MAY 23-25 — Karanja Wins National Championship
Freshman is country's fastest man in 400-meter hurdles; Saunders gets fourth All-American honor

Maple Leaf blur: Freshman John Karanja finishes the 400-meter hurdle prelims at the NAIA National Championships on Friday. Prior to winning the national championship with a clip of :50.82, Karanja had the third best time going into the final race.

Four-time All-American: Sophomore Heidi Saunders legs out the final strides in the 3,000-meter championship run on Friday. Her fourth-place finish in the event gave Saunders her fourth All-American honor in her two years at Goshen. Hefty heave: Senior Ann Christenson uncoils a shot put at the NAIA National championships on Saturday. Despite breaking her own school record, Christenson finished ninth overall in the event.

Olathe, KS — For the first time in school history, Goshen College has a national champion in track and field. Freshman John Karanja defended his label of being the fastest 400-meter hurdler in the country over the weekend, winning the event at the NAIA Outdoor National Championships at Mid-American Nazarene on Saturday.

Karanja ran a personal best time of :50.82 to take the final race, edging out Pat Brown of Oklahoma Baptist (:51.16) and third place finisher David Warren of Life (:52.22). Karanja’s final time outdid his old record of :51.20, which had slated him as the number one seed going into the national championships.

After finishing third in the preliminary race on Thursday with a :52.95 clip, Karanja ran a :52.37 time in the semi-final race, which was the third best time overall headed into the final event. In the championship race, Karanja unleashed his full speed, breaking away from Warren in the final curve and pulling away over the final two hurdles.

“Although John had backed off a little in each of his qualifying races, we weren’t sure what a couple of the other athletes had,” said Rick Clark, Goshen head coach. “His drawing of lane three in the finals gave him a full view of the main competitors that he knew he would have to beat. When he came around the straightaway, he just powered through the finish.”

Karanja’s final time of :50.82 is the 11th fastest time in the history of the 50-year event at the NAIA National Championships. That clip also would have won Karanja the national championship in eight of the past 10 years. All of this, and Karanja is only a freshman.

“I can’t tell you how excited I am,” Clark said. “This is huge for both John and the Goshen College track program. John has had a hard time realizing he is a national champion. He can get faster too, as he continues to train and lift. It really is an exciting time for John and our program.”

And while Karanja’s success was the highlight, he was not the only Maple Leaf athlete to shine at the championships. Sophomore Heidi Saunders added to her collection of All-American honors, taking fourth place in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 10:20.62, giving Saunders her fourth All-American finish in her two years at Goshen.

In the race, Saunders led the first four laps but fell back to sixth place before putting on a push at the end. Saunders crept back up to third, but was caught in the last 10 meters to finish fourth. With the top six athletes attaining All-American status in each event, her most recent honor accompanies her three other All-American awards — one in cross country as a freshman, another at last year’s outdoor championships (a third place finish in the same event) and one at the Indoor Track and Field National Championships (third place in the 1,500-meter event) this year.

“Heidi is an extremely talented runner,” Clark said. “We are very happy for her success and hope she can continue over the next two years.”

Senior shot putter Ann Christenson also made the trip to Kansas, arriving as the eight seed in the event. Despite breaking her own school record of 42 feet 9 inches, Christenson could “only” gather a ninth-place finish. Her throw of 42 feet 10 3/4 inches was her best ever, but some seriously heavy competition at the top kept Christenson from attaining her third All-American award.

“Ann had her best ever series of throws if you averaged her six throws at nationals this year, and threw farther than she did last year when she took sixth place at outdoors,” Clark said. “But, track and field is a sport that places athletes against one another, and this year there were some very long throws in the shot put.”

Despite being stuck in the Kansas City airport on Saturday night due to inclement weather, Clark was more than pleased with the weekend.

“When I went out to coach at Goshen College, this is the type of accomplishment we were hoping for,” he said. “Ann has had a great four years here, and we now have a national champion and a four-time All-American coming back. It is very satisfying to see the direction that this program is headed.”

Olathe, KS — Three members of the Goshen College track and field program will be traveling to the NAIA Outdoor Nationals competition on May 23, as the NAIA released the final postings for all events today. In order to qualify for nationals, athletes must either be in the top 16 slots per event or have been an All-American at the previous season’s national competition. To attain All-American status, athletes must finish in the top six in an event at nationals.

