The Grinnell College men's and women's track and field squads were named 2009 Division III All-Academic Teams by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

Fifty-one men's programs and 100 women's teams earned the honor, which is given to squads with a cumulative grade point average of 3.100 or higher. Grinnell's men had a 3.374 GPA and the women a 3.440.
Women's Team
Men's Team

Grinnell College's Henry Reich '09 has been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Men's Track and Field/Cross Country First Team.

Reich was one of 15 athletes named to the elite team in the College Division. He is the third Pioneer athlete to earn Academic All-America honors for Track and Field/Cross Country, but the first to be voted to the First Team.

Reich, a physics/mathematics major from Mahtomedi, Minn., has three conference titles to his credit this school year, winning the Midwest Conference individual cross country crown in 2008 (25 minutes, 51 seconds) and MWC indoor titles in the 3000- and 5000-meter races (8:46.61 and 15:09.55). He led Grinnell to just the third perfect cross country score in league history last fall (1 through 5 finish) and guided the Pioneers to the NCAA National Meet.

The ESPN The Magazine Academic Team is co-sponsored by CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America).

Grinnell College's Henry Reich '09 (left) has been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 7 Men's Track and Field/Cross Country First Team, while Thomas Jamison '09 (right) was a Second-Team selection.

By being named to the First Team, Reich is now in the running to be an NCAA Academic All-American. That team will be named in the near future.

Reich, a physics/mathematics major from Mahtomedi, Minn., has three conference titles to his credit this school year, winning the Midwest Conference individual cross country crown in 2008 (25 minutes, 51 seconds) and MWC indoor titles in the 3000- and 5000-meter races (8:46.61 and 15:09.55). He led Grinnell to just the third perfect cross country score in league history last fall (1 through 5 finish) and guided the Pioneers to the NCAA National Meet.

He was also the winner of the Roy W. LeClere Award, which is given to the MWC male student-athlete with the highest GPA his junior year. He ranks sixth all-time on Grinnell's 8 kilometer cross country chart and was offered an interview for the Rhodes Scholarship.

Jamison, a history major from Portland, Ore., won the 1500-meter run at the 2009 MWC Outdoor Track and Field Championships. He had a clocking of 4:01.07 in the event. Jamison also broke into Grinnell's all-time leader chart in the mile run during the indoor campaign.

The ESPN The Magazine Academic Teams are co-sponsored by CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America).
Click here to see Academic All-District Teams

Nick Sparr '09 (pictured) raced to victory in the men's 3000-meter steeplechase to help the Grinnell College men's track and field team to a third-place tie at the 2009 Midwest Conference Championships on Saturday, May 9, at Waukesha, Wis.

Sparr ran the race in 9 minutes, 37.87 seconds to beat his nearest competitor by nearly 9 seconds. Shyam Desphande '11 also competed in the race, finishing fifth in 9:53.04.

Ethan Heppner '11 was second in the 5000 race in 15:20.55, while Sparr took third in 15:41.11. Kyle Lynch-Klarup '10 was third in the 800 in 1:57.81, Mike Martinez '10 placed fourth in the 100 in 11.17 and the 4x400 relay team placed fifth in 3:29.38.

Grinnell's men scored 116 points, the same as Carroll University. Monmouth College defended its title with 194 points and Illinois College was second with 145.

On the women's side, Monmouth also defended its crown with 254 points. Grinnell placed fifth with 45 points. Becky Bessinger '09 was Grinnell's top finisher on Saturday, taking fourth in the 3000 steeplechase in 11:34.85. Placing fifth for Grinnell were Leah Russell '11 in the 800 (2:24.77) and Hannah Colter '12 in the 5000 (19:00.26).
Results
MWC Meet Photo Gallery

The Grinnell College men's track and field team had two individual champs and another better his NCAA provisional qualifying mark as the Pioneers took the lead on the opening day of the Midwest Conference Championships Friday, May 8, at Waukesha, Wis.

Grinnell has 56 points, four ahead of defending champion Monmouth College and five in front of Illinois College. In the women's standings, Grinnell is fourth with 23 points. Monmouth is first with 92.

