Courtesy of GoCobbers.com, Release: May 18

Complete UW-La Crosse Qualifying Meet Results

UW-La Crosse Qualifier Recap

LA CROSSE, Wis. (5/18/06)-- The Concordia 4x400-meter relay team is in a race against time on the track and against the calendar. The Cobber quartet of Josh Haddeland, Dusten Olejnicak, Jay Prince and Josh Smith ran a 3:19.02 at the UW-La Crosse NCAA Qualifying Meet on Thursday. That time is over three seconds faster than the previous season-best and is the fourth fastest time ever run by a Concordia men's 4x400-relay team.

The Cobbers have one more chance to break the school record of 3:18.05 set in 1975. It is the second oldest mark still standing in the Cobber record book. Concordia will have to shave off less than one second in the final meet of the year on Friday when they compete in the North Central Invite.

The only other Cobber men's track and field athlete to compete at the UW-La Cross qualifier was freshman thrower Preston Lyles. Lyles, trying to qualify in the discus, posted a distance of 144-06. That mark is a season-best for Lyles and is 10 feet off of the national provisional qualifying distance of 155-7.0. His previous season best was yesterday at the Coe Qualifier when he recorded a distance of 140-07.0.

Concordia will finish its Midwest qualifying tour when they compete at the North Central Invite on Friday, May 19 at 3:00pm.

Coach's Comments

Junior Dusten Olejnicak split a 49.1, while sophomore anchor Josh Smith unloaded a 48.7.  The 4x4 moves on
to North Central College for one last shot at breaking the 3:18.08 school record.  In addition, the team of Josh Haddeland, Dusten Olejnicak, Jay Prince, and Josh Smith are within two seconds of the NCAA Qualifying mark of
3:17.30.