Thurs. NCAA Track: Andretta Colley wins NCAA long jump!

May 26, 2005
see link to updated results here

Senior Andretta Colley won the NCAA long jump championship and junior teammate Kristal Grigsby placed third for 16 points Thursday night in Waverly, Iowa, to lead the St. Thomas women to second place after one day of the Division III national outdoor track and field meet.

The three-day meet continues Friday and concludes Saturday. Through one day, UW-Eau Claire has 18 points to UST's 16 and UW-Oshkosh's 15 through four events.

The only other MIAC institution to score on Thursday was Hamline as the Pipers placed in the women's and men's 10,000 meters. Keidra Anderson ran 36:13.54 for sixth on the women's side for three points and Jeff Metzdorff ran 30:51.94 for seventh and two points.

Colley placed fourth last March at the NCAA indoor meet in the long jump for her first career All-America honor. Thursday, the Jamaica native, seeded seventh coming in, soared a career-best 19-5 1-4 -- the second best jump in MIAC history -- and beat runner-up Jennifer Stafslein of UW-Eau Claire by five inches. She captured the 50th individual national championship in St. Thomas history.

Grigsby, an NCAA champion in the 2004 outdoor and 2005 indoor long jump, came in seeded second and took third in 18-11 3-4.

"I was very nervous at first because I had very good competition, but I did pretty well," Colley said. "I was kind of remembering some songs that my grandma would sing, and I was trying to sing them and not be nervous - just to settle down. And I did. Kristal's a very good competitor and we have kind of been going back and forth. Normally, she would make a big jump, and I would make a big jump and pass her, and then she'd pass me. But she's the defending champion and she's also been a very good motivator and idol for me."

In May 2004 at her first national meet, Colley missed the finals after jumping 18 1 3-4, while Grigsby sailed 19-10 3-4 to take the title and set an all-time MIAC best.

Grigsby and Colley will both compete in Saturday's triple jump, while Grigsby will also compete in Friday's high jump. The pair ran on the Toms' 4x100 relay in Thursday's prelims but they failed to reach the finals as they clocked 47.96. But Grigsby anchored UST to the eighth and final qualifying spot in the 4x400 prelims as Molly Bauman, Christina Chapman and Alicia Wolff joined her in 3:52.96 for a spot in Saturday's finals.

Also on the women's side, senior All-American Brigid Power ran 4:33.79 in the 1,500 and advanced to Saturday's 1:30 p.m. 12-person finals. In the 400 hurdles, Bauman ran 63.34 but missed the eight-person finals by one spot.

On the men's side, UST went 0-for-3 in Thursday prelims. Senior Carson Glad missed the finals in the 200 meters as he ran 22.44; P.J. Theisen ran 53.79 in the 400 hurdles and also missed the finals; the 4x400 relay team of Theisen, Glad, J.J. Kirby and Jason Schwietz clocked 3:16.05 and missed the finals. That ends a six-year streak of Tommie top-5 NCAA finishes in the outdoor 4x400.

The Tommie men have Dave Diercks in Saturday's javelin and Cory Fusco in Friday's 800-meter prelims.

Women's Team Scores/4 events (Day 1 of 3)
Long Jump, Discus Throw, Pole Vault, 10,000

Top 10
Wisconsin-Eau Claire 18; St. Thomas 16; Wisconsin-Oshkosh 15; Williams (Mass.) 14; Luther (Iowa), Amherst (Mass.) 10; Bates (Maine) 8; Hope (Mich.) and LaVerne (Calif.) 7; Westfield (Mass.) State, Hanover (Ind.), Greenville and Wisconsin-La Crosse 5. Others: 17. Hamline 3

Thursday MIAC Placewinners
--Long Jump: 1. Andretta Colley St. Thomas 19-5 1-4; 3. Kristal Grigsby St. Thomas 18-11 3-4.
--10,000 Meters: 5, Keidra Anderson Hamline 36:13.54


Men's Team Scores/4 events (Day 1 of 3)
Scored 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1
10000 Meter Run, Long Jump, Discus Throw, Pole Vault

Top 10 and MIAC teams
Wisconsin-La Crosse 21.5; North Central (Ill.) 19.5; Calvin (Mich.) 16; Richard Stockton (N.J.) 10.0, Wartburg (Iowa) 10, Williams (Mass.) 10, Nebraska Wesleyan 10; Heidelberg (Pa.) 8, Wisconsin-Whitewater 8, Widener (Pa.) 8--Others: 18. Hamline 2

10,000 Meters: 7. Jeff Metzdorff, Hamline, 30:51.94


see link to updated results here