MC’s Stanton, Jones Qualify for National Indoor Track Meet

Release Date: March 6, 2002

A year ago at the Midwest Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships, Constance Jackson entered six events and came away with victories in all of them to lead the Fighting Scots women’s team to a runner-up finish.

With Jackson, who will join the outdoor team later this month, watching from the infield, Philicia Moredock turned in an eerily similar performance, winning five of the seven events she entered as the Scots blew past defending champion Carroll College to claim their six conference title in the last nine years. Monmouth posted a winning score of 154 points, which was 20.5 points more than the Pioneers.

Moredock won the three sprints (7.39, 25.73 and 58.71) and also claimed firsts in the 55-meter hurdles (8.64) and the 4x200 relay (1:46.38). She was second in the long jump and the 4x400 relay, helping her earn one of the Scots’ four Most Outstanding Performer awards.

“Philicia performed extremely well,” said coach Roger Haynes, who was named the MWC Indoor Coach of the Year for both the men and the women. “She had a pretty difficult weekend facing her, and she was up to the challenge.”

The men’s team also had a great day, routing their newest competitor, Carroll, by a 181-119 margin. David Hodge, who won the triple jump (44’4) and the long jump (22’3), and Keenan King, who had a meet just as successful as Moredock’s, received individual MWC honors.

King won the 55-meter dash (6.57) and the 200-meter dash (22.29) and was on the winning 4x200 (1:30.20) and 4x400 (3:21.35) relay squads. He also took second in the pole vault and third in the 55-meter hurdles. Nathan Gaskill, Randy Williams and Ryan Moll joined King on the top 4x400 squad and the 4x200 also included Williams, Moll and Amon Shelby.

Monmouth’s team of Moll, Vaughn Gray, Williams and Bryan Bittner set a meet and school record while winning the sprint medley relay in 3:33.71.

“We had just about zero mistakes,” said Haynes. “We always talk about the kids being the best they can be at the conference meet, and that’s pretty much how it went. I haven’t broken down the numbers yet, but it was a pretty amazing team performance.”

Haynes has now guided Monmouth track teams to 23 MWC titles out of a possible 42 since he took over the men’s program in 1984 and the women’s in 2000. His teams have placed second 11 times. Since 1990, Haynes-led teams have won 20 of a possible 29 championships.

Monmouth’s other schools records came in the pole vault, where Cheris Beaty cleared 10’0 to place second, and the triple jump, which was won in 39’6 by Kara Kuhrts, Monmouth’s fourth Most Outstanding Performer at the meet. Kuhrts added a victory in the long jump (17’6) and was on the winning 4x200 relay along with Lindsay Childs and Jill Hoops. She also placed sixth in the 55-meter hurdles and second in the high jump, an event that was won for the third straight time indoors by teammate Melissa Jones (5’2).

Jones and Scott Stanton, who placed second in the 55-meter hurdles in 7.64, will be solid All-American contenders at this weekend’s NCAA Division III Championships in Ada, Ohio.

“They’re both seeded seventh,” Haynes said Tuesday. The top six finishers at the meet earn All-American honors.

Other second-place finishers for Monmouth at the meet were Moll (200-meter dash and 400-meter dash), the men’s distance medley relay, James Van Dyke (high jump), Tobias Dickerson (shot put and weight throw), the women’s sprint medley relay team and Katy Healy (shot put and weight throw).

“Although his only wins came in the relays, Ryan Moll was outstanding all weekend,” said Haynes. “He moved up two or three spots from where he was seeded in both the 55 and the 200. Another athlete who fits that description is Matt Copple, who improved five feet in two weeks in the weight throw. Katy Healy was really outstanding, getting second place in both of the throws, and Cheris Beaty clearing 10 feet in the pole vault was also a nice accomplishment.”

Haynes predicted an “unbelievable” 800-meter men’s race, and that’s exactly what transpired, as Bittner placed third, just .09 seconds behind the winner. Other thirds from the Scots came from Charlie Sunderlage (5000-meter run) and C.J. Hollingsworth (triple jump).

Other multiple individual scorers for the Scots were Williams, who was fourth in the 400-meter dash and sixth in the 200-meter dash; Hoops, who was fourth in the 200-meter dash and fifth in the 55-meter dash and 55-meter hurdles; and Lindsey Whately, who was fifth in the 5000-meter run and sixth in the 3000-meter run.

Dontel Thomas (55-meter hurdles), Gaskill (high jump), Ted Ross (triple jump), Copple (weight throw), Shalyn Shirey (55-meter dash) and Meaghan Tobias (shot put) all placed fourth.

Rounding out the scorers were Matt Hargleroad, who was fifth in the 1500-meter run; Childs, who was fifth in the 200-meter dash; Trista Neal, who was fifth in the weight throw; Moll, who was sixth in the 55-meter dash; and Elizabeth Altekruse, who was sixth in the 800-meter run.

Men's Indoor Track  |  Women's Indoor Track