MAY 27-29 — Leafs Post All-American Tri-Fecta At NAIA Nationals
Saunders, Gillette and Lehman all take elite honor in national meet 

Louisville, KY — The Goshen College track and field program made the most of its trip to the 2004 NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships at Cardinal Park in Louisville, Kentucky this weekend, as three of the Leafs’ four national participants were honored with All-American status.

“ It was a great weekend, and we are certainly pleased with what our athletes were able to accomplish,” said Rick Clark, Goshen head coach. “With our success, we continue to gain experience at this level, and it can translate to other members of our teams in the future. I’m very happy with where our program has been, and continues to go.”

Senior Heidi Saunders led the way for Goshen, capturing her fifth NAIA All-American award, this time in the 10,000-meter run. Saunders finished in fifth place — the top six finishers in each event acquire All-American status — in a time of 38:14.29. Junior Justin Gillette finished second in the men’s marathon in two hours, 29 minutes and 44 seconds, while classmate Melissa Lehman finished the same event on the women’s side in a time of 3:14:04. Senior Jon Cook, Goshen’s other national performer, competed in the 200-meter dash and the triple-jump, but could not advance to the finals in either event.

“ Having three of your four athletes (that you take to the national event) achieve All-American status doesn’t just happen,” Clark said. “These four athletes have worked and trained very hard throughout the course of their careers, and to just make it to this level in itself is a tremendous accomplishment.”

Cook started off the weekend for the Leafs Thursday evening, when he finished seventh in his heat in the 200 meters, clocking :23.21 seconds but not advancing to the finals. The race — and Cook’s time — were hampered by a severe thunderstorm that came into the Louisville area just as the event was finishing, causing multiple events change times due to the weather.

When it finally cleared off, Saunders took to the 10,000-meter race Friday night — a change from the original Thursday night scheduled start time — and didn’t seem affected by the extra day off. Saunders used well-timed pushes and consistency to grab her fifth All-American award, the most of any current Goshen track and field competitor.

“ Heidi ran an excellent race,” Clark said. “She put together four years of national experience in the race in terms of pacing, the moves she made and the confidence she showed.”

Early in the race, eventual top finishers Miriam Kaumba of Oklahoma Baptist University and Petrana Petkova of Central Methodist College (MO.) began to separate from the field, but as planned, Saunders went through the 2K (about 1.25 miles) in 7:28 and 4K in 15:04 as the field of contenders thinned to seven from the 20 entrants. Maintaining the pace, the group dropped the seventh runner in the third mile; no other runner threatened the top six over the duration of the race. Saunders went through 5K in 18:50, 6K in 22:45 and 8K in 30:40. Kaumba won in 36:49.59.

“ On the way to the meet, we talked about how competing is more important than the final time,” said distance assistant Doug Yoder. “It was obvious that the heat was a factor, but she kept in the contact with the second group.”

Running in sixth, Saunders was in danger of falling off the pack at around four miles, dropping to about 20 meters behind the fifth-place runner, but responded with a strong move to close the gap before several well-placed surges moved her back into fifth, where she finished with a six-second gap over Sam Maat of Cedarville Univeristy (OH).

“ We knew that if it came down to the end, no one would out-sprint Heidi,” Yoder said. “She was going to move on people, and no one was going to move on her.”

In closing the gap, Saunders was able to demonstrate the speed that has earned her All-American honors in a range from 1,500 meters to now 10,000. “She had some doubts about that,” Yoder said. “But three weeks ago, she ran a good half-marathon, and that gave her confidence.”

And while Saunders was able to achieve the highest level of success in the 10,000-meter event, she couldn’t reduplicate it in Saturday’s 5,000-meter run. Saunders closed out her career by finishing 10th among 26 entries in the 5,000 meters, finishing in 18:21.19. Saunders ran a consistent race, trailing at the end of the first lap, but picked up at least one runner on nearly every lap thereafter.

“ Heidi ran a gutsy race, but was clearly exhausted after last night’s 10,000,” Clark said. “She also felt a slight groin pull when she was warming up, but she showed a lot of pride in moving up to 10th.”

The Leafs underclassmen of Gillette and Lehman started off Saturday’s events — literally — with a 6:30 a.m. start time to the marathon event. Gillette bettered his previous best time by three seconds in rolling to second place in the men’s competition, while Lehman dropped about 10 minutes off her previous time in finishing sixth in the women’s race. It was a repeat All-American performance for Gillette, who finished fourth last year.

In the men’s race, the order of finish was established relatively early on. A group of eight runners trailed early leader Pawel Oboz of Warner Southern College (FL) before eventual winner Andrew Smith of McKendree College (MO) pulled away from the group and reeled in Oboz about eight miles into the 26.2-mile race. Smith gradually extended the lead to win in 2:25:02.

Gillette followed suit, leaving the group about two miles later and passing Oboz at about 11 miles. He was never threatened for second place, with the third-place runner finishing about 90 seconds behind.

“ It would have been easy for Justin to get a little excited when Oboz went out in a blazing pace, but Justin has enough experience that he knew better,” said Goshen distance coach Doug Yoder. “He pretty much stayed on his target. His time wasn’t quite what he would have liked, but competitively he ran very well. The guy who won ran a very smart race as well, and I give him all the credit in the world.”

Lehman used a patient approach in her race, logging much of the race in 10th place. Trailing a pack of runners by as much as 300 meters, she gradually closed the gap in miles 13 to 17, moving into sixth place by mile 18. She extended the lead on seventh place to as much as 200 meters at one point and closed to within 50 meters of fifth at one point.

“ For Melissa, we set out a plan of running a conservative time and she pretty much stuck to that,” Yoder said. “She stayed with that pace, whereas some of the other runners went out faster and naturally slowed up. It was a well-executed plan on her part. We had trained at about a five-minute slower time than what she ran, but I knew that she would be able to run faster; I really expected her to run the way she did. This is just her second marathon, which is really in her infancy, but she maintained her composure very well.”

Cara Rumble of Cal State-San Marcos won the women’s race in 2:47. A total of 41 men and 23 women were entered in the race.