Representing the women’s team for Goshen will be All-American senior Ann Christenson in the shot put and All-American sophomore Heidi Saunders in the 3,000-meter and 5,000-meter run. Christenson finished eighth in the country after this season, putting the shot at her best distance of 42 feet 9 inches. Christenson already has two All-American awards in her collection, as she finished fifth in the indoor championships last season and sixth in the outdoor nationals last year.

Saunders, a three-time All-American, will compete in the 3,000-meter run after finishing third in the event in last year’s national competition. She also was an All-American athlete in the 1500-meter run in indoor nationals, and finished her freshman year with an All-American finish in cross-country.

The men’s squad will be showcased by freshman John Karanja, who finished this season as the country’s fastest man in the 400-meter hurdles at the NAIA level. His time of 51.20 outdid all other NAIA athletes this season.

“It’s always exciting to perform and compete at the national level,” said Rick Clark, Goshen head coach. “All three athletes have a legitimate chance to become All-Americans. It’s now a matter of dealing with the anticipation and excitement of competing at this stage and just performing without becoming tense.”

Even with the excitement of these athletes achieving a high level of success, there was some disappointment in the Goshen track office Tuesday afternoon. The Maple Leaf 4 X 400 relay team of Karanja, senior Kurtis Baumgartner, junior Jon Cook and sophomore Justin Wikerd just missed the national qualifying mark, losing a spot to compete by just a tenth of a second. The foursome ran their season’s best time last weekend at the Billy Hayes Invitational with a 3:17.63 mark, but it was just shy of the clip they needed. They finished the year as the 17th-fastest 4 X 400-relay team in the country.

“You know when you compete that there are so many great small college athletes throughout the country,” Clark said of his relay team’s just missing the cut. “We gave it our best effort, and that’s all anyone can ask.”

Nationals will take place at Mid-American Nazarene in Olathe, Kansas starting May 23 and running through May 25.

MAY 11 — Leafs Get Final Tune-Up For Nationals At Billy Hayes Invitational
Athletes refine skills at non-team scored meet

Sophomore Heidi Saunders

Bloomington, IN — Members of Goshen’s track team traveled to Indiana University this weekend to compete at the Billy Hayes Invitational, a non-team scored meet featuring athletes from NCAA Division I, II and III and NAIA levels. Serving as the final competition before NAIA Outdoor Nationals, Goshen head coach Rick Clark was pleased with his athletes’ performances.

Leading the way for Goshen was freshman John Karanja, who finished first in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of :52.14. Karanja ranks first in the nation at the NAIA level in the event, and defeated several NCAA Division I athletes at the Billy Hayes meet, though his :52.14 was almost a second slower than what he ran the event in a week ago.

The 4 X 400 relay team of Karanja, senior Kurtis Baumgartner, junior Jon Cook and sophomore Justin Wikerd broke the school record in the event for the second consecutive week, outdoing their one-week old time of 3:19.54 with a new mark of 3:17.63. That clip was good for sixth place overall in the event.

Baumgartner also took 11th place in the 400-meter dash, with a time of :49.46, his best time in the race so far this year.

On the women’s slate, distance-running sophomore Heidi Saunders ran the 800-meter run solely to work on her speed for the 3,000- and 5,000-meter races at nationals. In the process of fine-tuning her running, she just happened to break her own school record with a time of 2:19.82, cutting almost four seconds off her previous record.

“We really performed well in our last meet before nationals,” Clark said. “The men’s 4 X 400 relay team ran strong against some much bigger schools and Kurtis Baumgartner had his best time of the season in the 400-meter dash. It’s very satisfying to see where our athletes are at headed into nationals.”

Goshen will travel to nationals beginning Thursday, May 23. Check back to this website for all Goshen national qualifiers and the events they will be participating in.

Freshman John Karanja Sophomore Ben Reed

Indianapolis, IN — Goshen competed very successfully at the Butler Twilight Meet on Saturday, with team members setting three new school records to go along with three NAIA national qualifying marks.