Men's champs for the Pioneers were Ethan Heppner '11 (left) in the men's 10,000-meter run (33 minutes, 2.87 seconds) and Tommy Jamison '09 (second from left) in the men's 1500 run (4:01.47).

Mike Hargadine '09 (second from right) was second in the men's pole vault (14 feet, 4 ¾ inches) and Willie Stewart '09 (right) again established an NCAA provisional mark by going 192-10 in the men's javelin throw, which bettered his previous best toss of 191-11. Joey Snyder '10 was third in the javelin with a throw of 173-2. Noah DeLong '11 was third in the men's 1500 in 4:02.70.

On the women's side, Grinnell's best finish on Friday came from Anna Gilbert '09 in the pole vault. She went 9-6 ½.
Day 1 Results

The Grinnell College track and field teams will look for big performances when they compete in the 2009 Midwest Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships this weekend in Waukesha, Wis.

Both Pioneer teams finished fifth in last year's meet. Four Grinnell men have the league's top performances in various events this season - Kyle Lynch-Klarup '10 in the 800-meter run (1 minute, 57.14 seconds), Thomas Jamison '09 in the 1500 (4:02.98), Willie Stewart '09 in the javelin (191-11) and Mike Hargadine '09 in the pole vault (14 feet, 7 ¼ inches).

Grinnell has no league leaders on the women's side, but Leah Russell '11, Curran Johnson '09 (high jump) and Anna Gilbert '09 (pole vault) all rank among the top three.

Team-wise, Monmouth College will look to continue its domination. The Fighting Scots have won every MWC men's title since 2001 and the women have a winning streak dating to 2005.

The meet begins at 11 a.m. on Friday, May 8, with the women's hammer competition. The final event is slated
2009 MWC Championship Information
Quick Results

Grinnell College's Katie Colver '09 and Thomas Jamison '09 have been recognized as Midwest Conference Track and Field Performers of the Week.

Colver, from Waukegan, Ill., was named the Women's Field Performer of the Week and Jamison, from Portland, Ore., was tabbed the Men's Track Performer of the Week.

Colver broke a 22-year-old school record in the javelin Friday at the Central College Open in Pella with a throw of 111 feet, 1 inch, breaking the previous mark by nearly a foot-and-a-half. The senior had never competed in track and field prior to this year, and is the only athlete in Midwest Conference history to win 12 women's league titles (four singles, four doubles, four team).

Jamison placed third in the 1500-meter run at Central with a time of 4 minutes, 2.98 seconds, less than .2 seconds behind the winner. Jamison's clocking leads the Midwest Conference this season.

The men's Field Performer of the Week is Illinois College's Zach Hopkins, while Mary Kate Beyer of Monmouth College is the Women's Track Performer of the Week.

Mike Hargadine '09 (pictured) moved up to second on Grinnell College's all-time pole vault chart after leaping 14 feet, 7 ¼ inches at the Central Open on Friday, May 1, in Pella.

Hargadine, whose previous-best had been 14-5 ½, finished second in the event. Other runners-up for Grinnell at the meet were Griffin Smith '12 in the 5000-meter run (17 minutes, 35.77 seconds) and Marquis Bradley '11 in the javelin (164-3). Third-place finishes were garnered by Tommy Jamison '09 in the 1500 (4:02.98), Fernando Jenkins '10 in the long jump (20-5 ¼) and Joey Snyder '10 in the javelin (158-4).

Taking fourth were Noah DeLong '11 in the 1500 (4:03.69), Jordan Bell-Masterson '12 in the 5000 (18:44.21), the 4x100 relay team (43.07), Jenkins in the pole vault (12-1 ½), Rob Yin '12 in the triple jump (39-5) and Mike Horrell '09 in the 3000 (9:22.65). Erik Jarvis '12 added a fifth-place finish in the 800 (1:59.69) and Daryl Brost '12 added an identical finish in the long jump (17-9 ½).

No team scores were kept at the meet.

On the women's side, Katie Colver '09 set a new school record in the javelin and Sachi Graber '12 finished in a three-way tie for first place in the women's pole vault.

