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Men's Track
UNI Claims MVC Outdoor Championship
May 15, 2005
Cedar Falls, Iowa - The University of Northern Iowa claimed the men's team title, while Wichita State University won the women's team crown, at the 2005 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships that concluded today at Mark Messersmith Outdoor Complex. The Panther men had a huge Sunday. UNI was in third place entering today's competition, trailing second-day leader Wichita State by 25 points. But the Panthers outscored the Shockers 140 points to 47 today to win going away, finishing with a 68 point edge over second place WSU - their largest outdoor margin of victory of the four MVC outdoor championships under head coach Chris Bucknam. "What an effort," said Bucknam, who also earned MVC Men's Coach of the Year honors. "It was just an unbelievable performance by our kids. We fought hard and came through. We're indoor and outdoor champions and it's extra-special to win it at home." The Panthers were led by senior Dirk Homewood (Cedar Falls, Iowa), who was named the meet's outstanding track athlete and was high men's point scorer. Homewood claimed two individual titles today, in the 200 meters (20.88) and 400 meters (45.78). His 400 meter time set a new UNI and MVC outdoor championship record. Homewood was also a part of UNI's winning 4x100 relay team. Running the third leg, Homewood - along with Jamie Goodwin (McKeesport, Pa.), Cody Eichmeier (Ackley, Iowa), and anchor Patrick Hunter (Washington, Iowa) set a school as well as Missouri Valley Conference outdoor championships record with a time of 39.96. Their clocking was more than a full second ahead of runner-up Wichita State.
The Panthers had outstanding performances all day long, also claiming men's championships in the 4x400 relay with the team of Ryan Kedley (Lowden, Iowa), Mark Harris (Toronto, Canada), Brent Dahlstrom (Cedar Falls, Iowa) and Terrance Reid (Davenport, Iowa) in a time of 3:10.92; Hunter in the 100 meters (10.43); and Andre Pojalnec (Ljubljana, Slovenia) in the pole vault (17-10 ½). The Panthers went 1-2-3 in the pole vault, with Jarno Kivioja (Porvoo, Finland) placing second after jumping 17-2 ¾, and Raven Cepeda (Beloit, Wis.) third with a height of 16-6 ¾. UNI cleaned up in the 200 meters, taking four of the six scoring positions. Following Homewood were Eichmeier in second (21.27), Hunter in third (also officially 21.27) and Goodwin in fifth (21.53). Other top performances included Kyle Smith (Toronto, Canada) finishing second in the 800 meters in a time of 1:51.76, while teammate Adam Hinders (Waverly, Iowa) placed third in 1:52.76. Yuriy Litvinski (Sliven, Bulgaria) finished second in the triple jump with a mark of 49-10 3/4, while Jon Drury (Clarion, Iowa) placed third in the 400 hurdles (53.17) and fifth in the 110 hurdles (14.57). The Panthers' women finished sixth overall. Individually, freshman Crystal Hanson (Roland, Iowa) placed third in the high jump with a mark of 5'7". In the 400 meters, Lauren Carruthers (Bettendorf, Iowa) was fourth in 54.76 and Lynnette Wilson (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) sixth in 55.81. Kara Yahn (Clinton, Iowa) managed a fifth-place showing in the 400 hurdles in a time of 1:01.44, while Sarah Behrens (Marathon, Iowa) and Morgen Edwards (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) placed fourth and fifth, respectively, in the shot put. Men's Final Team Standings 1. UNI 174 Women's Final Team Standings 1. Wichita State 173 2005 MVC Outdoor Track and Field Individual Honors High Men's Point Scorer: Dirk Homewood, UNI |
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