WASHU Distance Carnival Results

Emory University Thrill in the Hills Results

The Calvin men's track and field team had a strong day of competition at different locations on Thursday.

At the Emory University Thrills in the Hills Invitational in Atlanta, Georgia, sophomore Zach VanBaren (Hudsonville, Mich./Covenant Christian HS) had a superb day one in the decathlon competition. VanBaren built a five-event, day one total of 3,180 points.

VanBaren ran 11.44 (4^th place) in the 100-meter dash for 744 points. He then jumped 5.98 meters (4^th place) in the long jump for 582 points. He had the top shot put throw at 11.54 meters which was good for 579 points. He also took first place in the high jump at 1.85 meters which earned him 670 points. He ran 54.85 in the 400 meters to earn an additional 605 points.

Last spring, VanBaren competed in his first decathlon competition and recorded a final (two-day) score of 5,445 points. He is on his way to surpassing that mark which has Calvin head track and field coach Adam Haldorson pleased.

"Solid first day for Zach," said Haldorson. "The combined events often have a bunch of ups and downs. That was the case today at Emory. I'm proud of his effort and he is on track to reach his goal marks we came into the meet with. Looking forward to a strong day number two!"

On Thursday evening, senior Luke Witvliet (Grandville, Mich./Calvin Christian HS) opened his outdoor campaign with a strong 10,000 meter race. Witvliet finished in a time of 29:57.01 to finish 16^th overall in the race and eighth amongst Division III competitors. The race came just weeks after he completed a difficult double of qualifying for the NCAA III Indoor Track and Field Championships in the 5,000 meter run at a last chance meet and six days later, moving up 12 spots from his seed to place 10^th in the race at the indoor national meet.

In the 3,000 meter steeplechase, senior Eric Swinson (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern HS) took 12^th with a time of 9:14.01.

"Eric Swinson was ready to make a statement in his marquee event, the steeplechase," said Calvin distance coach Nicole Kramer. "His poised hurdling and rising confidence allowed him to move up from the middle of the pack early on, to fifth place at 2k, then took the lead with 500m to go without looking back. His race tonight helped set the tone for what's sure to be an exciting final season as a Knight. A few hours later, Luke Witvliet toed the line with some of the best 10k runners in the region across multiple divisions. He ran his second-best time in the event, breaking the 30-minute barrier. He set the race up well in the large pack, remained strong in the toughest laps of the race, and finished with a great last 1k. Coming off his whirlwind of an indoor season, we know there is more ahead this spring, and he'll be ready for the next opportunity!