Meet Results
NORTHAMPTON, Mass.—It has been less than two years since Coach Patrick Rich took over the Gordon Cross Country and Track & Field programs. And in that time, with the help of his able assistant coaches and a growing group of dedicated, hard-working athletes, the teams have shown serious improvement. This Saturday was the most recent example of the success the Track & Field teams have been enjoying.

On the road at Smith College, the team set 6 school records.

Zak Flowers, a transfer and recent graduate from Golden West Community College in California, led the way for the Scots, with two school records. In the 35-pound weight throw, Flowers bested his first meet mark of 14.79m and improved his standing in New England (entering the meet, he was ranked 11^th in the region), throwing 15.20m to surpass Schuyler Anderson's 2012 throw of 14.80. In the shot put, Flowers threw 12.69m to become one of three Scots on the day to break the previous school event record. Fellow throwers Chris Warne (12.35m) and David Popa (11.54m) also bested Jared Cave's 2011 mark of 11.42m. Flowers has made a name for himself in the circle in DIII New England.

"I was actually pretty nervous going into today's track meet. With the weather being so frigid lately and the snow storms, we haven't had very much opportunity to go out and actually throw the weight. Even when it was warm enough for us to throw, my performances were not very good compared to before the last meet. Needless to say I was not feeling prepared. When we got there and it was time to get going, I just tried to put those thoughts into the back of my mind and get myself pumped up and ready to compete. When the competition began, I took some deep breaths, asked God to help me throw far, but ultimately that His will be done, and then began my turns. I focused and pushed the weight around and let it fly. This was my first time doing two turns in competition so that added to the nerves. But I made it into the finals with a 14.62m throw and that took a little pressure off my shoulders, " Flowers said after the meet.

He continued, "I was satisfied with that throw. Yeah I wanted to get the record, but that was only .19m off of it, and for not being able to practice over Christmas break, I was happy. My next two throws were decent, and Ryan Williamson pointed something out to me regarding my technique and then Coach Yurchick added to it. So on my last throw, I had all these thoughts rushing through my head of what I was supposed to do. This was my last shot for this meet and I wanted to blast it. As I began my first turn, it wasn't going how I wanted it to, but I dug deep, pushed it around, and tried to keep everything on target. As I finished the throw I pushed the heck out of it sent it soaring. It landed just past the line I was aiming for and I was so overcome with gladness I couldn't help but praise the Lord

It seems almost cliche, but I pointed up towards the sky in recognition of God giving me the abilities that I have. Once the official read off the mark of 15.20m I jumped so high into the air, filled with joy. I was ecstatic that I threw that far. It felt so great to finally get the record after being so close last meet.

Shot put was another story. I went into it already relaxed from weight. I just wanted to throw it out there. I wasn't too concerned with winning or throwing far. I just wanted to throw it. I began very lightly because of an injury to my thumb I have been dealing with for a while now. It came down to my last throw before finals, and I wanted to make it into it with Chris Warne. After I threw it and heard my mark, I was actually a bit surprised. I did not think I threw it that far. But I was once again happy that I broke that record as well after being so close last meet. 

Overall I was very pleased with my performance, but I have to give all the credit to God because without Him I would not be here throwing. Our whole team did excellent and I am proud to be a part of the Gordon College Track and Field Team."
 
Two Gordon teams in the men's 4x200m relay got things heated up on the track early, coming in just over one second apart. The "A" team, consisting of junior captain Neal Olson, sophomore Brian Cartularo, and freshmen Farnel Maxime and Colin Smith, set a new record of 1:37.78, and finished third in the meet. The "B" team of David Popa, Kola Olateju, Ben Sebuufu and Andrew Fiedler came in at 1:38.83 for fifth place. Coach Calvin Carter, the team's sprinting coach, said the guys were just doing a workout. "The squads were divided up. We did not have one elite team competing." Popa, Olson and Olateju were all members of the team that set the previous record in 2012.

The women's 4 x 200m relay of Damilola "DJ" Junaid, Corrine Previte, Leanna D'Alfonso and Shanell Percy took first overall with a time of 1:52.70. The team bettered squads from WPI, Emmanuel and Mount Holyoke.

The next record-breaking performance of the day came from Gordon's Leanne Beedle (Bethany, CT) in the mile. Leanne, only a sophomore, continues to be one of the toughest racers on the women's team. With two laps to go, Beedle surged from seventh place to third with a vicious burst of speed. She hung on to her position down the wire, finishing in 5:26.50, breaking Megan Hoffsis' 2010 record by just over a second.

After her race, Leanne said: "It's such an amazing feeling when you cross the finish line and you know that you gave it your all. I give all the credit to God for helping me through my race today. If not for Him, my race would not have been nearly successful as it was. The fact that I have a team and coaching staff that encourages me to grow as an athlete, student, and individual is priceless. Even though races are physically and mentally taxing, I would do it all over again if I had the chance. "

The Scots struck gold in the 600 meters as well. On the women's side, freshman Corrine Previte (Danvers, MA) took down (current assistant coach) Samantha Goedeke's 4-year-old record in 1:45.08, eclipsing Goedeke's mark by just .85 seconds. The men's 600-meter mark was lowered by .75 seconds when Asher Gray, a freshman from Sudbury, MA, ran down Brett Haschig's 2010 record of 1:29.00, coming in at 1:28.25. This was Gray's second record of the season in as many meets, having run a 500m school standard in Boston in December.

Other standouts on the day were the Fighting Scots' 5k runners Nathan Swaim (16:44.23), Wes Nelson (16:46.29) and Mariah Geiger (20:41.70); 60-meter specialist Kola Olateju (7.52s), and Neal Olson in the 200 meters (24.05).

Gordon is back in action next Saturday when they travel to Southern Maine for another multi-school meet.