ACCC opens indoor track season

Youth powers the Allen County Community College track team in 2006. The Red Devil track team has five sophomores, all on the men’s side and the rest of the squad are freshman. The Red Devils have 21 on the men’s roster and just seven on the women’s team. The team opened its indoor season at the Holiday Inn Invitational hosted by the University of Nebraska a Lincoln, Neb., Jan. 13-14.

At Lincoln, Nate Neuerburg, a freshman from Osawatomie, cleared 6 feet, 2 ¾ inches in the high jump. The red devils had two other competitors in the event, going 5’10 ¾. They were freshman Lee Johnson of Arlington, Tennessee, And freshman phillip Dale of Okmulgee, Okla. Brandon Agee just missed the qualifying measurement of 44’11” in the men’s triple jump. Agee, a freshman from Tampa, Fla., finished 24^th in the men’s 600-yard run in 1minutes, 18.32 seconds. That’s just three seconds off the junior college national meet qualifying time,” said Vince DeGrado, who is in his first full season as ACCC track coach. DeGrado took over the track program last spring and coached the Red Devils through the outdoor season and did the recruiting for this season.

“I believe at Iowa State Brandon will qualify for the national meet. Lee Johnson placed ninth out of 40 athletes in the long jump. He is exactly a feet away from qualifying.” Lee Johnson jumped 22’ ¾ in the men’s long jump competition. Johnson, Chase Bradley, Harry Jenkins, Jared Weldin, and Michale Riddick all competed in the men’s 60-meter dash. Lee Johnson posted a time of 7.14 seconds. Bradley went the distance in 7.18 seconds followed by Jenkins in 7.26, Weldin in 7.43 and Reddick in 7.54. Bradley is a freshman from Longview, Texas. Jenkins is a returning sophomore from Miami, Fla., joined by Jered Weldin of Colony. Reddick is a freshman from Kentucky.

Michael Valenti of Carthage, Mo., is a new addition at the start of this semester. Valenti is a freshman who didn’t go to school the first semester but decided he wanted to run again. “Michael ran a 16:56.95 in the men’s 5,000-meter run, which is 25 laps indoors. I see him running in the low16’s (minutes) and low 15’s before the season is over,” Degrado said. Sophomores Nik Stranghoner, Iola and Terry Thompson, Hulbert, Okla., posted good times in the 800-meter run. Stranghoner was 29^th in 2:08.65 and Thompson finished 37^th in 2:12.34.Daniel Colina, a freshman from Topsham, Maine, was 15^th in the 1,000-meter run in 2:53.61. Tim Snyder, a freshman from Carthage, Mo., was 34^th in the 5,000-meter run in 18:38.33.

.“We are a little thin on the women’s side. Kayla Irwin will be in the hunt for the Jayhawk Conference title in pole vault. Jodi Bigham is a freshman fromPomona and Irwin is a freshman from Pleasant Hill, Mo. Also on the women’s team are freshman, Ashley Middleton and Courtney Payne, all of Topeka, and Bernetta Scholotterbeck of Hamilton. Sophomore Colby Segraves of Parsons returns to lead the throwing event atheletes for the Red Devil Men. Colina and Freshman Ryan Rhodes, Moran, and Robert Shinkle, Hamilton, are expected to provide good marks in the throws. “Sprints and Jumps will carry the load this year as well as some of our throws. Elias Yeadon has one semester of track eligibility and will join use in the jumping events in the outdoor season,” DeGrado Said.

Yeadon is from Moncks Corner, S.C., and plays for the ACCC men’s basketball team. Irwin and Middleton on the women’s basketball for ACCC.