Colver's toss of 111-1 bettered the previous Grinnell record of 109-8 set by Joanne Sackett in 1987. Graber leaped 8-8 1/4 en route to winning the pole vault.

Colver finished second in the javelin with her record-setting throw. Other runner-up finishes were collected Curran Johnson in the high jump (5-1 ¼) and Victoria Vertilo '12 in the triple jump (29-4 ¾).

Grinnell had a number of fourth-place finishers, including Becky Bessinger '09 in the 1500 (4:56.91), Vicky Diedrichs '11 in the 400 hurdles (1:11.02), Allegra Kwong '11 in the long jump (15-3 ¼) and the 4x400 relay team (4:17.45). Placing fifth was Kwong in the 400 (1:08.53), Leah Russell '11 in the 1500 (5:00.46), Sara Freeman '09 in the javelin (68-2) and the 4x100 relay team (55.06).
Meet Results

The Grinnell College track team enjoyed a pair of high placings on the men's side during the Kip Janvrin Open hosted by Simpson College on Friday, April 24.

The 4x100-meter relay team of Scott Phillips '11, David Hermann '11, Mike Martinez '10 and Winnon Brunson '10 placed third with a clocking of 43.79 seconds, while Shyam Deshpande '11 was fourth in the 5000-meter run in 15:39.77. Brunson '10 added a seventh-place finish in the men's 100 with a time of 11.42, and the 4x400 relay team was ninth in 3:29.51.

On the women's side, Grinnell had one top five finisher in the 4x400 relay team. The Pioneers had a clocking of 4:38.45, good for fifth place. Sachi Graber '12 was 11th in the pole vault with a leap of 2.6 meters, while Becky Bessinger '09 placed 12th in the 1500 in 5:02.78. Placing 13th were Curran Johnson '09 in the high jump (1.5 meters) and Victoria Vertilo '12 in the triple jump (8.58 meters).

On the men's side, Rob Yin '12 and Daryl Brost '12 were 11th and 12th, respectively, in the triple jump with leaps of 11.55 meters and 11.3 meters. Kyle Lynch-Klarup '10 was 12th in the 1500 in 4:07.78, while Mike Hargadine '09 took 14th in the javelin with a toss of 43.66 meters.
Results

Willie Stewart ‘09 of Grinnell College placed 21st in the men’s university/college division javelin competition at the prestigious Drake Relays in Des Moines on Friday, April 24.

Stewart was one only two NCAA Division III athletes slated to compete in the meet, but the other ended up not competing. Stewart had a best toss of 162 feet, 7 inches and finished ahead of three Division I athletes.

The winner was Ben Chretien of McNeese State, who had a best throw of 220-3.

Grinnell College's Willie Stewart '09 has qualified for the prestigious Drake Relays, where he'll participate in the university/college division javelin competition on Friday.

Of the 25 qualifiers for the event, which is contested at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Stewart (Grinnell, Iowa/Grinnell HS) is one of just two NCAA Division III athletes. All of the others compete at the Division I level expect one, who is a Division II athlete.

Stewart, who has thrown 191 feet, 11 inches this season, is in the first of two flights for the event that begins at 10:30 a.m.

Ethan Heppner '11, Joey Snyder '10 and Mike Hargadine '09 all earned third-place finishes to spark the Grinnell College men's track and field team at its own Dick Young Classic on Saturday, April 18, at Les Duke Track.

Heppner (left) placed third in the 10,000-meter run in 32 minutes, 41.10 seconds, while Snyder (center) had an identical placing in the javelin with a toss of 179 feet, 6 inches and Hargadine (right) in the pole vault with an effort of 13-11 ¼.

As a team, Grinnell placed fifth in the 16-team field with 56 points. Nebraska Wesleyan was the champ with 196.

Grinnell had a pair of fourth-place finishers with Mike Martinez '10 in the 200 (22.63) and Nick Sparr '09 in the 5000 (15:41.60). Placing fifth were Martinez in the 100 (11.46), Kyle Lynch-Klarup '10 in the 800 (1:57.82) and the 4x800 relay team (8:21.86).

