CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON

MONMOUTH, Ill. – The Monmouth College track team recorded three school records and two athletes come within a whisper of NCAA Championship’s automatic qualifying standards at last Saturday’s meet at Augustana College where the women placed third and the men fifth.

Tyler Hannam (Woodhull, Ill./Alwood) equaled the Fighting Scots’ high jump record and cleared the NCAA provisional qualifying height in the process. The junior won the event by two full inches and cleared 6’10-3/4” to tie national champion Eric Ealy’s school mark from 1986. Hannam’s nation’s-best height was just a quarter inch from the automatic qualifying height. Nick Byom and Sean Wells each cleared 6’6” to take third and fifth, respectively.

Recuperating through the indoor season has paid off for Luke Reschke (Geneseo, Ill./Geneseo) who eclipsed his own 400-meter dash school record. Reschke turned in the top time in the nation of 47.52 to win by nearly a second. His time was just two-hundredths off the automatic qualifying standard. He also placed third in the 200 with a time of 21.99. Shane Reschke ran a 49.78 in the 400 to finish seventh in the 400.

Monmouth’s third record-setting performance came on the women’s side where Rachel Bowden (Lexington, Ill./Lexington) set the new standard in the 800. The freshman clocked a 2:20.58 to take eighth in the field of 25.

Thrower Gloria Lehr recorded an improved provisional mark in the discus. Her lifetime-best throw of 146’11” placed her second and moved her to third in the national rankings. Lehr and Amanda Streeter added more points in the shot put. Lehr was sixth at 41’4-1/2’ and Streeter turned in a throw of 39’1-1/4” to take eighth. Streeter also had a career-best 151’0” in the hammer throw to place seventh.

The Scots took four of the top seven places in the women’s high jump after each cleared 4’11-3/4”. Sarah Stinson was third, Kaci Lierman tied for fourth, Chelsey Widdop took sixth and Heather Hull placed seventh.

Morgan Leffel led three Scots in the scoring for the women’s long jump. Leffel soared a winning distance of 16’9-3/4” to win by four inches. Widdop placed third at 15’11” and Alison Andrews was eighth at 15’6”. Leffel also ran a PR in the 400 where she was fifth in 1:00.39.

Javelin thrower Brittany McCline unleashed a personal-best to place second in that event. McCline’s mark of 125’2” improved her previous best by nearly five feet. Lehr placed second at 124’9” and Hull was eighth at 106’6”

Just six inches kept Whitney Didier from winning the pole vault. Didier cleared 11’2-1/5” to place second. Widdop and Didier were 5-6 in the 400 hurdles. Widdop clocked a 1:10.06 and Didier a 1:10.86.

Jae Moore scored points in two sprints. Her 12.72 in the 100 placed her fourth and she ran a 26.52 in the 200 to finish sixth.

The Scots will be competing at the Drake Relays and the Loras Open this weekend.