Hosting their largest event of the year, Grand Valley State University’s track and field teams held their annual Big Meet, a two-day meet with 84 schools represented. Even with nearly 2,000 student-athletes from around the county, the Lakers were still about to showcase a strong performance. On day one, 20 different top 10 GVSU records were broken. On day two, 15 NCAA provisionals were met and the Lakers broke 16 personal bests.
The running events took place on day one of the Big Meet. GVSU seniors Myles Rhodes and Zach Pray took the top two spots in the men’s 400m. Both of their times placed in the top 25 all-time in Division II history. More history was made in the men’s 800m, where freshman Samuel Allen and senior Scott Spaanstra finished with times that placed top 10 all-time in Division II history.
In the men’s 1 mile, freshman Owen Westercamp took second place with a personal-best time of 4:02.73. Westercamp’s time also placed him 13th all-time in Division II.
In the relays, both the men’s and women’s 4x400m teams took first place, with the women’s team placing 10th all-time in Division II.
In the field events, senior Myles Kerner threw an impressive 19.69m in shot put. This throw not only broke the Kelly Family Sports Center’s record, but broke the NCAA Division II all-time shot put record. Throughout the rest of the field events, many Lakers found their way to the top of the leaderboard, medaling in men’s and women’s long jump, high jump and pole vault.
Despite being a freshman, pole vulture Brooke Bowers has made an impact on the Lakers’ team. After being named the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Women’s Field Athlete of the Week and having a jump that placed her fourth all-time at GVSU, Bowers took second place overall in the Big Meet.
“Knowing that I’m able to contribute to something bigger than just my individual success pushes me to stay focused and be persistent,” said Bowers. “Ultimately, it’s about embracing the challenge and enjoying the process. I remind myself that no matter the outcome, there is always an opportunity to improve and grow.”
Day two began on the track, where the women’s team dominated by placing top three in the 60m, 60m hurdles, 200m, 400m and 3000m. The women’s distance medley team had a run time of 11:18.80, which placed them third all-time in the Division II record book. In day two of the field events, the Lakers once again showed out with multiple athletes medaling in both men’s and women’s weight throw and shot put. GVSU also prevailed in the men’s and women’s long jump, where multiple athletes were able to hit a personal best.
After a successful weekend, the track and field team will remain at the Kelly Family Sports Center for the GVSU Tune-Up on Friday, Feb. 21.