On the women's side for Grinnell, Becky Bessinger '09 and Curran Johnson '09 each claimed first-place honors. Bessinger won the 3000-meter steeplechase in 11:56.55 and Johnson was first in the high jump at 5-1 ¾.

Their contributions helped Grinnell finish fourth in the 14-team field with 58 points. Nebraska Wesleyan was first with 164.5.

Anna Gilbert '09 added a runner-up finish for Grinnell in the pole vault with an effort of 9-6 ¼, while fourth-place finishes were garnered by Hannah Colter '12 in the 5000 (19:47.31), Elizabeth Jach '09 in the 10,000 (41:01.07) and the 4x400 relay team (4:20.91). Maja Gamble '11 was fifth in the 5000 (19:51.70).
Men's Results

Grinnell College's Kyle Lynch-Klarup '10 has been named the Midwest Conference Men's Track Performer of the Week.

Lynch-Klarup, from Charletson, Ill. (Charleston HS), finished second in the 800-meter run at the Cornell College Invitational last weekend with a clocking of 1 minute, 56.9 seconds. That time leads the Midwest Conference and is also a personal-best. He owns the MWC's top time in the 1500 this season, as well.

The Women's Track Performer of the Week is Megan O'Grady of Carroll University. The Men's and Women's Field Performers of the Week are Peyton Lumzy of Monmouth College and Rebecca Grafenauer of Carroll.

Joey Snyder '10 (pictured) won the javelin to lead the way for the Grinnell College men's track and field team at the Cornell College Invitational in Mount Vernon on Saturday, April 11.

Snyder's winning toss was 160 feet, 1 inch. The Pioneers were second in three events - Kyle Lynch-Klarup '10 in the 800-meter run (1 minute, 56.9 seconds), Sam Goldstein '11 in the triple jump (39-2 ¼) and the 4x100 relay (43.91).

Snyder was third in the discus (136-7), while Goldstein was fourth in the long jump (18-2 ¼). Winnon Brunson '10 placed fifth in the 100 (11.0), while Sam Levy '11 had an identical placing in the 400 hurdles (62.5).

On the women's side, Curran Johnson '09 won the high jump with a leap of 5-3, second-best in school history. Grinnell placed third in two other women's events, as Vicky Diedrichs '11 was third in the 400-meter hurdles in 71.5 and the 4x100 relay team had an identical placing in 54.68.

Placing fourth were Maia Olsen '11 in the 400 hurdles (75.7), Allegra Kwong '11 in the long jump (14-2 ½) and the 4x400 relay team (4:28.1).

Grinnell's men were fourth in the team standings with 55 points, while the women were fifth with 35. The Pioneers host the Dick Young Classic this coming Saturday.
Cornell College Invitational

Willie Stewart '09 (pictured) placed second in the men's javelin to lead the Grinnell College track and field teams at the Central College Invitational on Saturday, April 4.

Stewart had a toss of 176 feet. Mike Hargadine '09 was sixth in the event with an effort of 156-2. Nick Sparr '09 added a fourth-place finish in the 3000-meter steeplechase with a clocking of 10 minutes, 14.93 seconds, while two Pioneers placed sixth - Ethan Heppner '11 in the 5000 (15:45.35) and Hargadine in the pole vault (13-5 ¼).

Sam Goldstein '11 was eighth in the triple jump (40-2 ¼) and Kyle Lynch-Klarup '10 and Joey Snyder '10 placed ninth in the 1500 and discus, respectively, with efforts of 4:12.02 and 137-5. Dan Krauss '12 was 11th in the 5000 in 15:57.54.

On the women's side, Anna Gilbert '09 tied for eighth in the pole vault with a leap of 9-6 ¼.

Katie Colver '09 was 12th in the javelin at 95-10, and Leah Russell '11 placed 13th in the 1500 with a time of 5:07.85. Taking 15th were Curran Johnson '09 in the high jump (4-7) and Victoria Vertilo '12 in the triple jump (28-7).

