Cornerstone University - News

[Women's Outdoor Track & Field] Russell and Louisignau smash school records

Randy Strawser — Sat, 11 May 2013 13:30:00 -0600

(Grand Rapids, Mich.) The Cornerstone Track & Field women's team spread their efforts in the final qualifying week over four meets, picking up an additional automatic mark, a new provisional mark and two school records.

Wednesday at the Aquinas Twilight Meet, there was little competition but the conditions were some of the best the team has seen all season. The sprinters took full advantage in the 4 x 100 meters. Lindsay Lipa, Anita Souza, Kaitlyn Bronkema and Katie Walker combined for a season-best 48.44, taking second.

After acting as the rabbit for three laps in the 1500 meters, Jill Louisignau stepped off the track as Julia Contreras (4:45.09), Julie Oosterhouse (4:51.04 / PR) and Audrey Tremaine (4:56.75) swept second through fourth.

The highlight of the meet came in the discus. After throwing within two inches of the school record on multiple occasions this season, Haley Russell's first attempt sailed 130' 5" breaking the old mark of 126' 4" set in 2011 by Erin Swinger. On her fourth attempt, Russell added nearly five more feet with a 135' 4" effort. Now less than four feet from the NAIA provisional standard, Haley launched her last throw 141' 1" for her third school record of the evening and her first NAIA national qualifying mark.

Friday, at the Dr. Keeler Invitational hosted by North Central College, Brittany Green raised her high jump best to 5' ¼". The cool windy conditions prevented further improvement in the 4 x 100 as athe women took third in 49.15.

Julie Oosterhouse lowered her season best to 2:13.92, taking eighth in the 800 meters and bettering the NAIA automatic qualifying time.

Louisignau battled to sixth in the 3,000 meter steeplechase taking another twelve seconds off her school record set last month, running 11:01.98. Liz Baller was twelfth in a PR 11:43.57.

The 4 x 400 meter relay squad of Lipa, Oosterhouse, Souza and Hampton ended their season with taking tenth in 3:58.62.

Closer to home, Russell had her second best day in the discus, despite wet and windy conditions at Grand Valley State's Second to Last Chance Meet. She placed fifth with a mark of 132' 1".

Saturday in cold, driving rain, Trinity Hulst raced just off her season best clocking 2:23.63 for sixth at the GVSU Last Chance Meet. Russell managed only 109' in the discus the horrible conditions.

[Women's Outdoor Track & Field] Louisignau leads CU to second at WHAC Championships

Randy Strawser — Tue, 07 May 2013 07:55:00 -0600

(Grand Rapids, Mich. – Houseman Field) Junior Jill Louisignau scored 22 ½ points in four events to lead the Golden Eagles past Aquinas to secure the runner-up spot for the Golden Eagles at the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Women's Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

Thursday, Louisignau led off the 4 x 800 meter relay to start the meet. After two legs, senior, Julia Contreras put in a 2:18 effort to erase an eight second deficit behind Davenport which allowed Julie Oosterhouse to cruise to a 2:20 anchor leg for the win in 9:29.30.

Brittany Green contributed two points, taking fifth in the javelin. Her mark of 108' 9" was a new best.

CallyAnne Wyma worked her way up to third in the 10,000 meters, running a PR 42:37.56. Brianna Griffiths also lowered her best time to 44:44.09 for seventh.

Friday's events began with the 3,000 meter steeplechase, an event Cornerstone has dominated over the years. With the best seed time by over 30 seconds, Louisignau paced teammate Liz Baller to a 1-2 finish, getting the win in 12:06.98, three seconds ahead of Baller. Race walkers, Monica Lawrence and Kayla Ovokaitys finished fifth and sixth, adding three points to the CU team score.

