Clark, Klecker Win Conference 5K Titles

Friday, February 24

Seattle, Wash.

All Day

Colorado

MPSF Indoor Championships

For the third straight year CU won the MPSF Indoor 5k women's title

February 24, 2017 | Track and Field

Results

By: Maggie Still, Assistant SID

SEATTLE, WASH. — The University of Colorado dominated the 5,000 meter run as the Buffs won both MPSF Conference titles here Friday night.

WHAT HAPPENED: 5K DOMINANCE
Erin Clark took home the MPSF Conference title in the 5,000 meters clocking a strong 15:50.96 PR time. Clark is the third consecutive Buff to win the event at the indoor conference championships as Kaitlyn Benner (2015) and Mackenzie Caldwell (2016) preceded her. This time also gives Clark the sixth fastest time in the country.

The women put together an impressive 5k race as four Buffs placed in the top 10. Clark took home the event title while Makena Morley finished in fourth with a time of 15:58.07, a personal best. Morley moved up in CU all time indoor performers list as she is now fifth overall in school history for the event. Annie Kelly rounded out the Buffs earning points in the event as she finished eighth, clocking a personal best time of 16:21.56. Tayler Tuttle came in ninth overall with a 16:32.68 time.

In his indoor 5,000 meter debut, Joe Klecker put up a 13:56.15 time to win the conference title. This is the first time a Buff has won the 5k conference title since Bradley Harkrader in 2008. Teammate Ryan Forsyth also ran a solid time of 14:06.84 to finish in sixth overall and earn points towards the team score.

DMR RELAY
The women's distance medley relay comprised of Tabor Scholl, Elissa Mann, Sage Hurta and Dani Jones took home first place with a time of 10:58.68 and earned 10 points towards the team score. More notable is this time will qualify them for the NCAA indoor National Championships. The last time a women's DMR won a conference title was in 1999.

On the men's side the relay of Phillip Rocha, Darrin Haynes, Connor Dunne and Eduardo Herrera finished in sixth place with a time of 9:57.05 and earned three points towards the team score.

OTHER NOTABLE EVENTS
Rajon O'Quinn earned a top-5 finish in the 200 meters clocking a time of 24.26 earning five points towards the team score. She was only .01 off her personal best time. On the men's side Duane McClurkin Jr. ran a PR time of 21.49 to finish in eighth place and earn one point towards the team score.

PENTATHLON
In the women's pentathlon, Maja Wichhart-Donzo led the way for the buffs finishing seventh overall with 3,585 points, a personal best. She started off the day clocking a PR time of 8.97 in the 60-meter hurdles. Wichhart-Donzo went on to clear 5-3.25/1.61 in the high jump, which was a quarter of an inch away from her personal best. She tossed a 34-01.50/10.40 to earn a PR in the event and finish 12^th. Wichhart-Donzo struggled a little with the long jump finishing with a 16-08.75/5.10 but bounced back with a strong 800 meter run with a PR time of 2:23.33 to finish her day.

Her teammates, Drianna Mustin and Mariah Slack placed 10^th and 13th, respectively. Drianna Mustin completed her pentathlon with a PR 3,526 points while notching a strong 800 meter time of 2:17.87 to finish second in that portion. Mariah Slack put together a solid pentathlon earning a personal record 3,436 points which included three PR events.

HEPTATHLON (DAY 1)
Isaiah Oliver paced the duo of Buffs competing in the Heptathlon as he put together three school heptathlon records on the first day of competition. Oliver started out the day squeaking out a 6.94 to finish second in the 60 meters. This time extended his own school heptathlon record in the 60 meters previously set early this month (6.99). He then turned in a mark of 23-11.00/7.29 in the long jump, which broke CU's heptathlon long jump record previously set by Andrew Ghizzone in December 2016 (23-9.50). Oliver kept up his momentum in the shot put as he threw another heptathlon school record of 43-05/13.23. After the first four events Oliver sits in second place with 3,138 points behind Oregon's Mitch Modin (3,194) Teammate Andrew Ghizzone is sitting in 11^th overall with 2,763 points.

QUOTABLE (Head Coach Mark Wetmore)
We had a pretty good day. We are about where I hoped we would be. A little ahead in the women and about even in the men. Important people who scored for us today were Annie Kelly getting a point for the team in the 5K. We had three scorers in the women's 5K. Duane McClurkin Jr. got a point in the men's 200 and Maja scored in the Pentathlon, which we hoped for, she was seventh place for two points. The men's distance medley relay with three freshmen finished sixth to get us three points and so that is a nice opener for the three freshmen. Good ole' reliable Ryan Forsyth got sixth in the 5K to get us points and Rajon scored in the 200.

Makena Morley ran a 15:58.07, a time that is going to be right on the bubble of the NCAA, which was one of our goals for this meet, she is going to be right there of who gets in.

Joe Klecker and Erin Clark ran very controlled races in the 5K. Both winners and earned 10 points each for the team. Joe was not trying to get a qualifying mark; he is already in the NCAA's for two events. So, he was just responding to the race and really powered away in a really dominant manner and looked great.