Grinnell College's Nick Sparr '09 (pictured) won the men's 3000-meter run and established a new school record in the process at the Shamrock Invitational hosted by Coastal Carolina University on Saturday, March 21.

Sparr finished in 8 minutes, 47.44 seconds to beat his nearest competitor by more than 2 seconds. Sparr's time shattered the previous Grinnell school mark of 9:01.10 set in 2001.

Grinnell had two other high place winners in the 3000, as Tommy Jamison '09 placed eighth in 9:33.23 and Austin Redman '12 was 13th in 10:46.62.

Fernando Jenkins '10 was ninth in the men's long jump with a leap of 20 feet, 2 ¼ inches and Allegra Kwong '11 was 12th in the women's version of the event, going 13-10 ½.

Other top 20 finishers for Grinnell on Saturday were Sachi Graber '12 in the women's 3000 (14th in 11:18.12), Daryl Brost '12 in the men's long jump (17th in 16-11 ¼) and Erik Jarvis '12 in the men's 1500 (17th in 4:22.80).
Meet Results
Photo Gallery

Willie Stewart '09 placed third in the men's javelin and has a provisional NCAA qualifying mark, and Becky Bessinger '09 took fifth in the women's 3000-meter steeplechase to lead the way for the Grinnell College track and field teams at the Shamrock Invitational hosted by Coastal Carolina University on Friday, March 20.

Stewart had a throw of 191 feet, 11 inches to beat his previous personal best of 191-7. Bessinger, already the school record holder in the steeplechase, finished in 11 minutes, 53.85 seconds.

Mike Hargadine '09 added an 18th-place finish in the men's javelin with a throw of 139-10. The meet continues Saturday.
Friday's Results

A day after winning the men's 5000-meter run at the Midwest Conference Track and Field Championships at Monmouth, Ill., Grinnell College's Henry Reich '09 added to his title collection by winning the 3000 on Saturday, Feb. 28.

Reich (upper left) ran the race in 8 minutes, 45.61 seconds and went on to be named one of four Outstanding Track Performers of the Meet. Grinnell also won the distance medley relay in 10:41.61 with Nick Sparr '09 (upper middle), Erik Jarvis '12 (upper right), Tommy Jamison '09 (lower left) and Chris Wilson '11 (lower right).

Kyle Lynch-Klarup '10 was the runner-up in the 800 in 1:59.12, finishing just .20 out of first, while Ethan Heppner '11 was second in the 3000 in 8:54.26. The 4x400 relay team of Dylan Boucher '12, Davis Hermann '11, Jarvis and Lynch-Klarup placed fourth in 3:31.94.

Grinnell finished fifth in the team standings with 107 points, just five points out of fourth. Monmouth was the champ with 149.

On the women's side, Leah Russell '11 and Becky Bessinger '09 each collected fourth-place finishes to spark Grinnell. Russell placed fourth in the 800-meter run in 2 minutes, 26.06 seconds, while Bessinger had an identical placing in the 3000 in 10:56.52.

Sachi Graber '12 took sixth in the pole vault with a leap of 8 feet, 6 ¾ inches and the 4x400 relay team was also sixth in 4:26.94.

Grinnell was eighth in the team standings with 34 points, but finished just 7.5 points out of a sixth-place tie.
Final MWC Results

Henry Reich '09 (pictured) won the men's 5000-meter run to help the Grinnell men's team to first place after the opening day of the Midwest Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships Friday, Feb. 27, at Monmouth, Ill.

Reich won the race in 15 minutes, 9.55 seconds and teammate Ethan Heppner '11 was the runner-up in 15:28.61. Their efforts helped Grinnell score 63 points to lead runner-up Illinois College by 10.

Beside Heppner, other Pioneer men finishing second were Tommy Jamison '09 in the mile (4:26.43), Mike Hargadine '09 in the pole vault (14 feet, ½ inch) and the 1600 sprint medley relay team of Andrew Hirakawa '12, Mike Martinez '10, Davis Hermann '11 and Kyle Lynch-Klarup '10 (3:38.05).

