Falk breaks record; Chargers continue to impress
Team prepares for 'mini-nationals' this Friday at GVSU challenge
Cody Ewers
Issue date: 2/5/09 Section: Sports
The Charger indoor throwing squad continues to lead the track and field team as junior Aaron Falk automatically qualified for NCAA Division II nationals in the weight throw this past weekend at Saginaw Valley State University, breaking a school record set last year by senior teammate Jason Stomps.
Falk, currently ranked fifth in the nation, said he's pretty excited about the accomplishment and that he enjoys the competition between him and Stomps.
"It's good to have someone on the team to trade records with," Falk said. "It helps push us to do better."
The mark is Falk's first automatic qualification in indoor track and field, and came off a three-turn throw, instead of his usual two-turn technique.
Men's track assistant coach Jeff Forino said he could afford to try out the technique switch on Falk because of his performance in the first meet of the year.
That meet went two inches shy of a provisionally qualifying time.
"I want to give credit to the kid, he's been very poised throughout the whole thing," Forino said. "He stuck with the three-turn throw, and its finally paying off. As he works on it in the coming weeks it'll become more consistent."
Forino said now that Falk's technique improved, "the sky's the limit" on what he could possibly accomplish - even after college.
Notable women performances from last weekend include: first-place finishes from junior Erin Cvengros in the 5k, sophomore Marta Scheiwe in the 200 meter dash, and junior Katie Hunt in the long jump - yet still shy of the provisional mark.
For the men, senior Kurt Weil provisionally qualified in the weight throw, freshman Tim Jagielski finished first in the mile and senior Andrew Dodson broke 2 meters in the high jump, earning him a sixth-place national ranking.
Junior captain Jared Krout took first in the 200m and surprisingly hit his previously provisional qualifying time right on the dot in the long jump.
Head coach Bill Lundberg has been impressed with Krout's performance this year.
"Talk about precision," Lundberg said. "This is the kid who previously broke a record in [the long jump] that had existed for more than 40 years!"
The team will be tested this weekend at Grand Valley State University's D-II Challenge. The meet will host most of the top schools in the conference, including ten out of the top 15 competitors in the division.
Forino refers to the meet in anticipation as a "mini-nationals." Here Falk expects to finish in the top three, if not first.
Falk, currently ranked fifth in the nation, said he's pretty excited about the accomplishment and that he enjoys the competition between him and Stomps.
"It's good to have someone on the team to trade records with," Falk said. "It helps push us to do better."
The mark is Falk's first automatic qualification in indoor track and field, and came off a three-turn throw, instead of his usual two-turn technique.
Men's track assistant coach Jeff Forino said he could afford to try out the technique switch on Falk because of his performance in the first meet of the year.
That meet went two inches shy of a provisionally qualifying time.
"I want to give credit to the kid, he's been very poised throughout the whole thing," Forino said. "He stuck with the three-turn throw, and its finally paying off. As he works on it in the coming weeks it'll become more consistent."
Forino said now that Falk's technique improved, "the sky's the limit" on what he could possibly accomplish - even after college.
Notable women performances from last weekend include: first-place finishes from junior Erin Cvengros in the 5k, sophomore Marta Scheiwe in the 200 meter dash, and junior Katie Hunt in the long jump - yet still shy of the provisional mark.
For the men, senior Kurt Weil provisionally qualified in the weight throw, freshman Tim Jagielski finished first in the mile and senior Andrew Dodson broke 2 meters in the high jump, earning him a sixth-place national ranking.
Junior captain Jared Krout took first in the 200m and surprisingly hit his previously provisional qualifying time right on the dot in the long jump.
Head coach Bill Lundberg has been impressed with Krout's performance this year.
"Talk about precision," Lundberg said. "This is the kid who previously broke a record in [the long jump] that had existed for more than 40 years!"
The team will be tested this weekend at Grand Valley State University's D-II Challenge. The meet will host most of the top schools in the conference, including ten out of the top 15 competitors in the division.
Forino refers to the meet in anticipation as a "mini-nationals." Here Falk expects to finish in the top three, if not first.
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