Cook finished his career — and Goshen’s efforts over the weekend — with a strong performance Saturday evening, turning in his second-best career jump in the triple with a distance of 46 feet, 10 inches. His effort was good enough for 19th out of 36 competitors, but did not get him to the finals in the event.

“ Anytime you have one of the best jumps of your career at the national meet is good,” said Goshen jumps coach Graham Clark. “I was very proud of the effort he put forth.”

For a complete list of 2004 Outdoor Track and Field National Championships events and finishers, click here. Check back to this website for the most up-to-date recruiting and off-season team news.

A special thanks to Lyle Miller, who contributed to this piece.

APR. 30 - MAY 1 — Leafs Shine At MCC Championships
Five all-conference selections lead teams to success on rainy afternoon

Goshen, IN — A steady rain and cool temperatures couldn’t dampen the 2004 Mid-Central Conference Track and Field Championships at the Eigsti Track and Field Complex on Friday and Saturday, as five Goshen performers were named to All-MCC status, the most in the history of Goshen head coach Rick Clark’s 10-year tenure.

“We had several athletes perform well at the meet, and from a team perspective we competed fairly well,” Clark said. “As always, the meet had a tremendous atmosphere to it and every team present did a good job of representing their schools.”

Goshen’s men finished in third place with 131 points, while the Leafs’ women took home a sixth-place finish with 45 points. Senior Jon Cook finished a tremendous weekend as the meet’s top individual athlete, notching 34 points after winning the triple jump (47 feet, 7 1/2 inches) and the 100-meter dash (:11.07). His triple jump set a new school record and qualified him for NAIA national competition, while his 100-meter time was the fastest ever recorded on Goshen’s track. Cook also finished second in the long jump (20 feet, 10 1/2 inches) and fourth in the 200-meter dash (:22.90).

“I can’t say enough about Jon Cook’s improvement over the years here,” Clark said. “He has worked and worked to get where he is. It’s an honor to be the high point scorer at our championship meet, and he’s very deserving.”

Goshen’s men team also received big performances from all-conference performers Justin Gillette (senior) and sophomores Matt Hochstetler and Don Williams. Gillette won the 10,000-meter event in a time of 31:59.95, a track record as well as an NAIA national qualifying mark. (Gillette also finished third in the 5,000-meter race in a time of 15:44.34.) Hochstetler took home second place in the discus (125 feet, 2 inches), fourth in the hammer throw (124 feet, 11 inches) and eighth in the shot put (37 feet). Williams finished second in the high jump (6 feet, 2 inches) and third in the 110-meter high hurdles (:15.61). Both Hochstetler and Williams were named to All-MCC status as a result of the meet points they scored.

The Leafs also benefited from a strong field performance from junior Tolu Kayode (third place in the hammer throw with a distance of 129 feet, 8 inches and fourth in the shot put with a distance of 39 feet, 11 3/4 inches) and senior Ben Reed (fourth place in the pole vault with a spring of 12 feet, 6 inches). Freshman Jason Young brought home a third-place finish in the 200-meter dash (:22.89). Goshen’s only downfall of the weekend was a disqualification in the 4 X 100-meter relay — the Leafs had a legitimate chance to score points in the event, as its qualifying time was just five tenths of a second off the lead pace.

Senior Heidi Saunders led Goshen’s women to a sixth-place finish, taking first place in the 10,000-meter run (38:31.29) and second in the 5,000-meter event (18:04.10), the latter being good enough for a new school record and national qualifying mark. Saunders was also the sixth-highest female point-getter at the meet, recording 18.5 points.

Aiding Sanders was classmate Kelcie Glick, who set a new school record in the pole vault by clearing a height of 9 feet, 6 inches, good enough for second place. Junior Melissa Lehman also ran well in the 10,000-meter run, finishing third in a time of 41:10.83.

Complete men’s team scores from the meet were: 1. Taylor, 198 points; 2. Bethel, 175 points; 3. Goshen, 131 points; 4. Indiana Wesleyan, 98 points; 5. Huntington, 87 points; 6. Marian, 74 points; 7. St. Francis, 37 points; 8. Grace, 6 points. Women’s scores were: 1. Indiana Wesleyan, 262.5 points; 2. Bethel, 158 points; 3. Taylor, 126 points; 4. Huntington, 108 points; 5. Marian, 49 points; 6. Goshen, 45 points; 7. Grace, 29.5 points; 8. St. Francis, 29 points.

Erica Young of Bethel College was the women’s top point-getter, notching 35.75 points. men’s Coach Of The Year honors was shared by Taylor University’s Ted Bowers and Bethel’s Tony Natali, while the women’s Coach Of The Year was awarded to Indiana Wesleyan’s John Foss. For a complete list of events and participants’ finishes, click here.

APR. 17 — Goshen Uses Taylor Invite As Tune Up For MCCs
Clark shakes things up a bit in preparation for MCC championships this weekend

Sophomore Erin Williams Sophomore Don Williams

Upland, IN — With the Mid-Central Conference championships looming just a week away, Goshen head coach Rick Clark elected to change up his roster Saturday at the Taylor Invitational. And while the team results did show the alterations — Goshen’s men finished fifth out of seven teams while the women finished sixth — several highlights still occurred despite the changes.

“We did not run this meet at full team capacity because of some injuries as well as taking a look at some athletes in different events,” Clark said. “We took (senior) Jon Cook out of the long and triple jumps to allow him to focus on the track and he made the most of it by having another astounding day.”

Cook, who has already set new school records in both the long and triple jumps this season as well as qualifying for NAIA National competition in both events, showed his versatility in taking first place in both the 100-meter dash (:10.82) and the 200-meter dash (:21.54), both new school records while the 200 finish was good enough to earn him another NAIA National qualifying mark. Cook also anchored the 4 X 100 relay team that finished in a time of :42.88, a new school record that replaced the old mark of :43.16 set in 2003. Junior Louis Lissade, sophomore Daniel Constantine and freshman Jason Young joined Cook in Saturday’s third-place finish.

“Anytime you can finish first in two events, set new school records in three and hit the NAIA National qualifying mark in another without even participating in two of your strongest events. . .well, you’re a pretty talented athlete,” Clark said. “Jon led a very good day by our entire sprint corp with a number of personal best marks.”

