Results
Clinton, IA – The Prairie Fire track and field teams had four top five finishes that led to points at the Ashford University Spring Invitational on Saturday.
The field of teams represented at the meet ranged from NCAA Division I to NAIA to NCAA Division III. Drake University won both the women’s and men’s team titles ahead of second place Monmouth College.
The Knox men’s team scored 39 points and placed sixth overall ahead of Mount Mercy, Clarke, and Iowa Wesleyan.
Senior Sean Choate (Chicago, IL, Chicago Academy) finished second in the 5000 meter run to earn eight points and senior Jonas Mack (Algonquin, IL, Cary-Grove) added eight more points with a second place effort in the javelin.
Choate ran the 5K race in 16:11.86 while Mack threw the javelin 47.24 meters. He also scored by placing sixth in the 1500 meter run.
Juniors Weston Chenoweth (Canton, IL, Canton) and Tim Worrell (Wataga, IL, ROWVA) both finished in fifth place in field events – Chenoweth in the shot put (13.36 meters) and Worrell in the discus (38.40 meters).
Others to score for the Prairie Fire men in throws events were first-year Brennan McGlauchlen (Inver Grove Heights, MN, Simley) in the shot put (8th place, 12.68 meters), senior Dan Johnson (Chicago, IL, Luther South) in the hammer throw (7th place, 41.84 meters), and Chenoweth in the javelin (7th place, 41.18 meters). Johnson's throw measured 137' 3" for 10th place on the all-time top 10 performance list in the hammer.
In addition, junior Matt Brongo (Eureka, IL, Eureka) placed seventh in the 800 meter run in a time of 2:05.41 to add to the point total for the Knox men’s team.
Senior Joe Puntoriero (Cheektowaga, New York, Cleveland Hill) scored in two events. He had the top preliminary time of 11.06 seconds in the 100 meter dash, which is tied for the eighth-fastest time in school history and ranks in a tie for fourth place on the all-time top 10 individual list. He went on to place ninth in the 100 meter race in 11.74 seconds. Puntoriero also added an eighth place finish in the long jump.
The men’s 4x400 meter relay team scored as well after crossing the finish line in 3:43.89. The runners were Brongo, Mack, Puntoriero, and junior Bobby Mueller (Woodridge, IL, Downers Grove South).
The Prairie Fire women’s squad finished the meet in eighth place with six points.
The 4x400 relay team scored three points with a time of 4:41.75. The four runners for Knox were first-years Shelby Holdener (Murray, UT, Alta), Carolina Goncalves (Chicago, IL, Walter Payton Prep), Catlin Watts (Chicago, IL, Whitney Young) and senior Lizzy Warner (Champaign, IL, University Laboratory).
Sophomore ShirJia Bielefeld (Weston, WI, DC Everest) added two points by clearing 2.45 meters in the pole vault, or 8' 1/2" for fifth place on the all-time top 10 individual list, and eighth place in the meet.
Junior Sophia Mwaura (Santa Fe, NM, Santa Fe Prep) also scored in the javelin with a throw of 24.29 meters.
The Knox track and field teams will participate next in the Lee Calhoun Invitational hosted by Western Illinois University on April 12 and 13.
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