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Indoor track and field off to a running start

by Kwon Yang

It was a blustery 33 degrees Fahrenheit in Mt. Vernon Iowa, as the Pioneers prepared to compete in the Hilltop Open on Feb. 4. Erin Sindewald '08 nervously toed the starting line, completely unable to relax before her one mile run. At the sound of the starter pistol she was off, racing among a pack of other runners wearing nothing but a spandex uniform, just like everyone else.

Another season of Pioneer Indoor Track and Field had officially begun.

The first meet for Grinnell College was hosted by Cornell College. Nine Division III schools competed at the meet. The competition was tough, especially because Grinnell was not competing with all of their team.

"A lot of guys felt that they weren't in a good enough shape so they are going to hold back and run at a later date," said Tommy Jamison '09. "Also some of the guys are being saved for bigger meets down the road."

In spite of the short-handed roster at the meet, there were several outstanding performances in individual events. Darren McNabb '07 broke Grinnell's record in the weight throw with his toss of 15.41 meters last Saturday. Justin Riley '06 finished second in the men's one mile with a time of four minutes and 22 seconds. Senior Nick Fogg won the 5k with a time of 16 minutes flat.

The women's team also gave a very strong performance. Anna Gilbert, a first year, started the season by taking second place in the pole vault, clearing an impressive height of nine feet and 6.25 inches.

Liz Ehlinger '09 also scored for the team with a leap of 30 feet and 1.5 inches, which was good enough for 7th place. Sara Brady '07 and Emily Lynam '09 showed finished 6th and 7th respectively in the 800 meter run.

Although Sindewald did not score for the team, she ran her personal best at the meet for the mile with a time of five minutes and 40 seconds.

The next meet for the team will be held in Buena Vista this weekend with the ultimate goal of placing second in the Division III Conference at the end of the season. But Grinnell has a long struggle ahead of them in order to reach that goal.

Despite the slow start to the season, Head Coach Will Freeman remained upbeat. "I liked what I saw for the group. They have a great potential but right now the focus is on training."

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