Last Weekend the Baker University Track and Field teams participated in a Community Service Project. The teams cleaned up the yard of a community member in need.
Congratulations to All-American Ashlee Miller
Some Remarks from Coach Kindler: "What a great weekend for track and field, we traveled into Fayette, Mo Friday afternoon with some cold and damp conditions for the 2008 HAAC Conference championships. Day one went just about as scripted for both teams with the women setting 3rd place, which was our pre meet ranking and the men were sitting 5th, one spot ahead of pre meet rankings. Day two was a completely different day. With the first real track weather day that we have had this year the wildcat team took advantage of it."
"On the women's side, the athlete of the meet came from the entire squad. We scored a total of 145 points, 78 points ahead of 4th place. We pretty much knew that 2nd and 1st place were going to be taken by LIndenwood and Mid-America but we pretty much dominated the rest of the field."
"We had 3 event champions on the women's side coming from Chelsey Ornburn in the pole vault, who almost cleared a bar which would have broke the conference record, Ashlee Miller in long jump, and the 4 x 400 team which broke the school record by nearly 3 seconds and hit a qualifying mark for the national meet." Other notable marks from the women were:
Ashlee Miller-200m - 25.50 2nd - New School Record
Kelsey Heckathorne - 400m - 58.89 4th - 2nd Best All-time at Baker
Ari Penner - 3000m Racewalk - 19:48 3rd - 2nd Best All-time at Baker
Mikayla Medlock - 3000m Steeplechase - 11:49 3rd - 2nd Best All-time at Baker - 1 second from national qualifying standard of 11:48
Women 4x100m - 49.31 - 3rd - National Qualifying Mark - New School Record
Laniesha Douglas - Ashlee Miller - Kayla Irwin - Chelsey Ornburn
Women's High Jump
Ashlee Miller - 2nd - Christina Delladio - 3rd - Regan Boyer - 6th
Women's Pole Vault
Chelsey Ornburn - 1st - Kayla Irwin - 3rd - Hela Kawas - 6th
Carrie Lister - Shot Put - 12.11m - 4th - 2nd Best All-time at Baker
Katey Wegemer - Heptathlon - 2nd - Second year in a row
"I was also named the women's conference coach of the year as selected by the head coaches during the meet. I guess they were giving me a welcome to the conference present."
"Overall it was a great weekend for Baker University and I would like to thank my two coaches that made it possible, Coach Mackie Valentin and Coach Brent Randle. Also I would like to thank all of the parents, friends, and fans that were at the meet supporting the Wildcats, it was great to see so much Baker Orange. This meet wraps up the season for most of the team but there are still a large number training for the national meet at the end of May. I would like to thanks everybody again for all the support for the Baker Track and Field team and all Wildcat Athletics. Go Cats!!!"
Baker Women's Outlook
The 2008 women’s track and field team takes aim at the top of the conference this year under new head coach Zach Kindler. The team has added 14 new faces to complement the 14 returners who look to improve on their fourth-place team finish last year.
Key returners are Ashlee Miller, Katey Wegemer, Chelsey Ornburn and Kelsey Heckathorne, who were all national qualifiers in the 2007 season. Miller, a sophomore from Greenwood, Mo., was a national qualifier in the indoor pentathlon, outdoor heptathlon and long jump, and a member of the record-breaking indoor 4 x 400, outdoor 4x100, outdoor 4x400 and the outdoor sprint medley relays a year ago. She also holds Baker’s outdoor 400-meter record. Wegemer and Heckathorne joined Miller on the record-breaking 4x400 teams.
Some of the key recruits to this year’s class include Aubree Gustin, state champion in the javelin; Kayla Irwin, junior college national qualifier in the pole vault; Porsche Lane, standout sprinter from Texas; Toyna Giles, transfer from Wichita State; and Chelsea Tweitmeyer, high school state qualifier. These five along with the nine other freshmen will bring a competitive attitude to the track.
The team this year has high goals and feels they should have a great opportunity to place high in the HAAC and have a lot of performers represent Baker University nationally.
Coach Kindler and his staff are excited to get the season started and look for a very successful year.
WOMEN TAKE 3rd & MEN TAKE 6th
The Men and Women's track and field teams traveled to Lamoni, IA last weekend for their indoor conference championships. Coach Kindler was very pleased with the outcome of the meet with the ladies doing very well placing 3rd and the men placing 6th. Baker was ranked 4th and 7th going into the meet so it was a very exciting meet. Coach Kindler had this to say afterwards:
Our top performers on the women’s side came from both Chelsey Ornburn and Ashlee Miller (pictured). Chelsey was our only conference champion which was determined by misses between her teammate Kayla Irwin. Chelsey is now a 3 time conference champion in the women’s pole vault. She also ran the 400 for the 3rd place women’s distance medley relay team. Ashlee Miller’s weekend consisted of becoming All-Conference in 4 events and placing in the top 8 in 5.
200-3rd place
Long Jump-3rd place
High Jump-3rd place
4x800-3rd place
55 hurdles-7th place
Our top performer on the men’s side came from Aaron Hannon who placed 3rd in the Heptathlon and tied for 5th with fellow teammate Zach Atzeni in the 55 hurdles. Other top performances on the men’s side were Richie Bryant 2nd in the long jump and getting knocked out of 1st position on the very last jump and the men’s 4x400 team placing 2nd which consisted of Matthew James, Aaron Hannon, Leland Lindsey, and Tanner Gleason. The men’s team was in a 6th place tie between three schools coming down to the very last event with the 4x400 and the men’s team got it done by placing 2nd and the team end up 6th. Very exciting finish.
Our focus is now shifted for most towards outdoor track but we have 10 national qualifiers who will compete at Johnson City, TN March 6-8th at the NAIA Indoor National Championships. Thanks again for all the support for the track and field program and for all Baker Athletics. GO CATS!!!
5 School Records and 5 National Qualifying Marks
The track and field teams have had a very successful last two weeks with a number of great performances during the early portion of our season. 5 indoor school records were set by:
Ashlee Miller- Long Jump-18-00.25
Ashlee Miller- 200m-26.21
Kome Okiomah- 200m-22.32
Katey Wegemer- 600y-1:31.83
Women 4 X 400- 4:08.21
Along with the school records, we had five NAIA Indoor National Qualifying Marks:
Ashlee Miller- Long Jump-18-00.25
Ashlee Miller- 200m-26.21
Chelsey Ornburn- Pole Vault
Women 4 X 400- 4:08.21
Kome Okiomah- 55m-6.47
"We also had two individuals move into the second best all-time marks for Baker University with Aaron Hannon in the 200 and Jackie Koch in the weight throw. I am very pleased with the way that all of our athletes are progressing through the season to this point and look forward to the rest of the season. Our next meet we will be traveling to Graceland University for a mini meet which only a select few athletes will be attending. It has been great seeing a lot of Baker University fans and parents at the meets and thanks again for all the support for all of the Wildcats Athletics. Go Cats!!"
Our top performers on the women’s side came from both Chelsey Ornburn and Ashlee Miller (pictured). Chelsey was our only conference champion which was determined by misses between her teammate Kayla Irwin. Chelsey is now a 3 time conference champion in the women’s pole vault. She also ran the 400 for the 3rd place women’s distance medley relay team. Ashlee Miller’s weekend consisted of becoming All-Conference in 4 events and placing in the top 8 in 5. 
