Cornerstone University - News

[Women's Indoor Track & Field] Distance Medley finish 5th - Golden Eagles 17th overall

Randy Strawser — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 21:00:00 -0600

(Geneva, Ohio) The final event for Cornerstone at the NAIA Indoor Track & Field Championships looked to put a bittersweet ending on the three day competition. Running without All-American 800 meter runner, Julie Oosterhouse, the distance medley barely made the final and on paper didn't appear to be able to finish better than last. Coming off last season's fourth place finish at nationals, expectations were much higher.

"I was more nervous even though there was no expectation," said lead off leg, Jill Louisignau. "I didn't expect anything. We were going to try for better than last, but I wasn't confident, as confident as I should be." Oosterhouse was back in Grand Rapids due to a death in the family. "It took a lot to cope with being 11 seconds slower in the 800 without her," Louisignau said. Senior anchor leg, Julia Contreras agreed, "It was hard without Julie here. It gives me confidence to step up to the line, knowing I can count on her completely."

[Women's Indoor Track & Field] Lawrence repeats as All-American in the Race Walk

Randy Strawser — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 22:35:00 -0600

(Geneva, Ohio) The Golden Eagles continue to perform well on the second day of NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships.

In the first event, the 3,000 meter race walk, Cornerstone sent three women to the line. Junior, Monica Lawrence spent the early laps in the pack that formed behind a great duel between the 2012 champion, Nicole Bonk of Embry-Riddle and freshman, Mereth Zalba of Missouri Baptist. Lawrence battled Goshen's Abby Dunn and Erin Helmuth for the third through fifth spots, putting in a great move with 500 meters to go. Dunn responded and held third to the finish. Bonk broke the meet record of 13:56.06 set in 2002, clocking 13:53.63 with Zalba :22 behind. Lawrence finished fourth in 15:20.17, taking :14 off her best time. Brianna Griffiths and Kayla Ovokaitys raced well together for most of the way, each in her first national meet. Griffiths used a great kick to finish twelfth in 16:41.38. Ovokaitys was :18 back, but picked up her third form violation in the last lap resulting in disqualification.

[Women's Indoor Track & Field] Green finishes 3rd in Pentathlon

Randy Strawser — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 22:00:00 -0600

(Geneva, Ohio) On the opening day of the NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships, Cornerstone sophomore, Brittany Green earned All-America honors in the Pentathlon, setting the tone for her teammates to follow.

After a solid 9.29 in the 60 meter hurdles, Green cleared a personal best 4' 11.5" in the high jump. Her score of 1482 after two events put her in sixth. In the shot put, Brittany's first attempted measured 40' 7.75" which was nearly five feet longer than the next best competitor. The 697 points moved her into third. Green's best event, the long jump, followed. "There are three women here who have jumped over 18' this season, but for some reason only one of them got past 17' 2" today," said coach Paul Koutz. Green managed 17' .75" and held her position taking fourth as just three inches separated second and fifth. That left the 800 meter run. Not her strongest event, Green finished eighth in the field of sixteen, taking .28 off her best time with a 2:35.00 clocking. Pre-meet favorite Briana Vander Woude of Dordt won, totaling 3751 for the five events followed by Jillian Ourada of Doane with 3638 and Green with 3415.

[Women's Indoor Track & Field] Women's Indoor T&F National Championship Preview

Aimee Luurtsema — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 09:05:00 -0600

The Cornerstone women finished in second at the 2013 Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships on Feb. 15-16. Highlighting the championship, CU dominated the middle distance events where they added a school record and improved their point total from last season. Sixteen Golden Eagles qualified for the NAIA National Championships and will head to Geneva, Ohio, this weekend.

The sixteen participants representing Cornerstone this weekend include Liz Baller, Kaitlyn Bronkema, Kaylee Carew, Julia Contreras, Brittany Green, Brianna Griffiths, Larissa Hampton, Trinity Hulst, Monica Lawrence, Lindsay Lipa, Jill Louisignau, Julie Oosterhouse, Kayla Ovokaitys, Lyndee Sayers, Anita Souza and Audrey Tremaine.

