Spires Open Recap

Leavenworth, KS – There is nothing like a calm weekend in the spring to set great times on the track and launch throwing implements to the stars. As most people know, a calm weekend in the spring is a rarity in these parts. Well, this was nothing like a calm weekend in the spring as the wind was ready to howl and let everyone know it's windy. Regardless, the meet must and did go on.

This meet was different than most because it featured nothing but distance events of 800 meters up to a 5k on Friday with the sprints and field events going to work on Saturday. If you were a 400/800 meter person, you got the privilege of two days of competition.

The 1500 meter race was the first Pioneer race of the two-day event with senior Bret Bourquin leading the charge in the first heat. Bourquin settled in the top ten early on and used his opponents as shields against the wind while he patiently moved up. By the last lap Bourquin was comfortably in second before using the slingshot on the last curve to fly by his opponent. Bourquin grabbed the heat win as well as a personal best. Following Bourquin's performance, Riley Filmore tried a similar tactic in the ladies' 1500, shadowing the lead runner as long as she could. However, the lead from JBU was able to pull ahead a little leaving both exposed to the effects of the wind. Regardless, Riley made a strong surge at the end to take second place in the heat with a good debut time.

An athlete who fancies herself as more of the aforementioned 400/800, or less, specialist, Alex Gere, bolted in the 800 meter race with a quick 200 meters, leading all opponents before turning into the wind around the homestretch curve. Shortly after that, she drafted behind a couple athletes before taking over the second place spot and driving home. She ended up second in the fast heat to take the silver overall.

Saturday brought on a new sense of wonder with the sprinters taking the track and the ever-diligent throwers claiming the field events for the Pioneers.

The throwers were up first for the Pioneers as the ladies took to the shot put. Victoria Lotz was back to her dominant mode, though always humble, as she let the shot put fly for a first place finish, a personal and school record, and a National B standard qualifying mark. On the men's side, Jacob Creswell, Gabe Turley, and Eyasu Merid all claimed personal bests in the shot put as well. Creswell, Turley, and Merid added to their personal records in the discus though Alexander Dawkins led the assault with a fourth place finish. Along with that, Creswell debuted in the hammer throw by outdistancing his opponents for a first place finish.

Up on the hill, overlooking the throwing events in the valley, the sprinters took to the track with a strong headwind against them on the homestretch. For the 400 meter runners, that meant double prayer time as the last hundred meters is often known as the time to pray for deliverance. Lactic acid has built up in the first three hundred meters and then it is pray that you make it. Though times were slowed by the wind, that did not deter Joslyn Griffin and Destiny Lassiter who obviously found strength from the Lord as they claimed second and sixth places, respectively.

Though the 400 meter athletes had to deal with the wind head-on, the shorter sprinters in the 200, 100, 100 and 110 hurdles were gifted with the wind at their backs. The Pioneers were ready and happy to take advantage of that with six personal bests and great debut times. Lance Jones did his part in his first attempt at the 110 meter hurdles with a strong third place showing.

In the women's open 100 meter dash, Daizy Ntowe grabbed a top ten finish at eighth while Lakin Essex set a lifetime personal record. Kortez Washington kept the personal records coming in the men's 100 with Elijah Bergin and Gift Iredia following suit. Iredia, under 11 seconds, grabbed the third place finish overall.

Quickly back at it after the 100, Ntowe did one better in the 200 meter dash by taking seventh place with Griffin and Hannah Edwards both setting personal bests. Griffin also took a top ten spot overall. Washington doubled up his personal records with another in the men's event while Sam Keita debuted with a seventh place finish. Iredia did not let up either, going under 22 seconds to land in fifth overall.

Though the sprints were stacked one on top of the other, that did not deter the Pioneers from one more race, the mixed 4x400, two ladies and two gents; lady, gent, lady, gent. This relay rarely happens at a college meet, so the Pioneers took advantage of it. Having never run this before, the team of Ntowe, Bergin, Edwards, and Bourquin set the school record with a strong showing by each even though all, but Bourquin, had just come off the 200 meter dash. With a strong kick at the end, Bourquin came right up next to the leader from Park University but could not close the door when Park responded. This gave the Pioneers second place in the heat.

Following this exciting finish the second Pioneer team in the mixed 4x400 of Essex, Jones, Gere, and Keita were ready to claim the record as their own. Essex set the tone from the beginning leg as the Pioneers handed off in first. Then the lead grew with Jones and Gere moving away from the competition. When Keita, a strong 400 athlete, received the baton, it would have been hard to catch the Pioneers. Keita ran a smooth 400, never being pushed, though an athlete from Highland Community College made a valiant effort, sneaking up quickly in the last one hundred meters to give the Pioneers a scare. The second Pioneer team laid claim to the school record having bettered the first attempt by roughly nine seconds while also taking the meet title.

Though the wind was strong through most of the weekend, the Pioneers were up to the task and gained some strength through resistance training and, in some cases, very little recovery time.