The final SDIC Outdoor Track & Field Championship concluded in Mitchell, SD, May 13th and the Hardrockers finished fourth with 65 points. Nick Bitz finished with a tremendous performance in the discus winning his third straight discus championship and the seventh in a row for the Hardrockers. Nick's throw broke the thirty year old SDIC record by over eight feet with a toss of 169' 5". "The Throw" also broke Rob Baruth's five year old school record of 160' 4" (Rob was present to cheer on Nick and the Hardrockers). Dain Patterson completed a stellar carreer as a Hardrocker by winning the 100m in :11.04, his third SDIC title in the past three years. Dain also finished second in the 200m with a personal best time of :22.34.
Second place finishers fot the 'Rockers were Gabe Laber in the pole vault at 13' 7", and Bob Pentland at 43' 3 1/2" in the triple jump. Bob also finished fourth in the javelin. Carl Koenig stepped up in the discus by throwing a career best 143' 8" and finishing fourth along with the 4 x 100m relay of J.C. Trautwein, Bob Pentland, Eric Elder, and Dain Patterson. Finishing fifth for the Rockers were: Jason Arp in the steeplechase (9:54.24); Eric Elder in the 400m (:49.81); Lance Gilmore in the 1500m (4:09.27); and the 4 x 400m relay team of Seth Ritter, Lance Gilmore, Andy Coats, and Eric Elder.
The early expectations for the team were dampened over the course of the season when many of our athletes were felled by injury or illness. The biggest blow to the team came at the Howard Wood Relays just a week before the SDIC Championship. Matt Zolnowsky, one of our top sprinters and a senior, pulled a hamstring while running the prelim of the 100m. Matt's injury cost the team dearly for the SDIC as he was a contender for top honors in the 100m, 200m, and anchored our 4 x 100m and 4 x 400m relays.
With the close of the season it's time to reflect and take stock for next year. While we lose two great senior performers in Matt and Dain, the future still is promising with twenty-one returning athletes for next season. We want to thank you for your continued support of the Hardrocker Track & Field and cross county programs and we intend to continue the strong tradition of excellence as we go into the new DAC-10 Conference to complete next year.
Watch for the annouoncements of the
Cross Country and Track & Field Alumni Weekends coming in the Fall and Spring
semesters of 2000 and 2001.