Men – Top 8 Finishers
60 Meters: 1. JT Reed, 6.96 (ties school record)
200 Meters: 4. JT Reed, 22.54 (school record)
400 Meters: 8. Clay Kummer, 52.22
Mile: 3. Noah Rolfe, 4:36.89; 5. Jayden Wheeling, 4:39.93
3000 Meters: 6. Noah Rolfe, 9:24.82; 8. Jayden Wheeling, 9:32.50
60 Hurdles: 2. Clay Kummer, 8.74
4×400 Relay: 5. VCSU, 3:39.55 (Kummer, Garcia, Femling, Rolfe)
4×800 Relay: 5. VCSU, 9:16.59 (Femling, Benner, Mattheis, Nelson)
Long Jump: 6. Jayden Gerringer, 6.41 meters
Shot Put: 1. Zachary Co, 16.49 meters
Weight Throw: 3. Zachary Co, 16.68 meters
VCSU Women – Top 8 Finishers
60 Meters: 4. Brooke Malsom, 7.99 (school record)
200 Meters: 3. Brooke Malsom, 25.83 (school record)
400 Meters: 5. Ashanti Guertin, 1:02.88
3000 Meters: 6. Jasmine Barnes, 11:38.87
5000 Meters: 4. Jasmine Barnes, 20:15.63
60 Hurdles: 3. Taylor Sargent, 9.22 (school record)
4×400 Relay: 4. VCSU, 4:31.60 (Lauf, Tibke, Miyashiro, Guertin)
4×800 Relay: 3. VCSU, 11:19.64 (Lauf, Cleveland, Tibke, Hatlewick)
High Jump: 4. Taylor Sargent, 1.55 meters; 7. Sydney Co, 1.50 meters
Long Jump: 1. Brooke Malsom, 5.28 meters
Triple Jump: 2. Brooke Malsom, 10.42 meters
Shot put: 2. Hannah Gordon, 12.71 meters; 3. Sadie Hansen, 12.02 meters; 4. Jade Azure, 11.67 meters
Weight Throw: 2. Hannah Gordon, 13.57 meters
Pentathlon: 2. Taylor Sargent, 2,708 points