Leading the charge for the Leafs was freshman John Karanja, who became the country’s fastest man in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles at the NAIA level. Karanja ran the race in a time of :51.20, shattering his old Goshen school record of :53.13, which he set earlier this season. With this clip, Karanja currently holds the quickest time of any NAIA athlete in the country for the event, and again qualified for NAIA national competition later on this spring.

“John ran an exceptional race,” said Rick Clark, Goshen head coach. “We really had some outstanding performances on Saturday, and it was an exciting environment to be in.”

Karanja’s output was just the start of things to come for the Goshen track team, which also saw two other school records broken. In the pole vault, sophomore Ben Reed vaulted a foot above his season best mark to break a 31 year-old Goshen school record. Reed’s vault of 14 feet replaces the former record of 13 feet 7 inches set by Tim Buckwalter in 1971.

The 4 X 400 relay team of Karanja, senior Kurtis Baumgartner, junior Jon Cook and sophomore Justin Wikerd broke Goshen’s 1976 school record, running the race in 3:19.54, barely edging the mark of 3:19.34 which had stood for 26 years. This time was also good for a NAIA national qualifying mark.

On the women’s slate, sophomore Heidi Saunders finished the 1500-meter run at a 4:44.79 clip, eclipsing the NAIA national qualifying mark while finishing third in her section. Senior Ann Christenson completed the shot put at a distance of 41 feet 9 inches, also a national qualifying mark.

Goshen will travel to Bloomington Saturday, to take part in the Billy Hayes Meet.

APR. 26-27 — Five Athletes Named All-Conference At MCC Championships
Men's squad finishes fourth in team competition while women take fifth

Huntington, IN — Amidst an all-day rain at the Mid-Central Conference Collegiate Championships at Huntington College Friday and Saturdaty, the Goshen track program performed extremely well, placing five athletes to all-conference status while the men took fourth place overall and the women’s team fifth.

“We had a pretty good performance by both teams, especially considering the weather,” said Rick Clark, Goshen head coach. “It was nice to have so many athletes perform well and be rewarded for it.”

Senior Kurtis Baumgartner, junior Jon Cook and freshman John Karanja were named All-MCC for the men, while senior Ann Christenson and sophomore Heidi Saunders achieved All-MCC status for the women. Five all-conference performances ranks as the most Goshen has had at the MCC Championships since the conference went to the current eight-team league in 1995.

On the men’s slate, Goshen collected 96 team points, placing the squad ahead of Bethel, Huntington, St. Francis and Marian. Baumgartner achieved all-MCC status after being the top individual scorer in the men’s meet with 33 points. Baumgartner started the weekend off by taking first the long jump at a distance of 21 feet. He also tied for second in the 200-meter dash (:22.85) and placed third in both the 400-meter (:50.63) and triple-jump (41 feet 8 inches). Baumgartner was also part of the 4X100 relay team which finished second (:43.72) and the 4X400 relay team which also finished second (3:30.04).

Cook did not win an event, but his being the fourth-highest scorer in the entire meet with 28 points earned him an at-large All-MCC crown. Cook finished second in the triple-jump with a distance of 43 feet, and took fifth-place in a variety of events, including the 100-meter dash (:11.81), the 110-meter high hurdles (:16.46) and the long jump (19 feet 10 inches). Cook was also part of the second-place 4X400 relay team.

Karanja finished the meet with 22 individual points, placing him in sixth for the meet. Karanja won the 400-meter hurdles with a time of :53.37 and was a member of both the 4X100 and 4X400 relay teams. Sophomore Ben Reed completed the 4X100 team, while sophomore Justin Wikerd rounded off the 4X400 team.

For the women, 67 team points was enough to place the team ahead of Marian, Grace and St. Francis. Christenson dominated competition, setting yet another Goshen College school record at the meet, throwing the hammer 127 feet and 10 inches, shattering the old mark of 122 feet set by Jamie Sheneman in 2001. That toss earned her second place in that event, as Christenson tallied 28 points over the weekend, making her the fifth-highest female performer. The national qualifier also took first place in both the shot put (40 feet 3 inches) and the discus (119 feet and 7 inches).

Saunders finished as the ninth-highest female performer at the championships, garnering 20 points in winning both the 3000-meter run (10:46.16) and the 5000-meter run (18:16.99).

