Final Results
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A banner indoor season for Great Midwest Athletic Conference student-athletes was completed Saturday at the NCAA Division II Track & Field Championships hosted by the University of Alabama-Huntsville at the Crossplex.
Saturday produced the third total national championship trophy for Cedarville’s junior phenom Carsyn Koch, who finished fourth in Thursday’s prelims to qualify for the final. Koch successfully defended her indoor 800-meter national title with a time of 2:05.65.
After standing in fifth through the first 400 meters, she kicked it into another gear for the final 400 meters, leading the pack the final half of the race.
Overall, by the numbers, the league took a monumental leap forward with several accomplishments in the three-day event with the best talent assembled.
A record number of student-athletes in the number of the events officially entered in was easily a new best. The total number of NCAA Division II All-Americans standing at the podium by virtue of either a top-eight finish (first team) or 9th through 12th place (second team) was also a new record as 11 were able to take hardware home.
Malone’s Duke Taylor and Ursuline’s Janelle Perry were the first to establish themselves as All-Americans on Thursday in the weight throw and long jump.
On Friday, Ursuline’s G-MAC Freshman of the Year Nicole Yeargin secured her spot with a top-12 effort; she did not quite qualify for Saturday’s final with two heats of the top four from the preliminaries.
Perry became a multi-event All-American by finishing sixth in the pentathlon, a scored event from the 60-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, long jump and 800-meter run. She earned a total of 3.761 points.
Perry’s best event was the long jump, where she finished fourth in the competition. She finished sixth in the 60-meter hurdles, 800-meter run and high jump.
Cedarville’s distance medley relay teams shined on the national stage as the women finished third and the men placed eighth overall. Also notable in the women’s DMR was incoming G-MAC members Walsh and Hillsdale finishing fourth and seventh, respectively.
Cedarville’s Carsyn Koch, Olivia Esbenshade, Lyndsey Smith and Olivia Kundo, ran a time of 11:19.55, a blistering time that set a new conference record by a full 10 seconds.
The Yellow Jacket men were comprised of Tim De Jong (replacement for Josiah Bernard), Daniel Michalski, Wyatt Hartman and Ethan Gatchell. Their time of 9:53.72 ranks second-best in conference history.
Michalski added dual All-American honors to his ledger with a seventh-place finish in the mile on Saturday, less than four seconds off the overall first-place pace. He crossed the line in 4:09.45, second in the G-MAC records behind his own 4:05.60.
Incoming G-MAC members Findlay had 12 All-Americans alone, Hillsdale recorded seven All-Americans and Walsh had six all-Americans.
G-MAC’s NCAA DII All-American Breakdown
Duke Taylor - Malone (Weight Throw)
Janelle Perry – Ursuline (Long Jump, Pentathlon)
Nicole Yeargin – Ursuline (200m)
Carsyn Koch - Cedarville (800m, DMR)
Olivia Kundo - Cedarville (DMR)
Olivia Esbenshade - Cedarville (DMR)
Lyndsey Smith - Cedarville (DMR)
Daniel Michalski – Cedarville (Mile, DMR)
Wyatt Hartman - Cedarville (DMR)
Ethan Gatchell – Cedarville (DMR)
Tim De Jong – Cedarville (DMR)