Just one hour later, Jill and Liz lined up for the 1500 meters. The Golden Eagle's strategy was to race as a pack and take five of the six scoring spots. With 500 meters remaining everyone was in place with only Cherie Gaines of Indiana Tech remaining in contention. Gaines made the first move with over 250 meters to go, stringing out the pack. Contreras responded and the pair pulled ahead with the Tech runner holding a slight lead through the turn. Contreras reached her shoulder in the final strides but Gaines had the better lean, winning 4:50.0 to 4:50.93. Oosterhouse (4:53.70), Louisignau (4:56.07, PR), Audrey Tremaine (4:56.45), Trinity Hulst (4:59.32, PR), Kaylee Carew (5:02.06) and Tanner Hostetler (5:06.55) swept the next six spots for 21 points.

Next, Anita Souza finished first in the 100 meter hurdles, lowering her season best and improving her NAIA qualifying mark to 14.35. Top seed, Shayla France of Indiana Tech stumbled on the sixth hurdle, clearing the way for Souza's first WHAC outdoor event title.

Indiana Tech was also favored to sweep the 400 meters, but freshman, Kaitlyn Bronkema snuck in for fifth in a season best 1:00.04.

In the jumping events, Green, Lindsay Lipa and Souza finished 3-4-6 in the long jump. Green's best measured 17' 3 ½" with Lipa half an inch back and Anita at 16' 9 ¾". Lipa also took fourth in the triple jump with a mark of 34' 8 ¼".

Haley Russell contributed four points, matching her best in the discus with a throw of 126' 2". Senior Kayleigh Hammond concluded her conference career with a 116' 2" effort for eighth place.

With five running events remaining, the battle for second was far from settled. Cornerstone planned to use the 800 meters to open up a gap, and Oosterhouse successfully defended her 2012 title running 2:17.86, however the rest of the race turned into a free-for-all with five teams scoring. Gaines and Contreras were the next two seeds, but both were clearly tired from their battle in the 1500 and spent the race battling each other back in the pack. Contreras prevailed in 2:24.68, but only managed ninth.

After the 800, Siena Heights and Cornerstone were tied for second with 97, followed by Aquinas at 94. Indiana Tech was 100 points ahead with the team title settled.

The 400 meter hurdles proved pivotal as CU freshmen, Lyndee Sayers (1:09.81, PR) and Rachel McNay (1:12.90) picked up fourth and fifth place points. After the discus points were added and Tech swept 1-7 in the 200 meters, the score stood Aquinas 113, Cornerstone 111 and Siena Heights 105. That left just the 5,000 meters and 4 x 400 meter relay to settle the matter.

Aquinas freshman, Britta Patterson and Tech's Becca Lamb had the best times of the season in the 5k. Cornerstone would send Louisignau after them and use their pack to take the rest of the top six places. "Our job was to make sure no one else scored," said Contreras. Patterson and Lamb raced aggressively at the front with the freshman winning in with a fifteen second personal best and NAIA provisional qualifying time of 17:49.93. Lamb stayed close most of the way finishing in 18:05.03. Louisignau lowered her PR by 56 seconds taking third in 18:28.46. Contreras controlled the next pack as they ran patiently through the field. By two miles they held the fourth through eighth spots. On the final lap, Wyma and Kaylee Carew moved ahead to finish fourth and fifth in 19:19.48 and 19:19.74. Contreras, in her final WHAC competition stayed back, taking sixth in 19:24.08 while pulling Sydney Tremaine to a PR 19:24.43. "Julia could have run with Jill or easily led our chase pack to the finish," said coach, Rod Wortley. "For her to care less about that than making sure Sydney ran a PR demonstrates the kind of servant leadership she's provided as a captain this season." Audrey Tremaine ran 19:33.84, completing the CU 3-8 sweep.

That put the Golden Eagles one point ahead of the Saints with just the 4 x 400 meters remaining. Lipa, Oosterhouse, Souza and Larissa Hampton extended the lead taking second in a season best 3:56.86.

Indiana Tech again proved they are one of the top teams in the NAIA winning the team title with 234 points. Cornerstone took second with 132 ahead of Aquinas' 125. Siena Heights finished fourth with 109, Davenport scored 41 and Concordia 2.