The 4x200 relay team of Dylan Boucher '12, Martinez, Hermann and Fernando Jenkins '10 was third (1:33.65), the same placing achieved by Chris Wilson '11 in the mile (4:26.83). Nick Sparr '09 took fourth in the mile in 4:27.60.

On the women's side, Curran Johnson '09 set a new Grinnell record in the women's high jump by going 5-1 1/4 while tying for second in the event. Her leap breaks the previous Pioneer best of 5-1 established by Abby Green in 1990.

The Pioneers' next-highest women's finisher Friday was Becky Bessinger '09, who took fifth in the mile in 5:28.93. As a team, Grinnell is in seventh place with 16 points. Monmouth College is the leader with 74.

The meet continues on Saturday, starting at 10:30 a.m.
Day 1 Results

The Grinnell College men's and women's track and field teams will attempt to improve on last year's finishes when they participate in the 2009 Midwest Conference Indoor Championships this weekend at Monmouth, Ill.

Grinnell's women placed fourth at last year's event with 44 points, while the men were sixth with 36. Monmouth won both titles last year.

The meet begins at 3 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 27, and continues the following day, starting at 10:30 a.m.
Meet Schedule

The Grinnell College track and field teams posted a pair of runner-up finishes at the Spartan Open indoor meet hosted by the University of Dubuque on Saturday, Feb. 21.

Becky Bessinger '09 was the runner-up in the women's 3000-meter run in 11:10.09, while the Pioneer men finished second in the 4x200 relay in 1:55.80. Placing third were Vicky Diedrichs '11 in the women's 400 (67.18), Dylan Boucher '12 in the men's high jump (5-9 ¾) and Mike Hargadine '09 in the men's pole vault (13-9 ¼).

Rob Yin '12 was fourth in the men's triple jump (38-8 ¼), while men placing fifth were Mike Martinez '10 in the 200 (23.69), Fernando Jenkins '10 in the long jump (20-2 ½) and the 4x400 relay team (3:32.48). Women taking fifth were Maia Olsen '11 in the 200 (28.80), Sachi Graber '12 in the 3000 (11:33.82) and the 4x400 relay team (4:28.02).
Results

The Grinnell College men's and women's track and field teams will head to the University of Dubuque to compete in the school's indoor invitational on Saturday, Feb. 21.

Other schools there besides the Pioneers and host team are Knox College, Loras College, Luther College, Augustana College and Cornell College. The meet begins at 10 a.m.

Grinnell's next competition following the meet will be the Midwest Conference Championships, hosted by Monmouth College on Feb. 27-28.

For more information on the meet, click here.

Grinnell College's Henry Reich '09 raced to victory in the men's 3000-meter run and set a meet record to spark the Pioneers at the 2009 Dennis Young Classic indoor track and field meet hosted by Buena Vista University on Saturday, Feb. 14.

Reich toured the track in 8 minutes, 47.96 seconds to beat the previous meet record of 8:48.55 that was set in 2003. He led a charge of three Pioneers who finished in the top four in the event. Ethan Heppner '11 was third place in 9:00.96 and Sam Calisch '10 placed fourth in 9:03.64.

Grinnell had two other third-place finishes besides Heppner. Dylan Bouchar '12 was third in the men's high jump with a leap of 1.77 meters, while the men's 4x200 relay team of Winnon Brunson '10, Bouchar, Mike Martinez '10 and Davis Hermann '11 had an identical placing in 1:34.56.

Taking fourth for the Pioneers were Victoria Vertilo '12 in the women's triple jump (8.56 meters), Tommy Jamison '09 in the men's mile run (4:30.93) and Noah DeLong '11 in the men's 800 run (1:59.24).

Fifth place went to Sachi Graber '12 in the women's pole vault (2.40 meters), Sam Goldstein '11 in the men's triple jump (12.39 meters), Hannah Colter '12 in the women's 3000 run (11:24.55) and the women's 4x200 relay team of Maia Olsen '11 VIcky Diedrichs '11, Stepahnie Rouse '12 and Vertilo (2:01.03).

Grinnell's men placed fourth in the team standings with 53 points, while the women were fifth with 15. Nebraska Wesleyan University won both division titles.