Claiming three individual titles, scoring in four events and earning Performer of the Meet honors, Julie Oosterhouse will lead the competitors this weekend. Oosterhouse will look to continue her streak of powerhouse performances during nationals when she runs in the 800 meter and team relays.

Julia Contreras defended her 2012 title during the 800 meter event in the WHAC Championships. Contreras got the job done in 2:21.11 while teammate Audrey Tremaine finished fifth in 2:26.68.

Lindsay Lipa, Lyndee Sayers, Anita Souza, and Larissa Hampton raced to second in the 4 x 400 meter relay during the conference championship meet. Their 4:01.51 marked the second time this season CU has bettered the NAIA automatic qualifying standard. The women will look to continue their dominant performance this weekend at nationals.

Anita Souza ran a season-best and NAIA automatic qualifying time of 8:88 in the semi-finals of the 60 meter hurdles. Souza finished second in the finals, clock 8.91 during the WHAC Championships. She will also participate in relay events this weekend.

Representing the Golden Eagles in the pentathlon and the long jump, Brittany Green tallied a long jump measurement of 18' 6.5", placing her third overall against other conference competitors. Green hopes to be successful in all events this weekend.

Cornerstone will return to action this Thursday when they travel to Geneva, Ohio, for the 2013 NAIA National Championship meet. After the weekend the whole team will travel to Myrtle Beach, S.C., to participate in the Coastal Carolina Invitational.

[Women's Indoor Track & Field] Oosterhouse Leads CU to Second at WHAC Championship

Aimee Luurtsema — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 09:50:00 -0600

ANGOLA, IN (2/16) Cornerstone Women owned the middle distance events at the 2013 Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships winning everything from the 600 meters to the mile. Along the way they added a school record and improved their point total from 2012.

Julie Oosterhouse continued her racing dominance, claiming three individual titles, scoring in four events and earning Performer of the Meet honors. The Golden Eagles established their intentions early. After Liz Baller, Rieley Anglin-Hondalus, Kaylee Carew and Trinity Hulst combined for an easy second place in the Distance Medley Relay, CallyAnne Wyma (19:10.04) and Sydney Tremaine (20:00.62) raced well for third and sixth in the 5,000 meters, the milers made their statement.

Owning the three fastest seed times by over ten seconds, Oosterhouse, Jill Louisignau and Julia Contreras added Audrey Tremaine to their pack. With no one else willing to set the pace the first half of the race crawled through the opening 800 meters in 2:55. With two laps remaining the racing started with the CU quartet moving to the front. On the final circuit, Tremaine got stuck in the pack while the top three flew away easily. Audrey scampered around two competitors to regain contact with her teammates giving Cornerstone the 1-4 sweep they planned with Oosterhouse getting the win in 5:34.12.

Forty-five minutes later Oosterhouse calmly ran three nearly identical laps of 32.8, 32.8 and 32.6 to glide through the field in the 600 meters to her second win. Lindsay Lipa grabbed fourth in 1:40.95.

Contreras and Audrey Tremaine got the job of covering the 800 meters. After three laps, the race at the front was down to three women with Julia lurking behind Davenport's Stacey Baron and Elaine Johnson of Siena Heights. The CU senior and 2012 winner, launched a well-timed 33 second final lap. Coming off the last turn the trio spread across four lanes in the rush to the line. Contreras had the better lean, defending her title 2:21.11 to 2:21.16 over Johnson. Audrey picked up two more points for fifth in 2:27.68.

Cornerstone scored four out of six places in the 1,000 meters. Oosterhouse won easily, her 3:06.38 giving her a two second cushion. Louisignau (3:14.62) and Baller (3:16.45) took third and fourth saving their energy for the 3,000 meters. Hulst claimed a point for sixth in 3:27.64.

The 3000 meters was won by the only woman in the top ten who had not run at least one other event. Aquinas' Britta Patterson held off a late charge by Louisignau 10:50.46 to 10:53.23. Oosterhouse and Contreras worked their way through the field. After 14 laps, Oosterhouse turned in her best finishing kick of the meet, cranking out a 29 second final 200 meters and catching Brenna Conger of Indiana Tech who was nearly 40 meters ahead. Julie picked up two more points for fifth in 11:00.66.