“After it was all said and done, we finished with three of the top six individual scorers in the men’s competition, and Ann and Heidi each did well,” Clark said. “This was a good weekend for our program.”

Also performing well for the men’s team was junior Brandon Kennel, who finished fifth in the shot put (41 feet 10 inches) and fourth in the hammer throw (127 feet and 8 inches). Freshman Tolu Kayode placed seventh in the hammer, with a distance of 105 feet and 1 inch. The 4X800 relay team of juniors Merlin Miller and Nick Oliver, sophomore Justin Wikerd and freshman Daniel Stowe took home sixth place with a time of 8:27.74.

Other highlights for the women’s team included a fourth-place finish in the 1500-meter run by freshman Bekah Henn (5:08.35). The 4X800 relay team of Henn, juniors Lindsae Rhoades and Tricia Kurtz and sophomore Charity Brubaker finished in third place (10:27.17). The 4X400 relay team of Henn, Brubaker, sophomore Meg Schrock and freshman Jennifer Yoder finished in fifth place, clipping a time of 4:53.35.

The next meet for Goshen will take place on Saturday, when the team travels to Indianapolis for the Butler Twighlight Meet. The final team scores for the MCC Championships are as follows:

Men’s Team Scores
1. Taylor — 214
2. Grace — 135
3. Indiana Wesleyan — 114
4. Goshen — 96
5. Bethel — 82
6. Huntington — 75
7. St. Francis — 70
8. Marian — 21

Women’s Team Scores
1. Indiana Wesleyan — 195
2. Taylor — 171
3. Huntington — 154
4. Bethel — 133
5. Goshen — 55
6. Marian — 40
7. Grace — 39
8. St. Francis — 6

APR. 20 — Leafs Get Number Of Top Five Finishes At Taylor
Individuals shine at non-team scored meet

Upland, IN — In its final tune-up before the Mid-Central Conference Championships next weekend, Goshen competed at Taylor in a non-team scored meet Saturday. Goshen placed twenty competitors in the top five of their respective events, to go along with some individual bests of the season.

On the women’s slate, senior Ann Christenson continued to dominate. Christenson placed first in the shot put with a distance of 39 feet and three inches, third in the discus with a 115 feet nine inch effort, and second in the hammer throw with a 118 feet six inch performance. Sophomore Heidi Saunders took the blue ribbon in the 800-meter run with a clip of 2:23.76, and finished first in the 1500-meter run with a time of 4:52.65. Freshman Rebekah Henn finished third in the 1500, finishing at a 5:05.83 pace. Junior Lindsae Rhoades took fifth in that event with a time of 5:29.77.

For the men’s team, freshman John Karanja blistered the 400-meter dash, taking home first with a time of :49.35. Senior Kurtis Baumgartner followed closely, taking second place with a :50.90 performance. Junior Jon Cook finished the 400-meter hurdles at a time of :55.59, good enough for second place. Sophomore Ben Reed cleared 13 feet in the pole vault, finishing in third place. Junior Brandon Kennel performed well in the field events, taking third place in the shot put (43 feet and eight inches); third in the javelin (147 feet and four inches); and eighth in the discus (116 feet and 11 inches). The 4 X 100 relay team of Reed, Cook, Baumgartner and Karanja finished second with a clip of :44.12.

Goshen will travel to Huntington on Saturday for the MCC Championships.

APR. 13 — Goshen Dominates At Little State Championships
Three school records, three national qualifying marks and an "MVP" round off stellar weekend

Greencastle, IN — If there was any question that the Goshen College track program was a legitimate contender within the state of Indiana, that query was answered solidly at the Little State Championships at DePauw University on Saturday.

Collecting all of the non-NCAA Division I schools in the state, Goshen more than handled its own against state schools at the NCAA Division II, Division III and NAIA levels. Between the men’s and women’s squads, three Goshen school records were broken at the event, three national qualifying marks were set, two Leaf athletes garnered first place and the “Most Valuable Field Athlete” of the women’s meet was senior shot putter Ann Christenson.

“We had excellent performances out of our athletes,” said Rick Clark, Goshen head coach. “We couldn’t ask for much more effort out of our teams than what they gave us for this type of championship meet. The entire coaching staff was very pleased with this performance.”

