Posted: Apr 30, 2015

Pengelly 10K Win Highlights GLIAC Track Day 1

HILLSDALE, Mich. — Michigan Tech completed the first full day of competition at the GLIAC Championships with one individual champion, three top-five finishes and numerous individuals qualifying for finals tomorrow.

Sean Pengelly continued his strong run through 2014-15 with a GLIAC title in the 10,000 meters. The sophomore won the 25-lap race by half a lap, coming in with a time of 30:31.02. The second-place finisher was at 31:03.47. Pengelly's time was the third-best in school history behind two of his three other 10,000 races this season.

Javelin thrower Casey Buckner took fourth place in his event by shattering his own personal record by more than four meters. His throw of 167-9 (51.13m) was the eighth best in school history.

Jason Saliga scored points for the men's team with a fifth-place finish in the 3,000 meter steeplechase. Saliga ran an NCAA provisional time of 9:16.25, which is the eighth best in Tech annals.

Sophomore Mike Fisher, who is also a member of the Tech basketball team, posted a college PR in the high jump at 6-6.75. He finished sixth in the final results and tied the 10th-place mark on Tech's all-time list.

Three Tech athletes qualified for the finals of the 1,500 tomorrow. Deedra Irwin missed the school record (4:38.33 by Andrea Metz in 2008) by a quarter second, running a 4:38.58. Jani Lane and Kyle Hanson both earned spots in the men's final. Lane ran a 4:01.81 while Hansen went 4:04.32. Lane's school record in the event is 3:46.53.

Lauren Raiford advanced to the finals of the women's 400 with a qualifying time of 58.87. That's third-best in Tech history behind her two previous times this season.

The other event in which Tech qualified for the finals was the men's 4x100 meter relay. The Huskies went 42.82 for seventh place and the seventh-best time in school history.

The lone school record to fall came in the women's 200 meters, where Jamie Dompier shaved more than a tenth off her own mark. She ran a time of 25.53, which placed her 11th and out of the final.

Other top-10 performances for Tech today:
Women's Pole Vault: Erika Poli, 9th, 11-3 (second best in Tech history)
Men's 110 Hurdles: Shane McGrath, 10th, 56.19
Women's Long Jump: Aimee Allen, 10th, 17-6
Men's Long Jump: Nate Hood, 10th, 21-7.5
Men's Decathlon: Zachary Klassen, 10th, 5106 points (had fourth best pole vault in school history of 14-9 during decathlon)

Fourteen events went final today—seven men's and seven women's. The Tech men scored 22 points and sit in sixth place after today's action. The women did not score any teams points today. Poli was closest in the pole vault, finishing tied for fifth in height, but getting bumped to ninth on misses.

"It was a pretty good day overall," said Tech coach Joe Haggenmiller. "We got some points where we weren't necessarily expecting them, and we didn't place in some other events we thought we should.

"I like that the men are in sixth after today. Hopefully we can stay there or move up tomorrow."

The final day of the GLIAC Track & Field Championship is tomorrow, with the finals of 28 more events to be contested.