Tiger track and field teams win eight events at Johnson

With the temperature hovering around 45 degrees inside Johnson County’s indoor track facility, the Cowley College indoor track and field teams did not let the cold weather stop them from having some solid performances.

Competing against host Johnson County and Coffeyville on one of the tightest-turned indoor tracks in the country, Cowley won eight events.

“We used it as a workout meet, but we still had some good performances,” Cowley head coach Mark Phillips said. “We were pleased with the work we got done.”

Sophomore Kelsey Poljansek led the way for the women’s team. Poljansek, who has already qualified for the NJCAA indoor national meet in the shot put, set a school record in the event on Friday with a first-place distance of 47 feet, 10 inches. She also won the women’s weight throw, recording a national meet qualifying mark of 45 feet, 3 1/4 inches.

“Kelsey keeps rolling along,” Phillips said. “She had another really good meet.”

Freshman Jessica McLeod qualified for nationals in the 1,000-meter run, placing second with a time of 3:16.6. Freshman Xandria Cash won the women’s 400-meter dash with a time of 1:06.39.

The Cowley men’s team turned in five first-place finishes and a national qualifying mark by freshman Willy Lucero as he placed second in the pole vault, clearing a height of 14 feet, 0.50 inches.

“Willy had a good performance,” Phillips said.

Freshman Deion Ruble won the 400-meter dash with a time of 53.84, while freshman Rolando Vasquez (4:38.32) won the men’s mile run. Sophomore Dakota Price (1:23.80) won the 600-meter run, freshman Sean Brown placed first in the high jump (6-3 ¼), and freshman Chip Broaddus (42-5 3/4) won the weight throw.

Cowley will return to action Friday at the Jayhawk Invite in Lawrence.

“We want to knock out a bunch more national qualifying marks and hope the field event people keep progressing,” Phillips said.

Cowley results:
WOMEN
•400-meter dash — Xandria Cash, 1:06.39, first.
•1,000-meter run — Jessica McLeod, 3:16.60, second, national qualifier.
•Pole vault — Anna German, 7-4 ½, third.
•Triple jump — Sasha Oliver, 33-10 3/4, third.
•Long jump — Oliver, 14-8 ¾, third.
•Shot put — Poljansek, 45-8, first, national qualifier, school record.
•Weight throw — Poljansek, 45-3 ¾, first, national qualifier.

MEN
•60-meter dash — John Kenney, 7.06, third.
•400-meter dash — Deion Ruble, 53.84, first; Rusty Gray, 56.09, second.
•Mile run — Rolando Vasquez, 4:38.32, first.
•600-meter run — Dakota Price, 1:23.80, first; Justin Viewins, 1:26.22, third; Larry Hill, 1:27.39, fourth; Jerell McCane, 1:37.24, seventh.
•4x400-meter relay: Cowley ‘A’ (Hill, Viewins, Ruble, Mark Butler), 3:32.78,  third; Cowley ‘B’ (McCane, Sean Brown, Gray, Kenney), 3:50.14, fifth; Cowley ‘C’ (Vasquez, Colziah Jones, Lucero, Jordan Pote), 3:59.12, seventh.
•Pentathlon — Mark Butler, 2,350, second; Sean Brown, 2,101, third.
•High jump — Brown, 6-3 ¼, first; Colziah Jones, 5-10 ¾, second.
•Pole vault — Willy Lucero, 14-1/2, national qualifier, second; Jordan Pote, 13-6 ¾, third; Jones, 13-6 ¾, sixth..
•Weight throw — Chip Broaddus, 42-5 ¾, first; Mitch Hewitt, 37-9 ½, third.