Point Park’s indoor track and field teams traveled to Bronx, New York on Friday, Jan. 24, where the Pioneers took part in a two-day invitational at The Armory.
Both the men’s and women’s teams had some highlights, in school record ranking and in the events themselves. Two men and one woman ranked in the top five for Point Park’s overall history record.
First-year distance runner Aike Van der Lei made a name for himself in the 800-meter race at the Dr. Sander Scorcher Invitational in the Bronx.
“Before a race, I mostly think about strategy within the race, how can I give myself the best chance to succeed, and what is going to make me better today,” Van der Lei said. “I have a checklist in my head…it keeps me in control of my emotions and nerves while making sure I warmup properly.”
On day one of the meet, Van der Lei placed 28th place in the men’s 800 with a time of one minute and 59 seconds placing him fifth in school history.
“Immediately after the race, I have a gnarly habit to overanalyze everything that could have gone better because of this habit I don’t always feel the gratification you hope to achieve after delivering such an effort,” Van der Lei said.
Michael Quigley, a junior concentrated on jumps, placed eighth in the men’s triple jump with 12.49 meters.
Jana Schmid, a senior distance runner, placed 24th in the women’s 800 with a time of 2:22 – the fifth-fastest time in Point Park history.
On day two of the Dr. Sander Invitational, the men had a strong running in the men’s mile with two racers ranking in the top five in school history. Jannik Windelband, a senior distance runner, placed 19th with a time of 4:17 and second in school history while Van der Lei recorded a time of 4:28 recording his time as fifth in school history.
“A race is the best way to see how good you are at that moment, and I want to show myself, the team and everybody else that I am aiming to be the best,” Van der Lei said.
Christian Reid, Kamar Sutherland, Joshua Maurer and Toby Wright placed sixth in the 4×400 relay with a time of 3:33.
Akeem Mustapha placed eighth in the men’s invite long jump with 6.92 meters. Maxwell Goode placed third in the men’s open long jump with 6.77 meters.
Moving forward, the indoor track and field teams are set to participate in another two-day event at the Youngstown State University Collegiate Mid-Major on Friday and Saturday in Youngstown, Ohio.