Lissade finished in 11th place in the 100-meter dash in a time of :11.44, while Constantine took seventh in the 200 with a clip of :22.58. Freshman Andrew Esch secured a fourth-place finish in the 400-meter dash with a time of :53.06, while sophomore Don Williams took third in both the 110-meter hurdles (:15.51) and the high jump (6 feet). With Cook not participating in the long and triple jumps, it was sophomore Dan Adcock that took team best honors, finishing with a distance of 18 feet, 9 inches in the long jump (sixth place) and a final leap of 38 feet, 2 inches in the triple jump (fifth place). Adcock also finished strong in the 400-meter hurdles, taking fifth place in a time of 1:01.15.

In other events, senior Justin Gillette ran away with the 5,000-meter run in a time of 15:37.62, while the 4 X 800 relay team of Gillette, Esch, sophomore Michael Amos and freshman Alex Bouwman took third place in a time of 8:50.00. Freshman Kyle Hesed finished fourth in the pole vault competition (12 feet, 6 inches) while junior Tolu Kayode took fourth in the hammer throw with a distance of 143 feet, 11 inches. Young finished fifth in the javelin with a hurl of 141 feet, 8 inches.

Sophomore Erin Williams led the women’s squad, taking third in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of :16.67 and sixth in the pole vault with a leap of 8 feet, 6 inches. Williams was also part of the 4 X 100 relay team that finished fourth in a time of :54.82, joining freshmen Melissa Arnold, Katie Meyer and Sarah Theissen. The 4 X 800 relay team of seniors Charity Brubaker and Heidi Saunders, junior Melissa Lehman and freshman Laura Herr took third in a time of 10:39.82, while Herr finished eighth in the 5,000-meter run in a time of 20:37.33. Sophomore Rachel Yantzi finished seventh in the hammer throw with a sling of 105 feet, 1 inch.

Men’s team scores for the meet were: 1) Taylor 172.5; 2) St. Joseph’s 131; 3) Bethel 125; 4) Indiana Wesleyan 114; 5) Goshen 95.5; 6) St. Francis 37; 7) Grace 15. Women’s results were: 1) Indiana Wesleyan 214.5; 2) St. Joseph’s 152; 3) Taylor 131; 4) Bethel 114.5; 5) St. Francis 29; 6) Goshen 23; 6) Grace 23.

Goshen will host the MCC Championships next weekend (April 30th), with events beginning Friday afternoon and continuing through Saturday. Prior to that major meet, however, the team will participate at the IWU Quad Meet Thursday.

APR. 9-10 — Leafs Come Up Big At Little State Championships
Men's squad posts best-ever finish; Saunders, Gillette hit qualifying marks

Senior Heidi Saunders Senior Jon Cook

Indianapolis, IN — Proving its worth as one of the best small college programs in the state, the Goshen College men’s track team finished seventh at the Little State Championships this weekend on the campus of Indiana University-Purdue University of Indianapolis, the best team finish for a Leaf team in program history. With all Indiana NCAA Division II and III schools participating — along with several NAIA institutions — the meet was, in effect, the non-Division I state championships. With 43 team points, Goshen finished behind just Indianapolis, Anderson, Taylor, St. Joseph’s, Vincennes and DePauw in its remarkable conclusion.

“I’m really proud of our men’s team,” said Rick Clark, Goshen head coach. “It’s one of the highest finishes we’ve ever had at this meet, and it shows the kind of work and improvements our athletes have been making.”

Senior Jon Cook again was the leader for the men’s slate, taking first place in the long jump with a leap of 22 feet, 2 inches. Cook also took second place in the triple jump (44 feet, 5 inches) and the 100-meter dash (:11.16), while anchoring the third-place 4 X 100 relay team (:43.27) which included junior Louis Lissade, sophomore Daniel Constantine and freshman Carl Veith.

“Jon worked very hard this weekend,” Clark said. “He dominated the long jump field and just missed a victory in the triple jump by one centimeter. He also excelled on the track with a second-place finish in the 100 and then he anchored the short relay team to a season-best effort.”

Veith also took a sixth place spot in the 100-meter dash while senior Justin Gillette hit the NAIA National qualifying mark in the 10,000-meter run, finishing in seventh place overall in a time of 31:56.20. Sophomore Don Williams took eighth in the 110-meter hurdles (:15.78) while freshman Jason Young finished seventh in the 200-meter dash. The 4 X 400 relay team of Constantine, Veith, Young and sophomore Dan Adcock took home a sixth place finish as well.

“Our youngsters in Carl Veith and Jason Young really came through in the sprints with superb performances,” Clark said. “Justin Gillette ran his best track 10k ever, and Dan Williams has become a very competitive hurdler for us.”

Goshen’s women’s team also provided excitement over the weekend, taking home a 10th-place team finish with 16 points. Senior Heidi Saunders led the way for the women’s side, taking a fourth-place finish in both the 5,000-meter (18:18.98) and 10,000-meter (38:02.92) runs, both NAIA National qualifying marks. Junior Melissa Lehman also ran a very competitive 10,000-meter event, taking eighth place in a time of 41:04.70.

Senior Kelcie Glick set a new school record in the pole vault over the weekend, erasing her old mark with a 9 feet, 5 inch effort. Sophomore Erin Williams also showed improvement, taking a seventh-place finish in the 100-meter hurdles in a time of :16.56.

“Heidi had her best meet so far this season in hitting national qualifying marks in both the 5,000 and 10,000,” Clark said. “She was joined on the awards stand in the 10k by Melissa Lehman, who also ran very well. Kelcie Glick continues to re-establish new pole vaulting records while Erin Williams keeps getting stronger in the 100-meter hurdles.”

Complete men’s team scores were as follows: 1) Indianapolis 176.5; 2)Anderson 127; 3) Taylor 64; 4) St. Joseph’s 53; 5) Vincennes 52.5; 6) DePauw 47; 7) Goshen 43; 8) Indiana Wesleyan 32.5; 9) Marian 31; 9) Tri-State 31; 11) So. Indiana 30; 12) Wabash 27; 13) Earlham 22.5; 4) Rose-Hulman 11; 15) Hanover 10; 16) Manchester 9; 17) St. Francis 8; 18) Franklin 5. Women’s scores were: 1) Indianapolis 218.5; 2) Indiana Wesleyan 135; 3) So. Indiana 107; 4) St. Joseph’s 66.67; 5) DePauw 46.33; 6) Anderson 43; 7) Earlham 40; 8) Taylor 36; 9) Manchester 24; 10) Goshen 16; 11) Tri-State 11; 12) Franklin 10; 13) Marian 9; 14) Hanover 8; 15) Grace 4.5; 16) St. Francis 3; 17) Rose Hulman 2.

