BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Landmark Conference is in its seventh year and the only school to ever win the Outdoor Track & Field Championships is Moravian College as the Greyhounds look for a seven-peat at the 2014 meet to be hosted by The United States Merchant Marine Academy in King's Point, New York on May 3-4.
The meet begins at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday with the 10,000-meter run. Admission is free to everyone for the two-day event, and you can follow the championship on the Landmark website at http://landmarkconference.org/sports/track/2013-14/championships. There will also be live results at http://www.tumeytiming.com/mm/Landmarkoutdoor/ and live video from USMMA at http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/usmma.portal.
The Moravian women have won 13 Landmark track & field titles with seven indoors and the first six outdoors. The Hounds boast the top qualifying time or distance in 11 of the 18 individual events to be competed this weekend as well as the top times in both relay events.
The Moravian men have captured 12 Landmark championships with six of seven indoors and all six outdoor titles so far. The Greyhound men have the top seed time or distance in 13 of the 18 events and the second-best time in each relay.
"As usual, it will be another close meet, and we're just hoping we have a chance at contending as a team but we'll just have to see how the meet plays out," stated third-year Head Coach Jesse Baumann. "At this point, there is nothing else that can be done. We've been working since the fall for the last three weeks of the season, so the hay is more or less in the barn. Now it's just about performing and the student-athletes showcasing what they've prepared all season for."
For the women, sophomore Corinne Glass returns as the defending 100 and 200 meter champion while junior Brielle Sutter won the 200 meter in 2012 and she is a two-time 400 meter champion. Sutter, the defending Outdoor Landmark Track Athlete of the Year, has the top times in the 200 and 400 meters this spring and the duo are part of both Moravian relays as the Greyhounds have won the 4x100 meter relay each year.
Junior Brianna Wright is the top seed in the 100-meter dash while junior Morgan Redmond is first in both the 100 and 400 meter hurdles. Junior Devon Bedell has the best time in the conference in the 3,000 meter steeple chase this season.
The Hounds are perennial pole vault champions, and junior Hailey Kester is back to defend her 2013 title; however, teammate junior Dana Fineman has the same top qualifying height of 3.20 meters (10 feet, six inches). Sophomore Christelle Reglas is the top seed in the long jump with a season best mark of 5.19 meters (17 feet, 0.5 inches) while freshman Lauren Suelke is first in the triple jump at 10.90 meters (39 feet, 5.25 inches).
Junior Jenny Kratch is the top seed in a pair of throws with a seed mark of 36.03 meters (118 feet, two inches) in the discus and a distance of 46.62 meters (152 feet, 11 inches) in the hammer throw.
On the men's side, senior Kristopher Joint enters with the best distance in the long jump at 7.13 meters (23 feet, 4.75 inches) and the triple jump at 15.10 meters (49 feet, 6.5 inches), a mark that is the top distance in NCAA Division III this spring. Joint is also a two-time Landmark Indoor Field Athlete of the Year.
Senior Timothy Lorah has the top mark of 65.50 meters (214 feet, 11 inches) in the javelin, which is also tops in the nation, while sophomore Ryan Karnopp is the favorite in the pole vault at 4.85 meters (15 feet, 11 inches), which is 11th nationally.
Junior Parker Munson is the top seed in the discus with a toss of 44.85 meters (147 feet, two inches) while junior Jeffrey Gallagher is first in the hammer throw at 42.69 meters (140 feet, one inch). Freshman Kahron Walker has the top seed in the high jump at 1.93 meters (six feet, four inches).
On the track, junior Dillon Farrell, who was the 2013 Landmark Conference Cross Country Runner of the Year and the 2014 Landmark Indoor Track Athlete of the Year, is the top seed in the 1,500-meter run, just one of three events he is entered in. Senior Yacine Zerdoum has the top seed time in the 400 meter dash in 49.64 seconds while senior David Cariello is seeded first in the 110-meter high hurdles in 15.18 seconds.
Sophomore Gavin Bailey has the conference's best time in the 400-meter hurdles in 55.91 seconds while freshman Cory Taggert enters the meet first in the 800-meter run on 1:53.85. Junior Alec Duncan is seeded first in the 3,000 meter steeplechase in 9:38.06.
Both of Moravian's squads have depth in almost all of the events, and that is where the conference titles will likely be won or lost.
