Track and field ends season in Storm Lake

The Luther College track and field teams completed the two-day Iowa Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships in fourth place. Buena Vista University hosted the indoor championships Feb. 26-27.

The men’s team posted a point total of 66. Central College won the team championship with 213.8 points and was followed by Wartburg College with 152 and Simpson College with 71.3.

Luther also set a single-season school record for all-conference honors earned at the indoor championships with 12. To earn all-conference honors, an athlete or a relay team must finish in the top three of their respective event.

Adam Pyzdrowski (‘10), who returned to the track team after taking the last two years off, became Luther’s first indoor Iowa Conference champion in the pole vault. Pyzdrowski cleared the bar at 12-11 1/2. Six other athletes also posted this height, but Pyzdrowski was the only one of the six to clear the bar on his first attempt.

Individual all-conference honors were also achieved by Trent Stonerook (‘11), Drew Burmahl (‘10) and Kyle Buck (‘11).

Stonerook placed second in the 35-lb. weight throw, with a mark of 50-6 that was also a new school record. Stonerook broke his own school record of 48-0 that he established earlier this year.

Burmahl finished second in the 3,000 meter run by .15 seconds. Burmahl crossed the finish line clocked at 8:43.92. Ryan Schroeder of Coe College was crowned the league champion with a winning time of 8:43.77. Burmahl’s time was also the fourth fastest in school history.

Buck became the first Luther runner to earn all-conference honors in the mile run. He placed third with a time of 4:28.63.

Luther’s distance medley relay and 4 x 800 relay also earned all-conference honors. The foursome of Andrew Papke-Larson (‘12), Ryan Egan (‘11), Tom Blattner (‘10) and Burmahl placed second in the Distance Medley relay clocked at 10:29.87.

Sam Donlan (‘10), Max Molzahn (‘12), Papke-Larson and Blattner finished third in the 4 x 800, posting the eighth fastest time in this event in school history of 8:07.99.

Women finish in sixth place

During the two days of competition, the women’s team posted six all-conference performances and also established two new school records. To earn all-conference honors, a relay team or an individual must place in the top-three of their respective event.

Individually, Liz Knutson (‘12), Katie Dolan (‘10), Dani Meirick (‘12) and Ellie Neubauer (‘11) earned all-conference honors.

Knutson earned her second indoor all-conference honor in the pole vault placing third. The top three place winners all cleared the bar at 10-0, but Knutson finished third because she posted this height on her third and final attempt.

For the second time in as many years, Dolan earned all-conference honors in the 3,000 meter run. Dolan posted a time of 10:28.49 that was good for third place and ranks eighth on Luther’s all-time list.

Meirick, a 2009 outdoor national qualifier in the 800 meters, finished second in this event clocked at 2:19.11. Neubauer finished third in the 5,000 meter run with a time of 18:16.66 that ranks eighth on Luther’s all-time list. Both athletes earned all-conference honors for the first time indoors.

The Norse 4 x 800 relay and the istance medley relay both placed second. Annie Klepper (‘12), Meirick, Dolan and Sam McAllister (‘12) set a new school record, crossing the finish line in 9:35.79. The old mark of 9:11.86 was set last year.