Goshen will next compete in the Taylor University Invite on Saturday.

APR. 3 — Second and Fifth Place at Runners' Forum Invite
Jon Cook breaks two school records and qualifies for nationals in both events

Senior Jon Cook

Anderson, IN— The men’s track and field team finished second place out of eight teams while the women’s team took fifth place after a successful day of personal bests, first place finishes, broken records and national qualifying marks.

Head Coach Rick Clark said, “Jon Cook had an amazing day by winning three events and breaking two school records that are over 25 years old along with hitting national qualifying marks in the 100 dash and triple jump.”

Senior Jon Cook led the men’s team with outstanding results in the 100 meter dash and the triple jump. Cook placed first in the triple jump with a NAIA National Qualifying distance of 45’ 6.0,” which breaks the Goshen College school record of 44’ 6.0” set by Tim Buckwalter in 1978. Cook also broke the school record for his first place and national qualifying finish in the 100m dash (10.85). This breaks the previous record of 10.94 set by Joe Liechty in 1977. In the long jump, Cook placed first with a jump of 22 feet.

In field events, sophomore Don Williams took second place in the high jump (6 feet 2 inches) while sophomore Matt Hochstetler placed fifth in the hammer throw at a distance of 131 feet and 2 inches. Hochstetler also took sixth place in the discus (118 feet, 5 inches).

Running events also produced great results with junior Justin Gillette finishing second in the 5,000 meter-run (15:49.70). Williams placed second in the 110-meter hurdles (15.91). In the 200-meter dash freshman Jason Young finished second with a time of 22.94.

Both the 4x100 and 4x400 relays took third place with times of 44.35 and 3:26.13 respectively.

The women’s team also noted strong finishes.Coach Clark said, "Seniors Kelcie Glick and Heidi Saunders and sophomores Rachel Yantzi and Erin Williams paced the women's team with runner-up finishes in events."

Senior Kelcie Glick took second place in the pole vault at a height of 8 feet 6 inches while teammate sophomore Erin Williams finished fifth (7 feet 6 inches).

Sophomore Rachel Yantzi placed second in the hammer throw with a distance of 116 feet 5 inches as senior Ventisah Connolly took fifth place (87 feet 7 inches).

In running events, Senior Heidi Saunders placed second in the 5000 meter run with a time of 18:42.59. Junior Melissa Lehman was closely behind in fourth place with a time of 19:43.93. In the 100 meter hurdles Williams finished in second place (16.85). The 4x100 relay took third place with a time of 53.91.

The Leafs will compete again Saturday, April 9-10 at the Little State Championship at Indiana University Purdue University of Indianapolis.

MAR. 27 — Men Take Third At Dick Small Invite; Glick Shines
Junior sets new school record in pole vault while men's team gets collective effort

Junior Kelcie Glick

Defiance, OH — The Goshen College men’s track and field team took a third place finish at the Dick Small Invitational on the campus of Defiance College Saturday, beating Mid-Central Conference foe Bethel in the process.

Goshen collected 79.5 team points, while Siena Heights University won the team event with 137 points and Cornerstone University placed second with 135.5 points. The Leafs beat out the rival Pilots which scored 72 points in the 12-team event.

“We were very satisfied with our men’s team to place third in this meet especially considering we have several athletes not competing at full strength due to some slight injuries,” said Rick Clark, Goshen head coach. “We had many athletes on the men’s and women’s teams make significant improvements this week which was very exciting.”

Junior Kelcie Glick notched the biggest performance of the day for either squad, setting a new school record in the pole vault competition with a height of 9 feet. That mark replaced the old school record set by Glick last year at 8 feet, 8 inches.

Even with Glick’s mark, the short-on-numbers women’s team could not make a serious push in the team standings, finishing eighth out of nine teams with 36.5 points. Several other athletes put on quality performances, however, as the Leafs were led by senior Heidi Saunders’ second-place finish in the 5,000-meter run (19:08.10) and junior Melissa Lehman’s second-place result in the 10,000-meter run (40:30.48). Saunders also took home seventh-place honors in the 1,500-meter run (5:11.19) while freshman Laura Herr finished seventh in the 5,000 in a time of 20:14.10.

“Melissa, Heidi and Kelcie paced our women’s team today, and Kelcie’s finish in the pole vault was significant for our records,” Clark said. “These girls continue to work hard to improve on previous performances.”

The men’s team used a balanced attack to take a third-place stronghold at the event, as Goshen recorded nine top five finishes and six top three efforts on the day. Junior Justin Gillette, despite having his wisdom teeth removed just a week earlier, finished first in the 10,000-meter run in a time of 32:33.26. Senior Jon Cook had another outstanding day, finishing second in the long jump (21 feet, 9 inches) and the triple jump (42 feet, 1 inch). Junior Ben Reed finished second in the pole vault competition with a height of 13 feet, while sophomore Don Williams finished third in the high jump (6 feet).

“Justin Gillette, Jon Cook and Ben Reed led the men’s team in top finishes, but they had a very good supporting cast that registered many other places in the meet,” Clark said. “We had a team effort across the board for the men today.”

Sophomore Daniel Constantine took a fourth-place finish in the 400-meter dash in a time of :51.76, while Williams finished fourth in the 110-meter hurdles event in a clip of :16.00. The 4 X 100 relay team of Reed, Constantine, sophomore Dan Adcock and freshman Carl Vieth finished third in a time of :44.77, while the 4 X 400 relay team of Cook, Constantine, Adcock and freshman Jason Young took home a fourth place effort in a time of 3:28.47.

