ASHLAND, Ohio - The Saginaw Valley State University men's and women's track and field squads competed in the final day of the 2013 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships today (May 3). The women finished in fifth place with a total of 66.5 points, while the men finished in seventh with 37 total points.
In a ceremony held after the completion of events, SVSU freshman sensation Taylor Stepanski was named GLIAC Freshman Runner of the Year after an impressive first-year showing.
Women - 5th Place (66.5 Points)
2013 GLIAC 'Freshman Runner of the Year' Taylor Stepanski (Alpena, Mich. / Alpena HS) gave the Lady Cardinals a boost with a first place finish in the 800 meter with a NCAA Provisional Qualifying time of 2:10.27, while Ashley Meyer (Shepherd, Mich. / Shepherd HS) completed the race in seventh place after a time of 2:20.52.
Sophomore Emily Short (Tawas, Mich. / Tawas Area HS) gave Saginaw Valley their second top finish of the afternoon in the 5000 meter crossing the line with a time of 17:28.27, nine seconds faster then her nearest challenger.
Short and Meyer earned the Cardinals additional points in the 1500 Meter run. Short crossed the line in third place in a time of 4:40.71, while Meyer finished fourth with a time of 4:40.93.
Diamond Taylor (Southfield, Mich.) had a strong showing in the 400 meter run, finishing in third place with a time of 56.52, while teammate Ola Hendler (Lansing, Mich. / Grand Ledge HS) crossed the line in eighth place with a time of 59.10.
Freshman Yanisha Edwards (Flint, Mich. / Northwestern) earned a sixth place finish in the 200 meter dash with a time of 24.97 to earn three points for the Cardinals.
The 4x100 meter relay squad of Shavonne Roberson (Ypsilanti, Mich. / Ypsilanti HS), Edwards, Taylor and Kim Balls (Bridgeport, Mich. / Bridgeport) earned six points with a third place finish in a time of 47.45.
The 4x400 meter relay team of Hendler, Taylor, Stepanski and Roberson finished in second place with a time of 3:49.60 to earn an additional eight points for the Cardinals.
Anna Fochesato (Holly, Mich. / Brandon) leaped her way to a tie for eighth place with a jump of 1.59 meters for a half point.
Sophomore thrower Emerald Joiner (Saginaw, Mich. / Arthur Hill) finished just out of the points in the shot put but still managed a NCAA Provisional Qualifying distance of 44-feet-2 inches in the event.
Men - 7th Place (37 Points)
Senior Tyler Grob (Pinckney, Mich.) continued his impressive performance at the Championships with a third place finish in the pole vault with a height of 15 feet-1 inch.
The Cardinals got a boost from Josh Arnold (Clio, Mich. / Clio) and Travis Toye (Davison, Mich. / Davison HS) who picked up a combined five points in the 800 meter run. Arnold crossed the line in fifth place with a time of 1:52.66, while Toye placed eighth with a time of 1:54.56.
Junior D'Omar Boyden (Portmore, Jamaica) finished seventh in the 110 hurdles with a time of 14.43 earning the men another two points.
Senior Joey Burelle (Sterling Heights, Mich. / Stevenson) placed eighth in the 5000 meter run to give Saginaw Valley an additional point.
The 4x400 meter relay team of Arnold, Toye, David Ray (Lansing, Mich. / Eastern) and Lee Chiatalas (Fenton, Mich. / Linden) finished in sixth place with a time of 3:18.04 to earn three points.
Several Saginaw Valley men's and women's track and field athletes will try to qualify for the DII National Championship at a series of last chance meets over the course of the next few days.