Oosterhouse's 32 points were the most by any athlete in the meet earning her the WHAC Performer of the Meet trophy.

Brittany Green collected ten points taking third in the long jump (18' 6.5") and fourth in the shot put. Her first attempt measured 41' 2.5" adding one inch to the school record set by Haley Russell in 2012. Russell was fifth in the shot put with a mark of 39' 8".

Haley had a great day in the 20 pound weight throw. Her first four attempts were all personal bests. After a foul on her fifth attempt she finished with one more PR. Her last toss measured 49' 10" putting her fourth.

Anita Souza contributed eight points in the 60 meter hurdles. After running a season best and NAIA automatic time of 8.88 in the semi-finals, Souza finished second in the finals, clocking 8.91.

Lindsay Lipa, Lyndee Sayers, Souza and Larissa Hampton raced to second in the 4 x 400 meter relay. Their 4:01.51 marked the second time this season CU has bettered the NAIA automatic qualifying standard.

Indiana Tech defended their 2012 team title with 198 points with CU second with 147. Siena Heights was third with 89 followed by Aquinas at 72, Davenport with 38 and Concordia with 7.

[Women's Indoor Track & Field] Oosterhouse leads CU to second at WHAC Championships

Randy Strawser — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 22:05:00 -0600

(Angola, Ind.) Cornerstone Women owned the middle distance events at the 2013 Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships winning everything from the 600 meters to the mile. Along the way they added a school record and improved their point total from 2012.

[Women's Indoor Track & Field] Oosterhouse named NAIA Track & Field Athlete of the Week

Randy Strawser — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 18:30:00 -0600

Cornerstone University sophomore, Julie Oosterhouse has been named the NAIA National Women's Indoor Field Athlete of the Week for her performance at the Grand Valley State University Big Meet, February 8-9.

Oosterhouse was selected for the award from among all NAIA Conference Athlete of the Week nominations.

Julie raced to four automatic national qualifying performances at the meet in the 600 meters, 800 meters, distance medley relay and the 4 x 400 meter relay.

Going into the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Indoor Championships this Saturday, Oosterhouse leads the WHAC in all the middle distance events: 600 meters, 800 meters, 1000 meters and the mile.

[Women's Indoor Track & Field] Oosterhouse named WHAC Track & Field Athlete of the Week

Randy Strawser — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 15:50:00 -0600

Julie Oosterhouse, a sophomore from Byron Center, Mich. set a new school record in the 800 meters with a time of 2:12.95 (6th place). She also ran in three other events that hit the NAIA automatic qualifying mark: 600-meters, distance medley relay, and the 4 x 400-meter relay. Oosterhouse was named WHAC T & F Athlete of the Week for her performances.

[Women's Indoor Track & Field] Qualifying relays bookend day two of the Big Meet

Aimee Luurtsema — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 22:10:00 -0600

ALLENDALE (2/9) The second day of the Grand Valley State University Big Meet was as exciting as the first for the Cornerstone Women's Track & Field Team. The distance medley and 4 x 400 meter relays started and finished the day with national qualifying marks with season and personal bests scattered between.

Running in the fast heat of the distance medley relay, Julia Contreras and Lyndee Sayers handled the 1200 and 400 meter legs putting the Golden Eagles on pace for a season best. Coming off the 800 meters in to a crowded exchange zone, Julie Oosterhouse got the baton to Jill Louisignau who had to side step one competitor and shove her way past another before finding a clear path. She held on to finish in 12:20.99, nearly two seconds faster than the team ran in January. Cornerstone came through the weekend still second on the NAIA list in the event.

Larissa Hampton improved her season-best in the 400 meters to 59.57, winning her heat and placing 20^th out of 81 competitors. Kaitlyn Bronkema took second her heat, running 1:00.88, finishing 39^th in the field.

Anita Souza and Katie Walker raced well in the 200 meters. Souza scored a season best 26.03 for second in her heat and 39^th of 81 contestants. Walker ran a new best of 26.80 for second in her heat and 40^th overall.