Complete men’s team scores from the meet were: 1) Siena Heights 137; 2) Cornerstone 135.5; 3) Goshen 79.5; 4) Bethel 72; 5) Adrian 56.5; 6) Alma 55.5; 7) Olivet 47; 8) Defiance 41; 9) Albion 38; 10) Tri-State 22; 11) Dayton TC 10;12) Oakland 4. Women’s team results were: 1) Cornerstone 164.5; 2) Bethel 122; 3) Adrian 107; 4) Siena Heights 102; 5) Albion 98.5; 6) Defiance 87.5; 7) Alma 39.5; 8) Goshen 36.5; 9) Olivet 13.

Goshen will return to action next Saturday, when the team will participate in the Runner’s Forum Invite at Anderson University.

MAR. 20 — Teams Start Outdoor Season With Goshen Invite
Squads drop team decisions to Bethel, but plenty of individuals perform well

Goshen, IN — Even without the comforts of temperature control and shelter that the indoor season provided, the Goshen College track and field program successfully opened the 2004 outdoor campaign Saturday at the Eigsti Track and Field Complex, hosting rival Bethel College in the Goshen College Invitational. And while the Pilots took both team results from the Leafs — a 91 to 63 point spread on the men’s slate while the women were defeated 104 to 50 — Goshen head coach Rick Clark said he was pleased with the way his squads competed.

“This was a very good meet to open the outdoor season, all things considered,” Clark said. “Our men’s score was closer than what it looked like on paper. We were without our top distance guy and we had a botched handoff in the 4 X 100 relay. (Senior) Ben Reed got a no-height finish in the pole vault, something that never happens, so we were four or five points away from making a real push.”

Aside form these factors, the men’s team turned in several top-notch performances, led by senior Jon Cook. Cook, who competed in the NAIA Indoor National event just two weeks earlier, finished first in the long jump (22 feet, 1.5 inches) and the triple jump (43 feet, 2.5 inches), setting new track records by a Goshen athlete in both while setting the all-time Eigsti Track record in the long jump. Cook also finished second in the 200-meter dash in a time of :22.9 and was a member of the 4 X 400 relay team that took first place in a time of 3:29.73.

“Jon Cook took off from his indoor season and had a very steady day for us,” Clark said. “He is running and jumping very well right now, and the temperature didn’t seem to affect him that much.”

Fellow indoor national participant and All-Amercian junior Justin Gillette did not participate Saturday due to having his wisdom teeth removed earlier in the week, but Goshen made up for its lost distance man in the field events, claiming first place in three of the four throwing events. Junior Tolu Kayode took first in both the hammer throw (137 feet, 11 inches) and the shot put (39 feet, 9.5 inches) while sophomore Matt Hochstetler set a new complex record by a Goshen athlete with a 127 foot, 10 inch toss in the discus. Sophomore Don Williams recorded a height of 6 feet in the high jump, a new complex record for a Goshen athlete. Sophomores Daniel Adcock and Daniel Constantine, along with freshman Jason Young, combined with Cook for the first place finish in the 4 X 400 relay.

“Matt Hochstetler had a great effort in the discus while Tolu continued to do good things in the hammer and the shot,” Clark said.

Goshen’s undermanned women’s unit was also productive on the afternoon, claiming four complex school records while winning eight events. Pacing the women was sophomore Erin Williams, who took first in both the pole vault (8 feet) and the 100-meter hurdles (:17:67), both Goshen complex records. Williams was also a part of the 4 X 100 relay team that took first place with a time of :54.27.

“Erin Williams really performed strongly,” Clark said. “She is running much better than she did last year in the hurdles, and her practice with the pole vault is really starting to show.”

Junior Melissa Lehman also turned in a nice day, finishing first in a school track record time 19:29.82 in the 5k race, while combining with seniors Charity Brubaker and Heidi Saunders and freshman Laura Herr to set a new school track record in the 4 X 800 meter relay in a clip of 10:39.95. Saunders also took first place in the 1,500-meter event (5:12.78) and the 800-meter run (2:33.20), the latter setting a new Goshen track record.

“Melissa ran well in the 5k and Heidi wasn’t seriously challenged in either of her races,” Clark said.

Sophomore Rachel Yantzi cleaned up first place in the hammer throw (102 feet, 5.5 inches), rounding off Goshen’s female first place winners.

The Leafs will return to the track next Saturday when the team travels to Defiance, Ohio to participate in the Dick Small Invite.

MAR. 4-6 — Gillette Leads Leafs At Indoor Nationals
Junior notches first All-American finish in 5,000-meter run; Saunders just misses

Johnson City, TN — After a stellar indoor track season saw the Goshen College men’s program post an undefeated team record and an undermanned women’s squad continually overachieve, it was not surprising that the Leafs turned in very strong individual performances at this weekend’s NAIA Indoor Track and Field National Championships at East Tennessee State University. Leading the way for Goshen was junior Justin Gillette, who took his first All-American honor in indoor competition by finishing sixth in the 5,000-meter run (the top six places earn such accolades), destroying his own school record in a time of 15:06.48 — his old personal best was 15:33.06, which he set earlier this year.

“Justin ran a gutsy race in the finals of the men’s 5,000-meter run to place sixth and get his first All-American honors in indoor track,” said Rick Clark, Goshen head coach. “Justin has improved tremendously over the past year, signified by the fact that although he qualified for the indoor championships last year, he finished last in his qualifying heat while not getting close to the finals.”

At this year’s championships, however, Gillette made sure to advance to the finals, turning in a 15:22.24 clip in the semifinal race Friday night — enough to win his heat and set a new Goshen school record in its own right. Gillette then turned around just a day later and thrashed that time in the finals held Saturday evening, claiming his second All-American honor in his time at Goshen (Gillette was an All-American finisher in the marathon at the outdoor championships last season).

“On Saturday, the race went out at a very fast pace but Justin hung with the lead pack throughout the first two miles and then battled for fifth and sixth place over the last mile,” Clark said. “Just 24 hours prior to the finals he had won his qualifying race with a personal best time, and he recovered in excellent fashion to earn All-American honors and smash the previous school record.”

And while Gillette’s performances were dominant, he was hardly the only Leaf athlete to lay claim to greatness over the weekend. Senior Heidi Saunders came within four seconds of securing her fifth All-American award in the 3,000-meter run, taking seventh place in a time of 10:33.82. Saunders also competed in the mile run — taking 19th place in a time of 5:40.29 — but had her best effort in the 3,000-meter event.

