CRETE, Neb. – The 2016 GPAC Indoor Track and Field Championships opened up on Friday with multi events taking place inside the Fuhrer Fieldhouse on the Doane College campus. With four of seven events complete in the men’s heptathlon, Concordia junior Lucas Wiechman sits in second place. Sophomore Alayna Daberkow highlighted efforts for the fifth-ranked Bulldog women with a seventh-place all-conference finish in the pentathlon.
Wiechman, a 2015 All-American in the heptathlon, posted personal bests in the 60 meter dash (7.16) and the high jump (6’ 1 ¼”) as part of his rock solid first day. With 2,803 points, the native of Pilger, Neb., is second only to Doane’s Kale Wolken (3,017 points). The 60 meter hurdles, pole vault and 1,000 meter run will be contested on Saturday to round out the heptathlon. Junior Thomas Matik, currently in 12th place, is also representing Concordia in the heptathlon at the GPAC meet.
On the women’s side, Daberkow’s performance netted two team points. The native of Madison, Neb., set a new personal best with 3,116 points in the pentathlon. She won the 800 meter race with a time of 2:23.43. Teammate Anna Beune placed 13th with 2,219 points. Her highest finish came in the long jump (17’ 1 ¼”), an event she took second in.
Both Concordia teams entered the meet with aspirations of top-two finishes in the conference. Said 24th-year head coach Kregg Einspahr, “I’d like to think that on a consistent basis we can be in the top three at the conference championship. We’ll see how things shake out.”
Action from the 2016 GPAC championships heats up on Saturday with the bulk of the meet playing out inside the Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln. Multi events will conclude inside the Fuhrer Fieldhouse in Crete. To view the complete event schedule, click HERE.