Mesa, AZ- Junior Alonzo Paul joined freshman Jaden Bowie in running strong 60 meter sprints, freshman Brooks Rasmussen threw the fourth farthest Javelin in program history and the Arizona Christian University Men's Track & Field team kicked off the indoor season at the Desert Spectacular meet on the track of Mesa Community College.

Paul was the sprint crew's top performer in both the 60 meter (7.11) and 150 meters (16.67).  They also received strong performances in the 150 from senior Lionel McPhaull (7.16) and freshman newcomer Markeese Wright (7.16).  In the 150, Bowie again finished right behind Paul in 16.68.

The Firestorm throwers once again look to be a strong group.  While the freshman Rasmussen shot up the record books in the Javelin, sophomore TaHaj Acoff picked up where he left off last season, and won the shot put (47' 2.25) and the discus (146' 10") and finished second in the Hammer (129' 2").  Senior Drew Gertenrich participated in four different throwing events finishing second in the Discus (139' 5") and third in the Shot Put (40' 8.25").  

In the jumps, juniors Jase Carrasquillo and QJ Cannon went fourth and fifth respectively in the men's Long Jump.  Sophomore Manny Valenzuela began his Decathlon preparations jumping 16' 8.75".

A bevy of freshmen contributed in the 800 and Pole Vault events.  In the 800. Freshman Tanner Johnson ran 2:04.56 finishing second overall, and in the pole vault, Chance Miller won the event with a height of 11' 5.75".  Finishing third and fourth were Kaden Clark (10' 6") and Deem Nottingham (10' 0").

Thoughts from Head Coach Brian Bell
"The coaching staff and I are really pleased with everyone's performance today. Sprinters, jumpers, throwers and mid-distance athletes are well ahead of where we would hope them to be this time of year. We had three goals for this meet: to represent Christ well, be good teammates and to excel on the track. The team accomplished this mission and made us all proud. We have a large and very young team. This meet was a great test for first semester training, and it will lay the foundation for success later this spring at the GSAC T&F Championships."

Top Performers

• 4 x 800 (Johnson, Hayes, Valenzuela, Kipkorir 25:56 (18^th)
• 60 Meter: Alonzo Paul – 7.11
• 150 Meter:  Alonzo Paul – 16.67
• 800 Meter: Tanner Johnson – 2:04.56
• 300 Meter: Lionel McPhaull – 35.84
• 400 Meter: Zachary Cornelius – 54.87
• Long Jump: Jase Carrasquillo – 21' 1.5"
• Hammer: TaHaj Acoff – 129' 2"
• Shot Put: TaHaj Acoff – 47' 2.25"
• Discus: TaHaj Acoff – 146' 10"
• Javelin Brooks Rasmussen – 163' 1"
• Pole Vault: Chance Miller – 11' 5.75"

Next On the Schedule
Friday January 17th, the team will head north to Flagstaff, AZ and compete in the Lumberjack Team Challenge.

Roll Storm!