“Heidi was disappointed to fall just one place short of All-American honors for the second year in a row, but what a testament to her work ethic to get that far,” Clark said. “Heidi led the race for two laps then gradually fell back into ninth, but she put on a rallying last lap kick and moved up two places for seventh.”

Senior Jon Cook and junior Tolu Kayode were Goshen’s other two participants in the national event, with Kayode taking 25th place in the weight throw (47 feet, 1 inch) while Cook finished 15th in both the long jump (22 feet, 6 inches) and the 55-meter hurdles (:08.04). Cook also competed in the triple jump, garnering a distance of 44 feet, 5 inches, good enough for 25th place.

“Jon fell a little short of making the finals in the long jump, but this capped off an excellent final indoor season for him where he established new indoor records in the long and triple jumps,” Clark said. “Tolu also did well this season, getting his first national championship opportunity thanks to his hard work in getting stronger and his technique. I couldn’t be prouder of our athletes that represented us this weekend.”

The Goshen men’s team, with three participants, was able to collect enough points to finish 47th out of 90 schools participating in the team standings. For a complete list of NAIA Indoor Track and Field Nationals participants and event results, click here.

Goshen will open its outdoor season with the Goshen Invitational on Mar. 20. The event will take place at the Eigsti Track and Field Complex on the Goshen College campus.

FEB. 28 — Goshen Fine Tunes For Nationals At Anderson
Cook, 4 X 200 relay team set school records at Fred Wilt Memorial Invite

Senior Jon Cook Senior Ben Reed

Anderson, IN — With spring break taking Goshen students away from campus and NAIA Indoor National competition just one week away, the Goshen College indoor track and field program took a small number of athletes to the Fred Wilt Memorial Invitational at Anderson University Saturday for its last opportunity before heading to national competition next weekend. And, as has been the case for the entire indoor season, Goshen dominated events that it participated in, setting two new school records and taking seven top five finishes out of a total 17 events participated in.

Senior Jon Cook again led the way for the Leafs, taking a first-place finish in the long jump with a school record leap of 23 feet, 4 inches, replacing his old record of 22 feet, 8 inches which he set earlier this season. The 4 X 200 relay team of sophomores Dan Adcock, Michael Amos and Daniel Constantine along with freshman Jason Young also set a new Goshen indoor record, taking third place in the event in a time of 1:33.94. Senior Ben Reed notched first in the pole vault (13 feet) while Constantine took home a third place finish in the 200-meter dash (:23.44). Junior Tolu Kayode — already a NAIA Nationals qualifier — grabbed a third-place finish in the weight throw, garnering a distance of 44 feet, 6 inches Saturday afternoon.

Taking just three female athletes didn’t deter the Leafs’ women’s side at Anderson, as sophomore Rachel Yantzi took home a fifth-place finish in the weight throw (33 feet, 6 inches) while senior Kelcie Glick notched a seventh-place mark in the pole vault (8 feet). Classmate Ventisha Connolly rounded out the women participants taking eighth place in both the weight throw (30 feet, 8 inches) and the shot put (28 feet, 5 inches).

“Seniors Jon Cook and Ben Reed are performing very consistently right now,” said Rick Clark, Goshen head coach. “Jon continues to stretch the long jump mark out farther and farther. We are looking for continued performance at indoor nationals next week.”

Goshen will take Cook (long jump, triple jump and 55-meter high hurdles), Kayode (weight throw), junior Justin Gillette (5,000-meter run) and senior Heidi Saunders (mile run and 3,000-meter run) to the NAIA Indoor National Championships next weekend at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee. Events will take place on both Friday and Saturday. For a complete list of events and scheduled start times, click here.

FEB. 21 — Men Claim Frozen Forest; Women Set Records
Men's team finishes indoor season with perfect 5-0 mark; Glick, Williams, Lehman lead women

Sophomore Daniel Constantine Junior Kelcie Glick

Huntington, IN — In the final “team” scored indoor meet of the season, the Goshen men’s track team remained undefeated at the Frozen Forest Invite Saturday, taking down Mid-Central Conference foes Huntington, St. Francis and Marian in the process. The Leaf’s 69.5 total points was far better than the host school’s 39.5, while St. Francis (24.5), Tri-State (19) and Marian (5.5) rounded out the competition. The team win put the men’s team at 5-0 on the season, the first time in program history a team has gone undefeated in team points throughout the indoor season.

“We’ll take a few athletes to Anderson next week, and we’ll be taking a few to nationals as well,” said Rick Clark, Goshen head coach. “With this being our last team-scored meet, it’s a very nice accomplishment for our men to finish with a 5-0 mark. They have continued to develop good depth to go along with a number of high quality performances.”

As usual, the men received several record-shattering performances, but this Saturday a new face led the charge: Sophomore Daniel Constantine broke the program record in the 300-meter dash, taking first in the event in a time of :37.34, exactly one second faster than the old record set in 1996 by Joe Company. Junior Justin Gillette provided even more records for the men’s squad, taking first in both the 1600-meter run (4:31.24) and the 3200-meter run (9:36.24), both school record marks. On the afternoon, the Goshen’s men’s team notched nine first-place finishes, including senior Jon Cook in the long jump (22 feet, 6 inches), triple jump (43 feet, 7 inches) and 55-meter dash (:06.64), sophomore Don Williams in the high jump (6 feet, 2 inches), senior Ben Reed in the pole vault (13 feet) and the 4 X 2 lap relay team of first-year students Andrew Esch, Dominick Fultz, Carl Vieth and Jason Young in a time of 2:59.3. To further bolster the men’s scoring, junior Tolu Kayode took third place in the weight throw (50 feet, 2 inches) while Williams recorded a second-place finish in the 55-meter hurdles (:08.44).

“We had good front running leadership from Jon Cook, Justin Gillette, Ben Reed and sophomore Daniel Constantine and Don Williams,” Clark said. “We also had a satisfying victory out of a complete freshman relay team which was a good statement from our younger athletes.”

