Several athletes on the indoor track and field team improved their marks last weekend at the Heart of America Athletic Conference Championships hosted by Graceland University.
Senior Chelsey Ornburn won the conference title and set the conference record for pole vault in Lamoni, Iowa.
She achieved a height of 3.66 meters, which set not only the conference record, but also the all-time Baker University record and Ornburn’s personal record.
“It was just a really exciting meet,” Ornburn said. “It was a really good way to go out and finish my indoor track career.”
Junior Ashlee Miller was named Female Athlete of the Meet, after compiling the highest individual point totals. It was the first time in Baker history that a Wildcat female was named.
“It was pretty exciting and a big honor for her,” head coach Zach Kindler said.
Kindler is hopeful of Miller’s future at nationals in Tennessee.
“She has the opportunity to be an All-American and place at the top, so we’re pretty excited about her,” Kindler said.
Ornburn and Miller both have qualified for the national championships in their respective events.
Overall, the Baker women placed third and the men placed sixth at the HAAC Championships.
“The guys could have absolutely done better,” Kindler said. “We had the opportunity to do better, but we didn’t take advantage of it like we could have.”
Next Fridayand Saturday, Baker indoor track and field athletes who qualified for the indoor National Athletic Interscholastic Association National Championships will travel to Johnson City, Tenn.
Junior thrower Brian Korn, a national qualifier in the shot put and weight throw, is looking at nationals as a chance at redemption.
“I kind of have to redeem myself with how I did at conference but I hope to do well at nationals,” Korn said.
Korn placed fourth in both events at the conference championship.
Baker national qualifiers will continue to prepare for indoor competition as usual and rest for the days leading up to nationals.
“We don’t want to do anything intense because we don’t want to be worn out when nationals start,” Ornburn said.