Audrey Tremaine's debut in the 800 meters put her eighth on the CU all-time list with a 2:23.52 clocking.

Louisignau equaled her PR in the mile taking eleventh out of 52 in 5:16.36.

The Golden Eagles entered the final event with one more task on their to-do list. After coming up just 38/100^th of a second short of the automatic qualifying time in the 4 x 400 meter relay a week earlier, they needed to run 4:00.40 or faster to earn their annual spot at the NAIA Indoor Championships. Lindsay Lipa and Oosterhouse combined for an 800 meter split of 2:00.7, slightly behind. Souza and Hampton more than made up for it, each running 59.1. Cornerstone placed third in their heat and seventh overall in 3:58.80.

The Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Indoor Championship meet is next on the schedule, Saturday February 16 at 4 p.m. at Trine University in Angola, IN.

[Women's Indoor Track & Field] Oosterhouse Opens Big Meet with Two Automatic Qualifiers

Randy Strawser — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 22:00:00 -0600

(Allendale, Mich.) Julie Oosterhouse said she finally feels like she's in racing form after running two NAIA national qualifying races and breaking her own school record on the opening day of the Big Meet hosted by Grand Valley State University.

Never mind helping qualify three relays for nationals and putting herself in the top five on the NAIA 800 meter list in the last two meets; after an intense cross country season that ending with an All-American finish at the NAIA National Championships, the sophomore spent the first half of the indoor track & field season feeling less than sharp.

In her first event of the two-day meet, Oosterhouse ran the 600 meters with the intention of getting the best time in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference, then saving most of her effort for the 800 meters, scheduled three hours later. Two hundred meters into the race, Cornerstone Coach, Rod Wortley knew Julie was going to win, "She was out in 31.4 seconds and was in last place. As the fastest person in the race, there was no way the rest of the field could sustain that." Using her typical, patient style, Oosterhouse covered the next 200 meters in 31 seconds. Her 34 second split over the final 200 meters brought her to the finish nearly one second ahead of the field. Her time of 1:36.87 bettered the NAIA automatic qualifying mark and was fifth overall. Lindsay Lipa improved her best in the event to 1:39.53 for 13^th place and Kaitlyn Bronkema finished 18^th with a PR 1:42.17.

Oosterhouse returned in the second heat of the invitational 800 meters for more of the same. Another 31 seconds for the first 200 meters put her near the back of the pack where she stayed through the first 400 meters. Running nearly even splits the second half of the race, Julie slid past the fading field, winning a three-way battle for second place at the line. Her 2:12.95 was good for sixth overall out of the three heats, and broke the school record of 2:13.65 she set last season.

Anita Souza improved her spot on the NAIA list in the 60 meter hurdles, running 9.13. CallyAnne Wyma took fifteen seconds off her PR in the 5000 meters with an 18:44.72 performance.

[Women's Indoor Track & Field] Lipa Lands Three National Qualifying Marks at IWU

Randy Strawser — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 21:00:00 -0600

(Marion, Ind.) Cornerstone sophomore, Lindsay Lipa had a nearly perfect day at the Indiana Wesleyan University Wildcat Invitational. Entered in three events, Lipa put up NAIA national qualifying performances in each of them.

Lindsay began the meet on the long jump runway, coming within two inches of her all-time best and improving her NAIA provisional qualifying mark with a leap of 17' 10.75". She finished fourth behind teammate Brittany Green's winning 18' 7.75 effort.

Next, Lipa added 18 inches to her triple jump PR going 36' 7". She placed second and bettered the NAIA automatic qualifying standard.

To complete her day, Lindsay led off the 4 x 400 meter relay, combining with Julie Oosterhouse, Anita Sousa and Larissa Hamption for a six-second win. Their time of 4:02.38 bettered the NAIA provisional mark and was just .38 away from auto.

Her relay teammates also competed well in other events. Hampton took third in the 400 meters, clocking 1:01.82. Oosterhouse ran a new best time of 3:05.11 finishing second in the 1,000 meters, and Souza improved her season best winning the 60 meter hurdles in 9.16.

