The Concordia University indoor track team had one last weekend to tune up for the 2009 GPAC indoor track championships, and they spent it at an impromptu Valentine's Day Invite at Doane College. Weather conditions kept the Bulldogs away from meets scheduled at Buena Vista University (Iowa) and Wayne State College.
The Bulldogs, competing mainly against fellow teammates and athletes from Doane College, had success improving their marks for the season. Charista Zehnder won the 55-meter dash with a time of 7.31 and later finished second in an expanded field in the long jump with a mark of 17'8.75". Katie Swanson ran away from the field in the 400-meter dash, winning by more than a second with a winning time of 100.07. Bethany Sutton won the 1000-meter run going away, besting the next finisher by four seconds with a time of 3:08.71. Lauren Eickemeyer took third place in the shot put with a final mark of 40'6". Amy Sandefur threw for a distance of 50' to finish third in the weight throw.
On the men's side Jimmy Boeder earned second place in the 600-meter run with a time of 1:25.32. Caleb Egger was victorious in the 800-meter run, beating teammate Keegan Bloomfield to the line with a time of 2:01.58. Luka Thor won the 3000-meter run with a time of 8:52.91. Thor then completed the sweep of the distance races, winning the 5000-meter run with a time of 15:41.20. In the field events Josh Tonniges cleared 16' in the pole vault to take the win for the Bulldogs. Brock Simonsen finished second in the shot put with a distance of 52'10".
Michael Saalfeld, competing as the sole Bulldog in the Iowa State Classic, took part in the 800-meter run. Racing among the best U.S. collegiate athletes, Saalfeld took fourth place overall and decimated his own school record with a time of 1:50.08. Saalfeld's time in Ames over the weekend is the fastest in the NAIA by nearly two full seconds. His time also qualified him for the United States Indoor Track and Field Championships in Boston, Mass., later this month.
The next meet for the Bulldogs is the 2009 GPAC Indoor Track and Field Championships held Saturday, Feb. 21, at the Bob Devaney Sports Complex in Lincoln, Neb.