Christenson set a new school record in the shot put, gaining a distance of 42 feet and 9 inches, shattering her own previous record by two full feet. This new distance also captured an NAIA national qualifying mark. Christenson finished second in the discus with a distance of 126 feet and 10 inches, giving her the field-MVP on the women’s slate out of a 16-team field.

Also for the women, sophomore All-American Heidi Saunders finished second in the 5000-meter run with a time of 18:22.31. It was her fourth-place finish in the 1500-meter run, however, which secured an NAIA national qualifying mark. Her time of 4:46.00 will advance her to nationals.

The women placed 10th out of 16 teams on the day, though Goshen had an equally strong showing from its men. Finishing eighth our of 18 teams, the men were led by the 4X400 relay team of junior Jon Cook, sophomore Justin Wikerd, senior Kurtis Baumgartner and freshman John Karanja which finished first in the event with a clip of 3:20.79. Karanja set a new Goshen school record in the 400-meter hurdles, finishing the race in third place with a :53.13 time. The 4X100 relay team of Karanja, Baumgartner, Cook and junior Ben Reed finished with a new school record :43.16, good for fourth at the meet.

Reed smashed his personal best in the pole vault, netting 13 feet on his best attempt at Little State.

“We had athletes really step up and raise their own personal levels,” Clark said.

Goshen will travel to the Taylor University Invite on Saturday, April 20.

APR. 6 — Leafs Perform Well At Marriott Invite
Karanja and Saunders qualify for Nationals while Christenson wins three events

Anderson, IN —The Goshen College track teams competed at the Marriott Invite at Anderson University Saturday April 7 with the men’s team finishing third and the women’s team finishing fifth.

The men’s 4x100 relay team placed first with a time of 44.09. Members include, sophomore Ben Reed, junior Jon Cook, senior Kurtis Baumgartner, and freshman John Karanja. The men’s 4x400 team consisting of Cook, sophomore Justin Wikerd, Baumgartner and Karanja also placed first with t finish of 3:21.24.

Individual men’s leaders were Baumgartner placing first in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.78 while Cook finished second with a time of 23.01. Baumgartner also took second in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.33 while Cook placed fourth with a time of 11.54. Cook also took first in the triple jump with a mark of 42 feet and 6.25 inches. Karanja made a NAIA national qualifying mark again in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 54.44. Wikerd placed second in the 800-meter dash with a time of 2:00.14 while freshman Justin Gillette placed third in the 5000-meter run with a time of 16:11.24.

Head Coach Rick Clark said, “Kurtis Baumgartner and Jon Cook led the men’s team with their performances in six events. Both of the men’s relay times were outstanding for the conditions we have had to train and compete in.”

The women finished fifth overall with Ann Christenson leading the way and placing first in the shot put with a distance of 40 feet and 2.25 inches, in the discus with a mark of 113 feet and 4.5 inches, and in the hammer with a distance of 118 feet and 8.25 inches.

Women’s running event leaders were sophomore Heidi Saunders taking second place with a NAIA national qualifying time of 18:18.04 in the 5000-meter run. Saunders also placed second in the 1500-meter run with a time of 4:53.54 while freshman Rebekah Henn placed fourth with a time of 5:07.44 and junior Tricia Kurtz took fifth place in the event with a time of 5:08.24. Freshman Jennifer Yoder placed fifth in both the 100-meter hurdles and 100-meter dash.

Clark said, “Senior Ann Christenson led the women’s team with a sold performance by winning three of the throw events.”

Goshen’s next meet will be the Little State championships Saturday, April 13 at Depauw University in Greencastle, Indiana.

MAR. 28 — Goshen Competes At Indiana Wesleyan Open
Men's 4x200 relay breaks school record; Karanja earns national qualifying mark

Freshman John Karanja Junior Jon Cook

Marion, IN—Goshen track teams were successful at the Indiana Wesleyan Open on Thursday, March 28 with the men’s team taking second and the women’s team taking fifth.