"We saw some very good performances today," said Coach Rod Wortley. "With the two-day meet at Spire last week and the GVSU Big Meet next week, the focus was just competing well and we saw a lot of that."

[Women's Indoor Track & Field] Ovokaitys Claims Freshman Record

Randy Strawser — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 21:05:00 -0600

(Cedarville, Ohio) Kayla Ovokaitys came to Cornerstone to run Cross Country and Track & Field. Almost immediately the coaching staff identified her as a candidate for the race walk. Just two meets into her career she broke the freshman record and qualified for the NAIA National Championships at the Cedarville Collegiate Invitational.

The 2012 graduate of Cedar Springs high school placed ninth in the 3000 meter race walk with a time of 16:42.06, bettering the freshman record of 17:01.13 set by Monica Lawrence in 2011. One week earlier Ovokaitys walked 18:17.15 at the University of Findlay. "Kayla misunderstood the judges at Findlay," said CU walks coach, Nate Van Holten. "She got three warnings early in the race and she thought they were giving her violation marks and three of those mean disqualification." Ovokaitys spent the rest of the race waiting to be pulled off the track.

At Cedarville, now fully aware of how the event is judged, she maintained a much faster pace, staying close to teammate Briana Griffiths and CU alumnus and two-time All-American, Katie Smith. The trio finished 7-8-9 with Griffiths lowering her best time to 16:32.54 and Smith at 16:37.53.

"Looking at what the other women in our program have done, for her to put up those times in her second race says a lot," said Van Holten.

The Golden Eagles now have three women qualified for the NAIA Championships in March.

[Women's Indoor Track & Field] Women add five more qualifying marks at SPIRE

Randy Strawser — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 21:05:00 -0600

(Geneva, Ohio) The Golden Eagles picked up where they left off on the second day of competition at the SPIRE Midwest Indoor Track & Field Open. The first event Saturday morning saw the 4 x 800 meter relay get under the NAIA automatic qualifying standard. Just like she did Friday night in the distance medley relay, Jill Louisignau led off for Cornerstone. Once again, the officials instructed the second leg runners to get on the track one lap early. Thankfully, they realized the error almost immediately and got them out of the exchange zone without incident.

Cornerstone placed third in 9:44.21 just under the 9:45.40 needed for another trip to the NAIA Indoor Championships. Freshman, Kaitlyn Bronkema running just her second 800 meter race joined Louisignau, Julia Contreras and Julie Oosterhouse on the nationals list.

Anita Souza ran 9.24 to advance to the finals in the 60 meter hurdles. Her 9.17 in the final was good for seventh place and under the NAIA provisional standard.

In the long jump, Lindsay Lipa flirted with the NAIA provisional mark of 17' 6.75 coming within two inches on her third and fifth attempts. On her last jump the sophomore found the extra distance hitting exactly 17' 6.75".

On the infield, Haley Russell put together a good series in the 20 pound weight throw. Her fifth attempt measured a new best 48' 4.5" for seventh place.

Lipa returned to the track for the 600 meters winning her heat in PR 1:41.45 and taking fifth overall.

After running the 800 meters in distance medley and 4 x 800 meter relays, Julie Oosterhouse made it three for three taking fourth in the open 800 in 2:15.83 for another automatic national qualifying performance.

Louisignau also had three automatic qualifying races. The junior raced patiently in the early laps of the 3,000 meters then ran aggressively through the field before putting in as determined kick over the final 300 meters. She finished fourth in 10:24.45, moving to second on the CU all-time list. In the next heat Audrey Tremaine used a similar strategy and a fierce last lap to get the win and new best time of 11:00.65.

The 4 x 400 meter relay came up just sort of getting a third relay on the national list. Running nearly unchallenged in the second heat Lipa, Oosterhouse, Lyndee Sayers and Larissa Hampton took third overall in 4:04.13, less than one half second off the NAIA provisional standard.

The Golden Eagles return to action February 2 at Indiana Wesleyan.

