Brent Lagace produced a throw of 66.07 meters (216-9) to take third place in the men’s javelin and earn All-American status at the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Marion, Indiana.

“It was really fun,” said Lagace. “We had a really good group of guys out there that were all cheering for each other. I had a lot of teammates cheering for me as well as my coach. I felt very relaxed and confident.”

The senior recorded a 63.48 meter throw on his final attempt in the third flight to qualify for three more throws in the nine-competitor final. On his first throw in the finals, Lagace improved his mark to 64.00 meters but fell into fourth place behind Andy White of British Columbia whose first throw went 64.62 meters. However, Lagace regained third place on his second throw which was his longest of the day.

“It felt great to keep building and just keep improving,” said Lagace. “I came here with the goal to win but the two guys that beat me had amazing throws. It was an amazing competition. I felt like I had a really good meet and felt really good today. It was a lot of fun.”

[men's results] [women's results]

Photos from the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships in Marion, Indiana.

Click on image for more photos. Keep clicking photos for larger image.

Ten Westmont Track and Field Athletes travel to Marion, Indiana this week to participate in the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships to be conducted at Indiana Wesleyan University. The championship event will be held Thursday-Saturday, May 27-29.

Six men and four women will compete in 11 events in which all-American and national champion honors are at stake. In order to qualify as an all-American, an athlete must finish in the top six.

Senior Brent Lagace and freshman Andrew Kolodinski are among the favorites in the men’s javelin. Lagace and Kolodinski both shattered the school record in the discus this season. Lagace’s throw of 68.15 meters (223-7) at the GSAC Track and Field Championships was the second longest throw among NAIA athletes this year. Kolodinski’s mark of 66.75 meters (219-0), set at the Occidental Invitational, is the fourth best qualifying mark in the NAIA. Lagace’s mark exceeds the best throw at the 2009 NAIA Championships by 0.36 meters (one foot, two inches). The javelin will be contested beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday (all times EDT).

Jacob Goodin will compete in the men’s 1500 meters after posting the NAIA’s eighth fastest qualifying time (3:51.29) at the Occidental Invitational. The junior dropped more than five seconds off his GSAC Championship time (3:56.51) to earn the automatic qualifying mark and position himself to compete for all-American honors. The 1500 meter prelims will be held on Thursday at 1:55 p.m. The finals are scheduled for 3:10 p.m. on Saturday.

[schedule]

In a ceremony held outside the new Westmont Observatory, Westmont President Gayle Beebe presided over the dedication of four new facilities on the Westmont Campus – Westmont Observatory, Westmont Track, Thorrington Field and Russ Carr Field.

Athletic Director Dave Odell and Associate Athletic Director Kirsten Moore participated in the ceremonies, as did Track and Field Coach Russell Smelley and Men’s Soccer Coach Dave Wolf. Women’s Soccer Coach Kristi Kiely and Baseball Coach Robert Ruiz were also on hand to participate in the ribbon cutting to the new facilities.

Odell shared a conversation which he had regarding the new facilities with his son, Walker. The seventh-grader described the new fields as Westmont’s renaissance.

Westmont’s Kasey Kearin and Brent Lagace earned the title of GSAC Champion at the Golden State Athletic Conference Track and Field Championships hosted by Westmont College on Friday and Saturday. The competition involved 407 athletes representing nine schools. Point Loma Nazarene was the men’s team winner while Azusa Pacific claimed GSAC Champion honors in the women’s competition.

Lagace shattered the school and stadium records in the men’s javelin with a throw of 68.15 meters (223-07). The mark was 5.15 meters better than his own previous record of 63.00 set just four weeks ago at the Westmont celebration meet. Westmont’s Andrew Kolodinski took second place with a mark of 64.77 meters (212.06), the second longest throw in the Warrior record books. Both men exceeded the automatic qualification mark for the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships which will be held in Marion, Indiana May 27-29.

Kearin earned the GSAC title in the long jump with a mark of 5.53 meters (18-1.75), which is a provisional qualifying mark for the NAIA Championships. She also took second in the triple jump with a mark of 11.60 meters (38-0.75). Her triple jump mark earns an automatic qualification at nationals.

[men's results] [women's results]

A week after opening the newly renovated Westmont Track with the Celebration meet, Westmont Track and Field traveled to Fresno to participate in a three-way meet with Azusa Pacific and Fresno Pacific.

The Warriors finished third in both the men’s and women’s competition. Fresno Pacific won the women’s contest with 126 points, Azusa Pacific posted 122 points and Westmont tallied 87 points. Azusa Pacific edged Fresno Pacific 124-119 on the men’s side with Westmont close behind at 110 points.

Brent Lagace placed first among collegiate athletes in the men’s javelin with a throw of 61.66m (202-3), while Andrew Kolodinski finished second with a mark of 56.08m (184-0). Lagace’s throw earned him an automatic qualification to the NAIA Outdoor Championship while Kolodinski met the minimum for a provisional qualification. Last week, Lagace set the school record with a throw of 63.00m (206-08).

[results]

The Westmont track and field community spanning six decades gathered on Saturday afternoon for the inaugural meet of the refurbished Westmont Track. Dignitaries included Westmont President Gayle Beebe, former Westmont head coaches Jim Klein and Steven Hughes and former Point Loma Nazarene head coach Jim Crakes.

Russell Smelley, who is in his thirty-second year as Westmont’s head coach, was pleased to introduce Coach Bill Jordan from the University of Richmond. Smelley described his former coach as, “having the very significant impact on the development of my own character when I was a student-athlete at Richmond.”

Westmont alumnus Dennis Savage (1970), who still holds the Westmont record for the mile (4:00.84), opened the ceremony by telling of the many Olympians and other track and field elite who had run upon the old track which was now “buried five feet under the new track.”

Dr. Beebe welcomed those assembled and saluted the dedication of Smelley in nurturing and developing young men and women over a period of more than three decades. Klein, who served as coach from 1960-76, spoke of the development of the track from a plain grass field, to a dirt and rock surface with wood boarders, to a clay track with cement boards. When UCSB built the first all-weather track in the region, Westmont was the recipient of the crushed brick material which was placed atop the clay surface.

[results]

By Scott Craig

Westmont opens its new state-of-the-art track and field/soccer complex Saturday, March 27, with a 10 a.m. ceremonial first lap, following speeches by President Gayle D. Beebe and former track coach Jim Klein. The first competition on the synthetic, all-weather, 400-meter track will be a predict-your-time mile that’s open to the public. Westmont then hosts an official track-and-field meet with teams from Biola, George Fox and Fresno Pacific Universities beginning at 10:45 a.m. with field events; running events begin at noon.

Soil from the basements of Adams Center for the Visual Arts and Winter Hall for Science and Mathematics has been used to raise the elevation of the new track and soccer complex. Spectators can enjoy tiered, four-foot wide, landscaped seating terraces cut into the hillside above the track. There is also a restroom facility near the track, which includes track storage and a scorer’s area.

Head Track and Field Coach Russell Smelley, in his 32nd year at Westmont, says the new track is exciting for the current team and will encourage recruits to choose Westmont. “The facility will also be a draw for fitness running for the campus community,” he says. “It’s a beautiful and serene site.”