Grand View Vikings sports update: February 23-28th
By: Angela Lose
Home events scheduled for this week:
*Thursday, Feb. 26 Women's Basketball vs. AIB 7pm @Grand View Siasm Arena
*Saturday, Feb. 28 Women's Basketball vs. TBA 2pm @Grand View Siasm Arena (only if win game on Thursday)
Acknowledgments:
Wrestling
*The Viking Wrestling team awarded a grand total of six individual champions and qualified all 12 of its wrestlers for nationals. This makes for Grand View’s fifth straight central qualifying tournament title. Wrestlers who brought home individual titles in six weight classes include:
Ryak Finch-125
Brandon Wright-141
Dallas Houchins-158
Jimmie Schuessler-165
Thomas Moman-174
Dean Broghammer-285
Also placing in top four and qualifying for nationals was:
Jacob Colon-2nd place (133)
Gustavo Martinez-2nd place (149)
Elijah Sullivan-3rd place (149)
Grant Henderson- 4th place (157)
Christian Mays- 2nd place (197)
Jake Laden-3rd place (285)
Along with all of these outstanding awards, Viking head coach Nick Mitchell was named Coach of the Year for the fifth time out of his seven-year career at Grand View University. The NAIA national championship will be held March 6-7 in Topeka, Kansas. Grand View is looking to take its fourth straight national title.
Track and Field
Viking Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Runners-up, hits six national qualifying marks at Wartburg.
Saturday February 21st was a successful meet for both track and field teams who competed at the Wartburg invitational in Waverly. Men’s finished in second place with a total of 109.5 team points and three national qualifying marks.
The team won three events. In the weight throw, Nate Johnston hit NAIA ‘A’ standard with a toss of 17.4m. Malik Denny took first in the high jump with a height of 1.95m. Leeshad O’Neal won the 200m with a 22.52.
Kenny Simmons had an NAIA ‘B’ standard mark of 14.22m in the triple jump which landed him in second place. Jordan Cheatem was runner-up in the 60m with a time of 7.04.
Men’s 4x400m relay team consisting of Tre Porter, Seth Harjes, Bryon Christensen, and Keonte White qualified for nationals. Also taking second with an NAIA ‘A’ standard time of 3:20.84
Women’s also took second and took a total of 97 team points on Saturday with three national qualifying performances.
Val Veiock won shot put and the weight throw with NAIA ‘A’ national qualifying distances.
The 4x400m team consisting of Ronnoja Ayers, Kennedy King, Lindsay Albert, and Katie Roberts qualified for nationals with a time of 4:02.92, which placed in third place.
Holly Anthony also gave a big highlight to the team this past weekend. Anthony had a runner-up performance of 5.21m in the long jump.
The national qualifiers will compete at the 2015 NAIA Indoor Track & Field Championships held March 5-7 in Geneva, Ohio.
Basketball
The Grand View University men’s basketball team ended its regular season on Saturday in Cedar Rapids with a 77-62 loss over #13 Mount Mercy.
The Grand View University women’s basketball team took a fall to Mount Mercy with a score of 76-56. This was there last regular season game of the year.
