Allendale, Mich.----The Wingate University indoor track and field teams posted six NCAA Division II provisional qualifying times and smashed four school-record marks at the Grand Valley State University Big Meet in the Kelly Family Sports Center Friday and Saturday. Twenty-two WU Bulldogs competed in this prestigious two-day event (Saturday results, Friday results).
 
The Wingate distance crew had a big weekend with six provisional qualifying times and three of the four school-record achievements. Graduate student Tai Smith recorded provisional qualifying times in the 5000 meters (Friday) and the 3000 meters (Saturday). Smith broke his own school record in the 5000 Friday, while fellow graduate student Jacob Willis topped Smith's 3000-meters school record in a tight race Saturday.
 
What They Are Saying
 
Wingate sophomore thrower Danielle Crawford: "This weekend was an amazing experience! I was very excited to see what my team and I would do this weekend. The entire team had such an amazing meet with lots of new PRs. I would like to thank assistant coach Billy Edwards ('20) for making this season amazing and pushing me to do my best. I am grateful for my teammates. I love this team and can't wait to see what outdoor brings. I do believe that my teammates and I are going to have a great outdoor season."
 
Wingate graduate student distance specialist Jacob Willis: "The Grand Valley State meet was an amazing opportunity for everyone. I had never been to Michigan, so running in the cold and snow was definitely an experience I won't forget. The 300m track gave everyone a chance to run fast and have a ton of competition." 
 
"The training atmosphere at Wingate is so positive and infectious. I love the Wingate area, full of hills…and the team is so uplifting and positive. I've never been in a program where there are so many people who can relate to you and help you get better. I had a pretty bad race in the 5000 meters on Friday, but my teammates killed it and got amazing PRs…so turning around and working through that and running with Tai to run fast in the 3000 meters was a great step in the right direction."
 
"Coach Matt (van Lierop) and Coach Pol (Domenech) have done an amazing job crafting an environment where we can succeed and get better every day, both as athletes and students. I am very fortunate to be a part of such an amazing team and University that wants their students to exceed expectations and break barriers and records, both on and off the track."
 
GVSU Big Meet Saturday notes
 
- Willis recorded his new WU standard 3000 meters-time of 8:17.84, edging teammate Smith and his mark of 8:18.10
 
- Crawford broke the school record in the women's shot put with her toss of 13.40 meters
 
- Crawford is the reigning SAC Athlete of the Week for indoor field events
 
- Jakob Rettschlag broke his school record in the men's 800 meters with his time of 1:52.28, an NCAA provisional qualifying mark
 
- Emmanuel Jennings posted a PR in the men's 200 meters with his time of 22.73, leaping to number six on the WU career charts
 
- Lauryn Tumey ran a PR in the women's 3000 meters with a time of 10:32.16, moving to number six on Wingate's career list
 
GVSU Big Meet Friday notes
 
- Soheil Boufrizi got the weekend started in a big way, posting a PR in the men's 5000 meters (15:05.51), eventually landing at number 10 on the Wingate career charts
 
- Smith broke his own school record in the men's 5000 meters with his time of 14:12.00
 
- Saul Valdez ran a PR in the men's 5000 meters with a time of 14:29.79, leap-frogging to the number two spot on Wingate's lifetime list
 
- Both Smith and Valdez graduated from Apollo High School in Glendale, Ariz.
 
- Jacob Pickering competed in the men's 5000 meters, recording a time of 14:58.98 to move to number eight on WU's career list
 
- Bastian Mrochen was the first of three Bulldogs to break the school record in the men's 3000 meters with his time of 8:18.73, an NCAA provisional qualifying standard
 
- Jan Bayona ran a PR in the men's 3000 meters with a time of 8:29.14, landing at number five on Wingate's career list
 
- Lara Orrock ran an 18:06.30 in the women's 5000 meters, charting number four on the WU all-time list
 
WINGATE UNIVERSITY

Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a laboratory of difference-making that serves more than 3,600 students in North Carolina. Wingate offers 36 undergraduate majors as well as six master's and four doctoral programs. The University is home to the Cannon College of Arts and Sciences; the Levine College of Health Sciences; the Byrum School of Business; and the College of Professional Studies, which includes the Thayer School of Education and the School of Sport Sciences.
 
Wingate is the leading healthcare education provider in western North Carolina, and nearly one in five Wingate undergraduate students is preparing to be a pharmacist, physician assistant, physical therapist, occupational therapist or nurse. Athletes on Wingate's 23 teams compete in NCAA Division II and have brought home the SAC Echols Athletic Excellence Award for 13 years straight. The University's motto is "Faith, Knowledge, Service." View current news and videos at www.wingate.edu.