[Women's Indoor Track & Field] 3 Golden Eagles qualify in Findlay

Randy Strawser — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 18:35:00 -0600

(Findlay, Ohio) With the rest of the team headed for Geneva, OH, four members of the Cornerstone Women's Track & Field team headed south instead of east to compete at the University of Findlay Indoor Track & Field Classic to contest events offered there.

Brittany Green competed in the pentathlon: five events with each performance awarded points based on a set of scoring tables. The highest total wins.

Green got off to a mediocre start. Her 9.65 in the 60 meter hurdles was more than 4/10^thsof a second slower than her best this season, and sixth out of eight competitors. The high jump went better as Brittany cleared 4' 9.5", just two centimeters off her best. She carried that momentum into the shot put, one of her strongest events. A 37' 6.75 mark on her third attempt was nearly six feet better than the next competitor. After shot put, Green hoped to make up ground in the long jump, her best event. The 2012 Indoor All-American in the event fouled her first two attempts, leaving her just one more opportunity. Green adjusted her approach to make sure she planted behind the takeoff board and got in a legal jump of 17' 8.75" – more than a foot off her best, but good enough for second place and 671 more points. To finish the competition, Green ran less than two seconds away from her PR in the 800 meters, clocking 2:35.59 for seventh and 378 points.

Brittany's total score of 3,256 was good for third overall out of eight women and well over the NAIA minimum reporting mark of 2,700.

The day concluded with the 3,000 meter race walk. Representing Cornerstone were 2012 All-American Monica Lawrence, sophomore Brianna Griffiths and freshman Kayla Ovokaitys, making her debut in the event. Needing to finish in 16:30 or faster to better the NAIA automatic qualifying standard or the provisional mark of 17:30, Lawrence and Griffiths put themselves on pace in the early laps and maintained their speed and their form. Monica finished fourth in 16:16.93 earning her third straight trip to Indoor Nationals. Griffiths lowered her PR by 1:41 to place fifth in 16:41.14 and post her first national qualifying performance. Ovokaitys took seventh in 18:17.15.

[Women's Indoor Track & Field] Distance Medley Survives Madness

Randy Strawser — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 21:05:00 -0600

(Geneva, Ohio) In the last 15 years, Cornerstone Track & Field Coach Rod Wortley has seen a lot of things go right and wrong. Tonight at the SPIRE Midwest Indoor Track & Field Open he saw both in the same race.

As the starter called the distance medley relay teams to the line, Wortley noticed the runners stretched across the line for the DMR exchange zone, ten meters away from the actual starting stripe. The gun sounded and the race got underway with Jill Louisignau running the 1200 meter leadoff leg - four laps around the 300 meter oval. As the leaders came around for the third time the race official moved the women waiting to run the 400 meter leg on to the track one lap too soon. Wortley and other coaches began shouting to the official who was intent on watching the handoffs. Wortley then tried to get the attention of CU's 400 runner, Lindsay Lipa, telling her to get off the track. Fortunately, Louisignau had the presence of mind to know she still had a lap to go and wove her way through the confusion, refusing to give the baton to Lipa.

At least four teams were not so lucky and handed off a lap early. Chaos ensued as the field was split into teams who needed to be disqualified and teams still racing correctly.

Louisnau completed her leg in 3:46 and Lipa covered the next 400 in 61 seconds. Julie Oosterhouse started the 800 meters not sure who she was racing against. Chasing everyone in sight she split a 2:15. Julia Contreras ran the 1600 meter anchor leg amid the confusion in a pack that included teams that were finishing a lap early. "It was hard to know when to kick because they were on the bell lap, but it didn't seem right." Contreras' 5:19 included the extra 10 meters from the misplaced starting line.

When it was all sorted out, Cornerstone took second in 12:22.78, well under the NAIA automatic qualifying standard. "We wanted to run a fast time, but after the way things started I was hoping we could get out of here with a legal time and a qualifier," said Wortley. "I've never seen anything like this.

The evening's other event, the 5000 meters was without incident. CallyAnne Wyma took fifth in a personal best 18:59.73 and Sydney Tremaine's indoor debut resulted in a 13^th place finish in 19:57.34.

The meet resumes with a full slate of events on Saturday.