The Baker men’s and women’s track and field teams combined for 12 individual event championships and three Heart of America Athletic Conference records at the HAAC championships last weekend.
Ranked first going into the meet, the men’s 4×400-meter relay team was able to come out as event champions after a close race.
“Kome (Okiomah) came out and gave us a 49 (second run), and then J.L. (Anderson) jumped in and gave us a great leg and then we finished off with me and Tanner (Gleason) at anchor,” freshman Nick Pannell said.
“I gave it all I had on the back stretch and then I gave it to (Gleason) who ran a 48 (second run) and set the meet record at 3:18.”
Gleason anchored in the relay and was able to push ahead of Lindenwood University during his leg of the race, winning the race for Baker.
“Lindenwood had their own cheering section really going and so we kind of shut them up at the end,” Pannell said.
The relay team was not only able to win the conference championship but broke the HAAC championship record in the 4×400-meter relay.
The team will travel to St. Louis, Mo., and compete in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics championships in less than two weeks. Junior Aaron Hannon was originally set to run with the relay team, but freshman Anderson subbed in for Hannon because of cramps he suffered before the race.
The women’s 4×400-relay team also was able to come out of the meet as HAAC champions with a time of 4:01.02. More impressively, this is the team’s second consecutive championship in the event.
“Back-to-back championships is a really big deal especially with three of the four (women) returning,” senior Katey Wegemer said. “It’s also a really big deal because going back-to-back doesn’t happen a lot because there is normally a lot of turnover in the teams.”
Winning the men’s shot put and hammer throw was junior Brian Korn, who also broke the conference records in both events.
“It was a very good weekend to show the caliber athletes we have, and to break the HAAC records shows that they are the best in their event in HAAC history,” head coach Zach Kindler said.
The squad qualified several members for the 2009 NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships May 21 in Edwardsville, Ill.
Among the members of the squad who qualified for nationals is the men’s 4×100-relay team, the 4×400-relay team, Okiomah in the 200-meter, Korn in the shot put and hammer throw, and Anderson in the 110-meter hurdles and the 400-meter intermediate hurdles.
The women’s side qualified several of its own, including the 4×100-relay, the 4×400-relay and five individuals.