And while the Leafs’ women’s squad could not pull the same type of team success (Goshen finished in third place with 29 points, ahead of Grace (17) and Marian (13) but behind Huntington (53) and St. Francis (34)), the squad did finish with several strong individual performances. Senior Kelcie Glick set a new school record with a 8 feet, 6 inch performance in the pole vault (first place) and sophomore Erin Williams tied the school mark in the 55-meter hurdles, taking second place in a time of :09.54. Williams was also second in the pole vault at a height of 7 feet, 6 inches, while junior Melissa Lehman broke her own school record in the 3200-meter run, finishing in a time of 12:05.24.

Sophomore Rachel Yantzi recorded a win in the weight throw, slinging the object a distance of 38 feet, 4 inches while senior Ventisha Connolly finished second in the shot put with a heave of 29 feet, 9 inches. Freshman Laura Herr recorded a third-place finish in the 1600-meter run, while classmate Katie Meyer took third in the long jump with a leap of 14 feet, 1 inch.

“This was a good meet for our women’s side,” Clark said. “Many of our women displayed good improvement in their events today.”

Goshen will next take a select few athletes to the Fred Wilt Invitational at Anderson University next Saturday.

FEB. 13 — Leafs Continue To "Cook" At Hillsdale Invitational
Senior continues outstanding season; jumpers, sprint group also perform well

Senior Jon Cook

Hillsdale, MI — Continuing his outstanding season to date, senior Jon Cook led yet another impressive outing for the Goshen track and field team this weekend, as the squad competed at the Hillsdale Invitational Friday afternoon.

Cook took first place in both the long jump (22 feet, 8 inches) and the triple jump (46 feet), re-writing his own school record in the latter and qualifying for NAIA National competition in both events. Cook also qualified for nationals in the 55-meter hurdles, finishing in :07.85, good for third place in the race.

“Jon continues to have an excellent indoor season by winning two events and placing third in another,” said Rick Clark, Goshen head coach. “Add to the fact that he hit the automatic national qualifying mark in two of the three events and increased his school record in the triple jump and you begin to feel the direction he is helping to point our men’s team with his goal-directed leadership.”

Cook spearheaded a men’s performance at Hillsdale that was impressive across the board — sophomore Dan Adcock took fourth place in the triple jump (41 feet, 4 inches) while freshman Kyle Hesed notched fifth place honors (38 feet, 6 inches). Sophomore Don Williams finished second in the high jump by clearing 6 feet, and also took home a fourth place ribbon in the 55-meter hurdles, finishing in a time of :08.27. Sophomore Daniel Constantine finished tied for fourth in the 200-meter dash (:24.04) and seventh in the 55-meter sprint (:06.82), while freshman Jason Young took seventh-place honors in the 400-meter dash in a time of :53.33. Junior Justin Gillette provided a fifth-place finish in the 5,000-meter run (15:44.93), while the 4 X 400 relay team of Adcock, Constantine, Young and sophomore Michael Amos finished in third place at a clip of 3:34.28.

“Our entire group of long, triple and high jumpers along with our sprint group had a solid performance for the men’s team,” Clark said. “We continue to be excited about the depth that should come from these areas this year.”

On the women’s side, senior Heidi Saunders continued to bolster her resume, again qualifying for NAIA National competition in the mile run, finishing second in a time of 5:17.60. Junior Melissa Lehman took fourth place honors in the 5,000-meter run (19:45.69), while Saunders finished third in the 3,000-meter event (11:00.93). Sophomore Erin Williams paced the women’s side in field events, taking seventh place in the pole vault competition (8 feet) while also grabbing a fifth-place result in the 55-meter hurdles run (:09.86).

“Heidi and Melissa had very good runs in the distance events while Erin Williams continues to show consistency and improvement in the pole vault and hurdles.”

Goshen will next compete in the Frozen Forest Classic at Mid-Central Conference rival Huntington College on Saturday.

FEB. 6 — More Records Fall As Goshen Cleans Up Maple Leaf Invite
Four new school records are set and two more athletes hit national qualifying marks

Goshen, IN — With a full team participating for the first time this season in indoor competition, the Goshen track and field program had a quality effort during the Maple Leaf Invite in the Roman Gingerich Center Friday evening. The men’s squad turned in a dominant performance, taking the three-way event with 57 points over Bethel College (51 points) and Tri-State University (13 points). The women’s team was edged out by Mid-Central Conference rival Bethel by a 72 to 40 score, but had two new indoor school records set and qualified its first athlete of the season to NAIA National competition.

“This was a very good opportunity for all members of the team to compete and find out where they are at this early stage of the season,” said Rick Clark, Goshen head coach. “The coaching staff was pleased at the competitive efforts that were given by all of our athletes, and we also liked seeing the type of support that they gave each other throughout the meet.”

Goshen’s men’s team was led by an incredible meet turned in by senior Jon Cook, as the sprinter won three events, came in second in another and set two new school indoor records. Cook took first in the long jump with a 22 feet, 8 inch leap, which established a new school record and also qualified him for national competition. The same distinctions also came with his 45 feet, 4 inch triple-jump. Cook took second place in the 55-meter dash in a time of :06.64, qualifying him for NAIA National competition in that event as well. With his qualification in the 55-meter hurdles event last Friday in Findlay, Cook has now qualified for national competition in four events.

“Jon just had an outstanding meet,” Clark said. “He performed sensationally, and it really got the rest of the team going.”

Junior Tolu Kayode had already established a national qualifying mark of 48 feet in the weight throw before Cook’s incredible night, as did sophomore Don Williams’ in the high jump (6 feet, 3 inches), a new Goshen indoor record. The Leafs also turned in first-place finishes in the 400-meter dash (sophomore Michael Amos, :54.77) and 3,000-meter run (senior Justin Gillette, 9:07.53).

A small-in-numbers women’s team might have hurt Goshen’s chance to score an abundance of team points, but individuals from that squad shined as well. Senior Heidi Saunders reached the NAIA’s national qualifying mark in the 1,500-meter run, taking first place in a time of 4:57.64, a new Goshen indoor record as well. Sophomore Erin Williams also set a new school record in the pole vault, clearing a height of 8 feet, good for first place in the event. Williams also took first place in the 55-meter hurdles event, winning in a clip of :09.85. Sophomore Rachel Yanzi took first in the weight throw, slinging the object a distance of 37 feet, 2 inches.