The Pioneers head to the University of Dubuque Invitational on Saturday, Feb. 21.
Meet Results

Three members of the Grinnell College men's track and field team placed in the top 10 in the mile run at the Hilltop Open hosted by Cornell College in Mount Vernon on Saturday, Feb. 7.

Noah DeLong '11 was fourth in 4 minutes, 32.85 seconds, Chris Wilson '11 placed fifth in 4:33.61 and Nick Sparr '09 was ninth in 4:37.36.

Mike Hargadine '09 added a fourth-place finish in the pole vault with a leap of 12 feet, 5 ½ inches and Sam Goldstein '10 was seventh in the triple jump at 41-3 ¼.

On the women's side, Curran Johnson '09 tied for second in the high jump with a leap of 4-11. Others in the top 10 for the Pioneers were Hannah Colter '12 in the mile run (5 minutes, 46.40 seconds) and Sachi Graber '12 in the pole vault (7-6). Both were 10th.

No team scores were kept at the meet.
Men's Results

Montgomery had a clocking of 15:21.45 and was less than 2 seconds out of the runner-up spot. Teammate Henry Reich '09 placed eighth in the event in 15:38.79. Their efforts helped Grinnell to fifth place in the team standings with 82 points. Monmouth won the title again with 267 points.

Kyle Lynch-Klarup '10 placed fourth in the 800 in 1:57.13, Noah DeLong '11 was fifth in 1:58.02 and Thomas Jamison '09 took seventh in 1:59.34. Nick Sparr '09 placed fourth in the 3000 steeplechase in 9:51.78 and Charlie Knuth '08 placed seventh in 10:04.44.

Winnon Brunson '10 added a sixth-place finish in the 100 in 11.52. The Pioneers were fourth in the 4x100 relay in 43.83 and fifth in the 4x400 in 3:31.10.

On the women's side, Allison Louthan '08 cruised to victory in the 5000-meter run for the Pioneers.

Louthan's winning clocking was 17:46.03 to beat the runner-up by nearly 25 seconds. Her efforts helped Grinnell place fifth in the team standings with 59 points. Monmouth College defended its title with 241 points.

Molly Kratz '08 placed in a pair of events Saturday, taking third in the 400 in 59.52 and seventh in the 200 in 27.51. Victoria Diedrichs '11 was fourth in the 400 hurdles in 1:10.14 and Liza Brost '10 placed sixth in that event in 1:12.73 while also taking fifth in the 100 hurdles in 16.77.

Leah Russell '11 placed fifth in the 800 in 2:28.72 and Frances Leslie '10 took sixth in 2:29.19. The Pioneers added a fifth-place finish in the 4x400 relay (4:09.14) and seventh-place finish in the 4x100 relay (51.86).
Final Results

The Pioneers have 40 points and trail only defending champion Monmouth College entering the last day of competition.

Grinnell was sparked by a pair of runner-up finishes Friday, those by Willie Stewart '09 (pictured) in the javelin with a toss of 189-0 - which is an NCAA provisional mark - and David Montgomery in the 10,000-meter run with a time of 33:12.87. The Pioneers had two other runners place in that event, as well. Henry Reich '09 was third in the 10,000 in 33:27.21 and Ethan Heppner '11 was sixth in 33:50.07. In the javelin, Marquis Bradley '11 was fifth at 167-4 and Mike Hargadine '09 placed sixth at 161-10.

Noah DeLong '11 was fourth in the 1500 in 4:02.83 and Nick Sparr '09 was seventh in 4:05.28. Hargadine added a fifth-place finish in the pole vault with a leap of 13-11 ¼ and Fernando Jenkins '10 was seventh at 13-5 ¼. Winnon Brunson '10 qualified fifth for the 100 dash finals with a prelim time of 11.29.

On the women's side, Allison Louthan '08 earned a runner-up finish in the 10,000-meter run and earned a provisional NCAA qualifying mark.

Louthan ran the race in 37:14.62. Another Pioneer also placed, as Rachel Whitfield '10 ran 43:07.28 to finish sixth. Anna Gilbert '09 added a fourth-place finish in the pole vault with a leap of 10-6 ¾.

