Courtesy of Grand Valley State athletic communications
PUEBLO, Colo. –- For the first time in 13 years, Grand Valley State's women's track and field has been named the NCAA DII Outdoor Champion. The honor follows three days of competition where Laker ladies totaled 60 team points and crowned two individuals as national champions. The men may not have won a national title, but they finished the weekend nicely with a total of 48 team points, putting them in third place.
"This was an incredible day for our programs," said head coach Jerry Baltes. "Our athletes competed incredibly hard and I am so thankful for everyone that helped our women capture a National Championship title and lead the men to a third-place finish.
The day began at 11 a.m. MT as Brooke Bowers competed in pole vault. The true freshman found the fifth spot on the podium to earn her second All-America honor with a mark of 4.17m (13-8.25). All three heights Bowers cleared were done so on her first attempt.
One of the most (if not the most) exciting moments of the day was Klaudia O'Malley's win in the women's 1500m. Each 400m was faster than the previous, building excitement for her last lap. The senior closed out the final 400m in 63 seconds, passing four others to cross the finish line first at 4:29.11. Though this is just one of many All-America honors for the senior, O'Malley's finish earned her her first individual National Champion title.
Women's shot put featured throwers Erika Beistle and Mackenzie Bohrer. In her last outing as a Laker, Bohrer found a spot on the podium. The senior threw a 15.41m (50-6.75) shot to place sixth and add one final All-America honor to her résumé. Unfortunately, Beistle was unable to record a legal mark.
The men's 4x100m relay squad of Zach Pray, Nick Walper, Jacody Sikora and Myles Rhodes were up next. Though they did not break a program record this time, the quad placed fourth at 40.03, adding five points to the team score.
Rhodes continued to race hard in his next event, the 400m. He completed the one-lap race in a personal-best time of 45.99, also breaking his own school record in the process.
Men's high jumpers Jaivon Harrison and Jonathan Rankins-James proved once again that Grand Valley State is Jumps University. The duo went one-two in the event with matching marks of 2.18m (7-1.75); Harrison was named National Champion on the countback.
The end of the day began with the women's 5000m, featuring newly crowned National Champion Klaudia O'Malley and Natalie Graber. At the beginning of the race, Graber positioned herself in the middle of the pack, consistently sitting around fifth or sixth. At the 3800m mark, Graber sat in fourth and remained there until the final lap. In just 1:10.25, Graber completed the final 400m, passing the third-place competitor and finding a bronze medal herself at 16:39.72. O'Malley had a much bigger comeback, sitting in the double digits until the 4200m mark. Jumping from 10th to eighth, O'Malley eventually made her way to the front of the pack. She finished the last 400m in 1:11.86, crossing the finish line sixth at 16:48.73.
The nine points earned by O'Malley and Graber were what the team needed to fly past Pittsburg State and Adams State in the team standings. Adams State finished the day with 59 team points – just one less than Grand Valley's 60.
The men ended the day with Koby Fraaza in the 5000m and Zach Pray, Dominik Balenda, Trannon Aylor and Myles Rhodes in the men's 4x400m relay.
Fraaza was first to race. Seeded 12th, he began the race sitting toward the back of the pack. He wavered throughout the race until he jumped from ninth to seventh, then seventh to fifth in the final 800m. Fraaza finished fifth at a time of 14:35.28, adding four points to the men's team score.
The day ended with the 4x400m relay. Although the quad did not break any records, they finished the 1600m at 3:06.76, ranking them fifth in the event and adding four points to the team score.
"Most of all, I am proud and thankful for our student-athletes, coaches, and support staff's commitment to each other and to our program," said Baltes. "This was a great day to be a Laker!"