“It was a great meet for all of our athletes, and we’re pleased with where we’re at right now,” Clark said. “We must continue to work hard and improve as the season progresses, though. We’re more interested in consistent improvement than anything else.”

Goshen will be in action again Friday, when the team will travel to Hillsdale College for the Hillsdale Invite.

JAN. 31 — Leafs Open Indoor Season With Broken Records
Team has two individuals qualify for NAIA Nationals; two set new school marks

Senior Jon Cook Junior Justin Gillette

Findlay, OH — The Goshen College track team wasted no time in setting a high standard for the 2004 indoor track and field season Friday, as the team had two individuals qualify for NAIA National competition while two members set new school records in respective events at the Findlay Indoor Classic. With over 45 schools and track clubs competing in this event, the Leafs made a strong showing despite bringing only a portion of its team to the competition.

Junior Justin Gillette finished fifth overall in the 5,000-meter run, finishing in a time of 15:33.06, hitting the NAIA National qualifying mark while breaking his old school record of 15:40.10 in the process. Senior Jon Cook also had a breakout day to open the indoor season, taking eighth overall in the 55-meter hurdles in a time of :08.03, meeting the NAIA National qualifying standard. Classmate Ben Reed netted a pole vault height of 13 feet, 11 inches, destroying his old school record mark of an even 13 feet set last season.

Cook also finished fifth in the triple jump (43 feet, 4 inches) while sophomore Daniel Constantine got off to a solid start in sprint work, taking a time of :06.84 in the 55-meter dash and a clip of :23.96 in the 200-meter event. Freshman Jason Young led the Leafs in the 400-meter dash with a pace of :54.20, while junior Tolu Kayode got off to a strong start in the weight throw, slinging the object 45 feet, 6 inches.

Senior Heidi Saunders was the only female athlete competing at the event, taking ninth place overall in the mile run, finishing in a time of 5:29.24.

Goshen will host its lone indoor track meet of the year this Friday, with field events beginning at 5:15 p.m. and running events beginning at 7 p.m. in the Roman Gingerich Center. Bethel College and Grace College will participate in the three-way event. Spectators are welcome. Admission is free.

JUL. 16 — Men's Track Team Adds Even More Speed To Roster In 2004
Veith, Young lead explosive recruiting class for Goshen head coach Rick Clark

Carl Veith

Goshen, IN — Even with a fourth-place finish in Mid-Central Collegiate Conference competition and a ranking of 20th in the final 2003 NAIA National Poll, Goshen head coach Rick Clark has made it a point to add even more speed to his men’s track team for the 2004 season. An extremely quick group of four incoming freshmen compile what is an outstanding recruiting class for the Leafs, giving Clark’s squad an immediate lift in sprinting events for next year.

“We are extremely pleased and excited to have the young men coming to Goshen that we do,” Clark said. “It’s a class that has a lot of speed in it, and one I believe will be very exciting to watch as their careers progress.”

Leading the way for Goshen is Carl Veith, a sprinter/long jumper from Wauseon High School in Delta, Ohio. Veith placed first in the 100-meter dash in conference competition, running several sub-11-second times. He finished second in the 200, fifth in the 400 and ran on the wining 4 X 400 relay squad. His time in the district 100-meter event was just off the clip to advance him to the state finals, as he missed the cut by just one place. Veith’s best times were :10.88 – 100; :22.75 – 200; :51.6 – 400 and 21 feet – long jump.

An outstanding student, Veith plans to study pre-architecture while at Goshen. With times as fast as he displayed, the decision to come to Goshen was one not without options: Veith also looked at Heidelberg, Tiffin, Findlay, Defiance, Adrian and Spring Arbor among others.

Future Leaf: Carl Veith signs his letter of intent to attend and participate in track and field for Goshen College beginning in 2003-2004. Joining Veith during the signing are (clockwise from top left): Goshen head coach Rick Clark, father Carl Veith, grandmother Shirley Carpenter and mother Donna Veith.

Staying close: Northridge High School standout Jason Young signs his letter of intent to attend Goshen beginning this fall. Young, a standout track and football performer in high school, will give the Leafs’ even more speed in sprinting events next year.

“Goshen offered the academics that I wanted and they offer a very good track program,” Veith said. “Of all the schools I looked at, it was difficult to find both at the quality I wanted. In addition, Goshen has a community full of people from different countries, and I liked that. They also have an amazing indoor facility and Coach Clark really impressed me during the recruiting process.”

Veith was selected as his high school team’s Most Valuable Athlete following his senior year, and also served as the squad’s captain. If Veith can continue to improve on the times that he ran in high school, Clark believes he can compete at the national level.

“Carl is an athlete that can make an instant impact for our team because of his speed and jumping ability,” Clark said. “It is easy to get excited about Carl joining us at Goshen because of how enthused and passionate he is about combining the academics and athletics that he was looking for as he made his college decision.”

Joining Veith on the sprinters’ blocks will be Jason Young, a recent graduate of nearby Northridge High School. Young has also posted extremely fast times in sprint competitions, as his best clip in the 200-meter dash this season was :22.8. Young was not only a two-time Most Valuable Athlete in track and field while at Northridge, but also excelled in football for four years. He was named honorable mention all-conference following his senior year in track, as he placed in both the 200- and 400-meter events and anchored the team’s 4 X 400 relay squad.

“Jason is a quality student-athlete who can definitely contribute to our track team and the Goshen College community,” Clark said. “I am pleased to have Jason joining us. He is a very coachable, enthusiastic athlete who possesses very good speed and will fit in well with the rest of the team.”

Young plans to major in music education once at Goshen, as he was awarded the John Phillips Sousa Award this spring for his excellent performance level in music.

In addition to Veith and Young, Clark has also received commitments from Andrew Esch, a sprinter from Bellfontaine, Ohio and Kyle Hesed, a long and triple-jumper from Pawnee Rock, Kansas. Clark said that both of these athletes will also add a great deal of athleticism to his team.

Check back to this website for the most up-to-date recruiting information. To contact Rick Clark, call him at (574) 535-7079 or click here to send him an email.