The men’s 4 X 200 relay team took first place and set the school record with their time of 1:31.89 replacing the old record time of 1:34.14 set in 1998. 4 X 200 relay team members include, senior Kurtis Baumgartner, sophomore Ben Reed, junior Jon Cook and freshman John Karanja. Cook, sophomore Justin Wikerd, Baumgartner and Karanja also captured first place in the 4 X 400 relay with a time of 3:24.06.

In individual events, Karanja took first place in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 54.45, which is a NAIA national qualifying mark. Also taking first was Cook in the triple jump with a mark of 41 feet and 9.5 inches. Cook also placed first in the long jump at 21 feet with Baumgartner following close behind in second place with a mark of 20 feet 8 inches.

Baumgartner also placed second in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.84 while Wikerd placed second in the 800-meter dash with a time of 2:00.99.

For the women’s team, sophomore Heidi Saunders took first place in the 3000-meter run and second place in the 1500-meter run with times of 10:49.58 and 4:57.68 respectively.

Ann Christenson earned second place in discus with a distance of 113 feet and 2 inches. Christenson also took third place in both the shot put and hammer throw.

The women’s 4 X 800 relay team placed third with a time of 10:49.31. Members of the relay team include freshman Rebekah Henn, sophomore Charity Brubaker, junior Lindsae Rhoades and junior Tricia Kurtz.

The Leafs will compete next at the Marriott Invite at Anderson University on Saturday, April 6.

Junior Jon Cook Senior Ann Christenson

Marion, IN — Goshen College had an extremely good showing in the Polar Bear Invitational Saturday, placing all competitors in sixth-place or higher in each event they competed in.

The meet, which was non-scored with over 400 athletes competing, was held in Marion, Indiana. Senior Ann Christenson took first in the shot-put with a distance of 39 feet and 7 inches. Junior Jon Cook paced the men, finishing second in both the long jump and triple jump. Cook was also part of the 4 X 400 relay team of sophomore Justin Wikerd, senior Kurtis Baumgartner and freshman John Karanja that finished second with a time of 3:24.22.

But Goshen’s team leaders weren’t the only Maple Leafs to do well at the event. On the women’s slate, freshman Bekah Henn took third in the 1500-meter run with a time of 5:09.18. Christenson took third in the discus with a distance of 116 feet and 1 inch. Junior Tricia Kurtz finished fourth in the 5000-meter run with a time of 19:50.74, while classmate Lindsae Rhoades took sixth in the event with a time of 20:09.25. The 4 X 400 relay team of Henn, Rhoades, Kurtz and sophomore Charity Brubaker took home fourth place with a finishing clip of 4:48.06.

For the men, Karanja took third in the 400-meter dash with a time of 51.62. Junior Merlin Miller’s 10:40.03 time in the steeplechase was good enough for a third place finish. Senior Kurtis Baumgartner finished third in the 200-meter dash and sixth in the 100-meter dash, while Wikerd took sixth in the 1500-meter run with a 4:17.82 clip. Freshman Justin Gillette finished sixth in the 5000-meter run with a time of 16:20.87.

Goshen travels to the Dick Small Invite at Defiance College this weekend. The meet will begin late Saturday morning.

Sophomore Heidi Saunders Freshman John Karanja

Johnson City, TN — Goshen head coach Rick Clarktook four competitors to the NAIA Indoor National Championships in Johnson City, Tennessee on Feb. 27. When the crew returned to Goshen, Clark had a three-time NAIA All-American and a freshman with a very promising future in the van with him.

Sophomore Heidi Saunders finished sixth in the mile run with a time of 5:13.04, qualifying her for her third NAIA All-American finish, her first in indoor track. (To achieve All-American honors, runners must finish in the top six positions.)

“Heidi ran a really smart race, a really intelligent race,” Clark said. “She had fourth place for a good part of the race, but she had strong competition toward the end. She did a really good job of separating herself from the pack.”

Saunders finished a full three seconds ahead of the seventh-place runner.

On the men’s slate, freshman John Karanja ran his personal best indoor time of 50.37 seconds in the 400-meter run, good for an overall 15th-place finish and potential for more success.

Goshen brought two other competitors to the meet — junior Jon Cook finished 39th in the 55-meter high hurdles with a time of 8.39 seconds, and senior Ann Christenson competed in the shot put, securing a mark of 37 feet 4 and 1/2 inches. Her efforts gave her a 16th-place finish.