A number of Pioneers qualified for Saturday's finals with strong preliminary performances Friday. Victoria Diedrichs '11 qualified second in the 400 hurdles in 1:08.93 and Liza Brost '10 qualified sixth in 1:11.30. Brost was also a finalist in the 100 hurdles, as her prelim time of 16.77 ranked seventh. Molly Kratz '08 qualified for the finals in the 400, where she had the fourth-fastest prelim time of 1:00.06, and 200 where she ranked seventh in 26.92.

Grinnell is currently sixth in the team standings with 16 points. Monmouth College leads the way.
Day 1 Results

Grinnell finished fourth in the men's division last season with 71 points, just 14 behind third-place St. Norbert College. The Pioneer women were sixth in 2007 with 68 points, but just 12 points out of being in the top five. Monmouth College won both the men's and women's titles.

The meet begins at 11 a.m. Friday with the women's hammer, while the final event of the day are the men's and women's 200-meter trials at 6 p.m. The meet resumes at 9 a.m. Saturday with the men's hammer and will finish up with the 4x400 relays at 3:25 p.m.
2008 Midwest Conference Championships

The top place winner was Allison Louthan '08, who was second in the women's 3000-meter run in 10:27.06. Anna Gilbert '09 was fourth in the women's pole vault with a leap of 2.88 meters, the same placing garnered by the Pioneer women's and men's distance medley relay teams. Grinnell's women ran the race in 13:39.64 with Emily Lynam '09, Maia Olson '11, Lilah Melzer '11 and Maja Gamble '11 and the men ran 11:01.45 with Chris Knap '08, Mike Hargadine '09, Shyam Deshpande '11 and David Montgomery '10.

Placing fifth were Frances Leslie '10 in the women's 800 in 2:28.73 and Kyle Lynch-Klarup '10 in the men's 800 in 2:01.58. Grinnell also placed fifth in the men's 4x400 relay with Fernando Jenkins '10, Davis Hermann '11, Hargadine and Lynch-Klarup in 3:37.73 and the women were sixth in that event in 4:21.04 with Molly Kratz '08, Leslie, Leah Russell '11 and Olson. Kratz '08 was seventh in the women's 400 in 1:02.43.

Other top 10 finishers for the Pioneers were Sam Calisch '10 and Charlie Knuth in the men's 3000 (ninth and 10th in 9:12.42 and 9:14.23, respectively), plus Maggie Kamraczewski '10 in the women's triple jump (10th at 9.11 meters).

Grinnell was fourth in the women's team standings with 44 points and the men were sixth with 36. Monmouth College won both divisions, scoring 237 on the men's side and 202 in the women's division.
Day 2 Results

The Pioneer men have 23 points and the women 17. Monmouth College is first in both divisions, as the men have 109 points and the women 80.

The Pioneers had a pair of runner-up finishes on the day, both coming in the 5000-meter run. Allison Louthan '08 was second in the women's version of the event in 17:53.26, while David Montgomery '10 was the runner-up in the men's running in 15:32.09. Maja Gamble '11 also placed in the women's 5000, taking sixth in 19:29.98.

Other Pioneer individuals who placed Friday were Mike Hargadine '09 in the men's pole vault (fifth at 3.98 meters), Chris Wilson '11 in the men's mile run (fifth in 4:31.23) and Emily Lynam '09 in the women's mile (eighth in 5:43.27). Grinnell also placed in a number of relays. The Pioneers were fifth in the men's 1600 sprint medley event with Winnon Brunson '10, Fernando Jenkins '10, Davis Hermann '11 and Kyle Lynch-Klarup '10 (3:43.96), sixth in the women's 4x200 relay with Molly Kratz '08, Frances Leslie '10, Maia Olson and Liza Brost '10 (1:55.29), sixth in the men's 4x200 relay with Brunson, Jenkins, Hermann and Mike Martinez '10 (1:36.88) and seventh in the women's 1600 sprint medley relay with Olson, Maggie Kamraczewski '10, Kratz and Leah Russell '11 (4:38.76).
Day 1 Results