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800 qualifying was intense. Can't remember how many PBs but several. Our Jr. from Wales, Iestyn Williams just missed qualifying. The 800 has become a personal favorite for me, still tactical but nearly a sprint these days. Fantastic meet.
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I found the fact that the Shockers won the team championship without placing a single athlete at the top of the podium was pretty amazing. That has to be an extreme rarity.Comment
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"You Just Want to Slap The #### Outta Some People"Comment
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"You Just Want to Slap The #### Outta Some People"Comment
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Not sure what the incoming teams bring but more good things should be ahead.
*Nice weight room and athlete center
*New stadium upcoming
*Use of NIL money to supplement partial scholarships (which I find legitimate)
*Lots of very good recruiting prospects within state.Last edited by shoxlax; May 18, 2023, 10:38 AM.Comment
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I don't know how Coach Rainbolt and staff were able to recruit at all when the track team was housed in the bowels of a decrepit Cessna Stadium.
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RH: Podcast with Steve Rainbolt on Shocker Track and Field
Wichita State director of track and field Steve Rainbolt discusses the men's championship at the American Athletic Conference outdoor meet, how depth and balance prevailed over the weekend and how his college experiences taught him to value the team aspect of an individual sport.
We talk about how the Shockers changed to compete in a new conference, decisions on the margins that paid off and how coach Kirk Hunter produced a superb year for his distance runners.
On Sunday, the Shockers won their second consecutive American Athletic Conference men's outdoor title by outscoring Houston by two points in Tampa, Fla.
It is WSU's eighth men's outdoor title under Rainbolt, who took over at WSU in 2000, and the 35th conference title of his tenure.
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Goncalves Advances to Quarterfinals at NCAA West Preliminaries
https://goshockers.com/news/2023/5/2...iminaries.aspx
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Yuben Goncalves qualified to Friday's 400-meter hurdles quarterfinal with a time of 51.13 Wednesday at the NCAA West Preliminaries at Hornet Stadium.
Running in the last of six heats, the junior from Alcena-Alverca, Portugal finished fourth in his heat and 19th overall, clocking a time just .02 seconds shy of his personal best.
Yuben, who was probably the MVP of the Shocker's AAC Championship team, would need to finish 12th in the 24-man quarterfinals to advance to the NCAA Championships in Austin. Not sure he has that in him considering he had to run close to his PB to finish 19th. The 12th best time in the first round was 50.73. If he can find an extra half-second he might make it. Not out of the realm for Yuben who seems to specialize in doing the unexpected.
The quarterfinals are schedule for Friday evening.Last edited by 1972Shocker; May 25, 2023, 11:12 AM.Comment
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RH: Clayton Duchatschek Savors Final Races as a Shocker
On Friday, Clayton competes in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in the NCAA West Preliminaries in Sacramento, Calif. NCAA competition is the culmination of a Wichita State career that started in 2018 after transferring from NCAA Division II Lindenwood (Mo.) University.
Duchatschek, a senior exercise science major, intended to start chiropractic school in 2022. However, he loved the atmosphere on the team and the potential for the distance group. He didn't want to give up a year of eligibility when he felt capable of big things.
By returning to Wichita State, he also stepped into a larger leadership role and helped newcomers in the way former Shockers such as Zack Penrod and Connor Stine helped him.
"I didn't leave hardly any stones unturned," Duchatschek said. "I've done everything in my control to do."
That includes winning the 2022 American Athletic Conference steeplechase with a time of 9 minutes, 03.52 seconds to help the Shockers grab the outdoor title. He finished second (8:52.90) this year, again helping the Shockers win the team title. He ranks in the WSU's career top 10 in the indoor 5,000 and 3,000 and the 5,000 outdoor and steeplechase.
"He's a brave individual," distance coach Kirk Hunter said. "That's a great quality to have in the steeplechase. You've got the barriers and with those barriers, you have to be a brave individual."
"I made a lot of good memories," he said. "Not everyone gets this opportunity and I figured it would be a shame to forgo my eligibility in something I love so much."
He also stayed because of his belief in the track program and Hunter. When he decided to transfer from Lindenwood, his father told him find a new school and stay there for the rest of his college days. They evaluated programs by checking the roster to check for continuity and improving times.
"Clayton noticed that – these people stay, and they get better every single year," Mason Duchatschek said.
The steeplechase fits Clayton Duchatschek for several reasons. The event includes thirty-five 36-inch barriers, seven of which are water jumps. Over the years, he focused on shaving split-seconds off his time by improving his speed clearing the barriers.
"You can really make up a lot of ground and see big drops just on hurdling efficiency," he said.