Erin and Makena both traded off in the lead trying to keep the race going fast, some opponents tried to take advantage of that but, they could not keep up with Erin once she put the hammer down.

Probably the highlight of the day was the women's DMR, as they won and earned points for the team. But, more importantly, it was a big NCAA qualifying mark. We have not been to the NCAA in the distance medley for about 15 years and we thought this team could do it. Great for those four women and they are off to the NCAA.

2017 MPSF INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Dempsey Indoor (Seattle, Washington)

Women's Team Scores (Friday)
1. ) USC 51
2.) COLORADO 32
3.) UCLA 26.33
T4.) Oregon 21
T4.) Arizona State 21
6.) Washington 18
7.) Washington State 16.50
8.) Cal St. Northridge 15.33

Men's Team Scores (Friday)
1.) UCLA 32
2.) Arizona State 28
3.) Long Beach State 27
4.) Washington 25.50
5.) USC 21
6.) BYU 20
7.) Oregon 18
8.) COLORADO 17

Women's Pentathlon
Points: (1. Liz Harper, Washing State, 4014) 7. Maja Wichhart-Donzo, 3585; 10. Drianna Mustin, 3526; 13. Mariah Slack, 3436
60-Meter Hurdles: (1. Riley Cooks, Long Beach State, 8.49) 5. Maja Wichhart-Donzo, 8.97; 13. Drianna Mustin, 9.27; 19. Mariah Slack, 9.73
High Jump: (1. Kendall Gustafson, UCLA, 5-8/1.73) t8. Maja Wichhart-Donzo, 5-3.25/1.61; t8 Drianna Mustin, 5-3.25/1.61; 15. Mariah Slack, 5-1/1.55
Shot Put: (1. Kendall Gustafson, UCLA, 41-08/12.70) 12. Maja Wichhart-Donzo, 34-01.50/10.40; 16. Mariah Slack, 32-8.50/9.97; 21. Drianna Mustin, 29-10.75/9.11
Long Jump: Mariah Slack, 17-01.5/5.22; Drianna Mustin, 16-10.75/5.15; Maja Wichhart-Donzo, 16-08.75/5.10
800-Meters: Drianna Mustin, 2:17.87; 3. Mariah Slack, 2:18.23; 7. Maja Wichhart-Donzo, 2:23.33

Men's Heptathlon
Points: (1. Mitch Modin, Oregon, 3,194) 2. Isaiah Oliver, 3,138; 11. Andrew Ghizzone, 2,763
60-Meters: (1. Tyler Brendel, Cal, 6.92) 2. Isaiah Oliver, 6.94; 13. Andrew Ghizzone, 7.34
Long Jump: (1. Isaiah Oliver, 23-11.00/7.29) T7. Andrew Ghizzone, 22-05.75/6.85
Shot Put: (1. Mitch Modin, 44-05.5/13.55) 3. Isaiah Oliver, 43-05/13.23; 14. Andrew Ghizzone, 34-10.5/10.63
High Jump: (1. Cole Jensen, Washington, 6-8/2.03) 8. Andrew Ghizzone, 6-02/1.88; T11. Isaiah Oliver, 6-00.75/1.85

Field Events:
Women Weight Throw: (1. Maggie Ewen, Arizona State, 70-7.75/21.53) 18. Elisa Grandemange, 53-04.25/16.26
Men Weight Throw: (1. James Hubbard, Long Beach State, 69-11/21.31) 24. Greyson Webber, 47-00.75/14.34
Women Long Jump: (1. Margaux Jones, USC, 20-05.75/6.24) 11. Eriana Henderson, 18-02.25/5.54

Track Events:
PRELIMS Women 60-Meter Hurdles: (Sasha Wallace, 8.07) 16. Eriana Henderson, 8.79
PRELIMS Men 60-Meter Hurdles: (1. Marquis Morris, USC, 7.83) 4. Jaron Thomas, 8.00; 11. Kodie Artner, 8.16; 17. Alexander Billing, 8.41
PRELIMS Women 60 Meters: (1. Hannah Cunliffe, Oregon, 7.19) 15. Rajon O'Quinn, 7.53
Women 5,000 Meters: (1. Erin Clark, 15:50.96) 4. Makena Morley, 15:58.07; 8. Annie Kelly, 16:21.56; 9. Tayler Tuttle, 16:36.68
Men 5,000 Meters: (1. Joe Klecker, 13:56.15) 6. Ryan Forsyth, 14:06.84; 18. Ethan Gonzales, 14:19.24; 27. Christian Martin, 14:38.16
Women 200 Meters: (1. Kendall Ellis, USC, 23.09) 5. Rajon O'Quinn, 24.26
Men 200 Meters: (1. Kyree King, Oregon, 21.04) 8. Duane McClurkin Jr., 21.49
Women DMR Relay: (1. Colorado, Scholl/Mann/Hurta/Jones, 10:58.68)
Men DMR Relay: (1. Cal, 9:34.11) 6. Colorado, Rocha, Haynes, Dunne, Herrera, 9:57.05

NEXT TIME:
The Buffs will continue action at the MPSF conference championships Saturday February 25 in Seattle.