Goshen begins the outdoor season on Mar. 16, when the team travels to the Polar Bear Invite in Marion.

FEB. 16 — Leafs Perform Well At Purdue
Two qualify for Nationals while freshman and relay team set new Goshen indoor records

West Lafayette, IN — Goshen’s men’s track team had a successful weekend traveling to Purdue, garnering new school records in two events and qualifying two individuals and a relay team for the NAIA Nationals in Johnson City, Tennessee over Feb. 28 to Mar. 2.

Junior Jon Cook qualified to run in the national event finishing the 60-meter high hurdles in 8.66 seconds, good for a third-place finish at the meet. Freshman John Karanja secured his spot for the trip to Tennessee with a 400-meter dash time of 51.14, finishing second in the day’s event. Finally, the 4 X 400 relay team of Cook, Karanja, sophomore Justin Wikerd and senior Kurtis Baumgartner set a new Goshen indoor record and achieved nationals qualification with their time of 3:25 flat in the event. The new time replaces Goshen’s former record of 3:33.54 set in 2001.

Freshman Justin Gillette ran a school-record 15:55.65 in the 5000-meter run, finishing second. That time broke his old record of 16:11.08 earlier this season. Also finishing with high marks for the men’s team was Wikerd’s fourth-place effort in the 600-meter dash, finishing with a time of 1:25.64.

On the women’s slate, sophomore Heidi Saunders finished fifth in the mile run, securing a time of 5:19.51. Senior Ann Christenson placed fourth in the shot put with a mark of 38 feet and 11 1/2 inches.

The track team will travel to Huntington on Feb. 23 for the Frozen Forest Classic.

FEB. 1 — Goshen Men Take Second, Women Third At Maple Leaf Invite
Senior shot-putter qualifies for NAIA Nationals

Senior Ann Christenson

Goshen, IN — Goshen was able to take second place on the men’s slate and third on the women’s in the 2002 Maple Leaf Indoor Invite this Friday. Conference opponents Bethel and Grace supplied the competition in Goshen’s Roman Gingerich Recreation Fitness Center.

On the men’s side, Grace took 46.33 points to Goshen’s 42. Bethel scored 37.66. Bethel’s women walked away with the team honors with ease, however, garnering 72 points to Grace’s 27 and Goshen’s 25.

Leading the way for the Leaf’s women was senior Ann Christenson, who qualified for the NAIA National meet at the end of the month. Christenson put the shot at 40 feet 5 inches, meeting the NAIA provisional mark for qualification. Christenson also set a new school record in the weight throw with a mark of 39 1/2 feet. That finish broke her own school record of 36 feet 4 inches.

Goshen’s men’s 4 x 2 lap relay team of junior Jon Cook, freshman Seth Yoder, sophomore Justin Wikerd and freshman John Karanga set a new Gingerich Center record with a time of 3:46.14.

Goshen travels to Hillsdale, Michigan next Friday for the Hillsdale Invite.

JAN. 25-26 — Leafs Break Record, Individual Hits Mark For Nationals
Goshen makes progress at All-Tell Indoor Classic

Junior John Cook Sophomore Heidi Saunders

Findlay, OH — The Goshen men’s and women’s track team started off the 2002 Indoor Track Season with a bang this weekend, competing in the massive All-Tell Classic in Findlay, Ohio.

Junior Jon Cook met the provisional qualifying standard for the NAIA Nationals with a 8.24 mark in the 55-meter high hurdles. His time was good for 14th place at the meet. Cook also finished 12th in the long jump with a distance of 21 1/2 feet.

On the women’s slate, the 4 X 800 meter relay team of sophomores Heidi Saunders and Charity Brubaker and juniors Tricia Kurtz and Lindsae Rhoades set a new Goshen school indoor record with a time of 10:43.77. That clip replaces the old school mark of 10:49.10 set in 2000.

Saunders also finished with good spots in her individual races. The All-American finished 15th in the 800-meter run (2:30.44) and 18th in the mile run (5:28.49).

Goshen hosts the next meet of the season, the Maple Leaf Invite on Feb. 1. Field events will begin at 5:15 p.m., while running events will start at 7 p.m.