His 5-foot-11-inch height helps. He grew up doing yoga regularly because his mother, Melissa, teaches yoga. He also considers it an event that offers opportunity to a runner who might lack elite speed and can make up for that by mastering the barriers.
"It's kind of an event that not everyone wants to stick their nose in," he said. "I recognized that and I wanted to make it as far as a I can. I'm not quite as fast as the Stanford guys or Oregon guys in the 5k and 10k. This is my chance to crack into the NCAA's elite ranks."
Duchatschek's best time in the event is 8:45.98 at the Drake Relays in April. That ranks him 27th in the 95-man field. The top three finishers from each of three heats, plus the next three best times, advance to the NCAA Championships on June 7-10 in Austin, Texas.
Duchatschek plans on the race unfolding in favorable circumstances, much like at Drake. He figures to need to cut around five seconds off his time to qualify.
"I don't think that's out of reach," he said.Comment
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Friday Action - NCAA West Region Preliminaries:
In the long jump 3 guys cleared 7-1.5 and Shocker sophomore Brady Palen and 12 other guys cleared 7-0.25. Only the top 12 move on to the NCAA Championships in Austin, Texas. Based on fewest misses Brady finished 9th and will get a shot at Austin. Not Brady's best jump but his goal of making Austin punching his ticket to Austin. Hopefully, he will uncork a season best then.
Junior Matty Everett was seeded 27th in the discuss but did not have his best stuff and finished 34th with a sling of 174-11 well of his best of 188-3.
Senior Clayton Duchatschek was seeded 25th in the 3k steeplechasse and finished 27th with a time of 8:49.90, about 4 seconds off his PB,as he closed out a very solid Shocker career.
Yuben Goncalves (seeded 43rd) and Harry Barthelemy (seeded 48th) weren't expected to advance in the triple jump and they did not., Yuben jumped on 46-8 on his first attempt and the passed on his last 2 attempts, no doubt because he was running in the 400m hurdles shortly thereafter. He finished 43rd, right where he was seeded. Harry, a junior transfer from Grand Canyon, jumped 49-5.5 on his final attempt to finish 30th. Whole that was about a foot shy of his PB he finished well above his seed in 30th place.
In the 400H, Yuben finished 17th with a time of 51.25. just a bit off his PB of 51.11, to finish a few spots higher than his #20 seed, but not good enough advance to Austin.
So, with the sole exception of Brady Palen the Shocker men have finished up their 2023 seasons. Best of luck to Brady in Austin.
Palen is the first Shocker since Temoer Terry in 1974 to qualify to the national meet in the high jump. Been a long while.Last edited by 1972Shocker; May 27, 2023, 03:58 PM.Comment
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We will see many of our school records “perish” the next four years. Lord, if these guys were basketball recruits, there would be five threads about them.Comment
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So Joshua was 3 first place finishes (long jump, triple jump and 110 hurdles) and 1 second place finish. He finished 2nd in the 300m hurdles behind his brother Jason.Originally posted by shoxlax View Post
Jason had a 1st and 2nd place finish in two individual events (the 300m hurdles and the 110 hurdles). He finished 2nd in the 110m hurdles behind his brother Joshua. Jason has won a 1st and 2nd in the 4x100 and 4x400 relays.
Just in their 6 individual events Josh and Jason racked up 56 points for Olathe North. Olathe best runner-up SM East 104-53.
Clearly the speed, athleticism and competitiveness are there with these young men. The only caveat I would mention regarding the hurdles is how will they adapt to the higher hurdles at the college level. I am not too concerned about that as I had the same question about Joseph Holthusen when he joined the Shockers and he did quite well and I think Joseph my be shorter than Josh and Jason. I think Josh is 5-11. Jason looks to be just slightly shorter, maybe 5-10.
However, one major difference between Joseph and the Parrish Brothers is that I am sure a lot schools were after the Parrish brothers. Holthusen had one offer to run hurdles for a Division I track and field team upon graduating from Bishop Carroll High School and even that one, Wichita State, was hesitant.
Holthusen can laugh at it now, but he used to have to send the WSU coaches film of his races and update them on his times ran in high school. Wise admits that the recruiting process was more of Holthusen recruiting WSU than the Shockers wanting the local state champion whose times were good at the Kansas high school level but didn’t register for the regional hurdlers WSU typically recruits. Now Holthusen has solidified himself as one of the best hurdlers in Shocker history.
https://www.kansas.com/sports/colleg...249886043.html
If Josh and Jason can come close to matching Joseph's work ethic, determination and self-confidence I think your prediction about records perishing may very well prove on target.
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