[Women's Outdoor Track & Field] Souza wins Heptalon debut

Randy Strawser — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 20:00:00 -0600

(Hillsdale, Mich.) Day 1 and 2 - The Heptathlon at the 47^th annual Hillsdale College "Gina" Relays isn't what it used to be. Just three women showed up to contest the seven events this year. Cornerstone's Anita Souza finished eleven points ahead of teammate Brittany Green to win as the Golden Eagles landed new personal bests in six events.

Thursday, Souza and Green completed the first four events of the heptathlon. Anita improved her season best and spot on the NAIA national qualifying list running 14.39. Brittany followed in 15.66. All three competitors cleared 4' 11 ¾" in the high jump. Green took the lead, outscoring Souza by almost 300 points in the shot put with a new school record of 41' 2 ½". The old mark of 40' 4" was set in 2005 by Vicki Wittingen. Souza got back within seven points finishing the 200 meters in 25.49 to Green's 26.91. Brittany completed the day with 2817 points to Anita's 2810. Krystin Reiser of Bowling Green stood third at 2357.

While most of the day was sunny and a bit cool for sprinting and jumping, conditions for the evening's 5,000 meter run were ideal. CallyAnne Wyma let a trio of Golden Eagles to new personal bests. The sophomore from St. Louis finished eighth in the second head and 32^nd out of 77 running 18:44.02. Classmate, Sydney Tremaine finished sixth in the third heat and 55^th overall in 19:34.83 and Erin Laplander lowered her best time to 20:34 in 68^th.

Friday, the heptathlon resumed with more sun and seasonal temperatures for the first time this spring. While the long jump is one of Souza and Green's better events, neither came within 18 inches of her best. Brittany maintained her lead jumping 16' 6 ¾" to Anita's 16' 4". Next up, Souza added eight feet to her previous best in the javelin, throwing 76' 8". Brittany extended her lead with a 102' 3" effort, going into the last event 173 points ahead. Running her first ever 800 meter race, Souza followed Reiser for 700 meters then pulled clear on the homestretch, hitting the line in 2:30.51, sixteen seconds and 184 points ahead of Green. Anita's total of 4402 points won the competition with Brittany second in 4391. Both scores are in the top ten in the NAIA this season.

In the third heat of 100 meters, two false starts thinned the field. Katie Walker won the heat and placed fourth overall in a PR 12:49. Lindsay Lipa finished second in a new best time 12.78 and thirteenth overall. Walker also finished third in her heat of the 200 meters with another PR, 26.32, good for fifteenth overall. Freshman, Rachel McNay improved to 1:12.20 in the 400 meter hurdles, taking fourth in her heat and fifteenth overall.

The distance women finished the day with four more personal bests. Running in the first heat of the 800 meters, Julie Oosterhouse battled the lead pack that went out slowly and never broke up, finishing fourth in 2:17.10 and sixth overall. Julia Contreras took third in the second heat and tenth overall, lowering her best time to 2:18.43. Audrey Tremaine also ran a PR of 2:21.89, for sixth in her heat and 22^nd out of 48.

Day 3 - On the final day of the Hillsdale "Gina" Relays, the Cornerstone Golden Eagles added two more national qualifying performances.

Senior, Julia Contreras got things started in the 1500 meters. Racing the event for the first time in good weather conditions this season, Contreras took full advantage, running in the lead pack through three laps. Covering the final 400 meter in 72 seconds, Julia reached the finish in fourth, clocking 4:42.24, just under the NAIA provisional standard of 4:42.50. The seven-second PR held up for sixth overall.

In the next heat, freshman, Tanner Hostetler led a 5,6,8,10 CU finish running 5:01.87 with Kaylee Carew (5:03.38), Liz Baller (5:04.53) and Trinity Hulst (5:05.87) close behind.

The 4 x 100 meter relay of Lindsay Lipa, Anita Souza, Kaitlyn Bronkema and Katie Walker placed fourth in 48.81.

CU ended the day with the 4 x 800 meter relay looking for a national qualifying time from four women who had run five races in the previous 25 hours. Doubling off Friday night's steeplechase school record, Jill Louisignau led off in 2:21.2. Audrey Tremaine matched her 2:21.9 from the open 800 the day before then passed to Contreras. The senior had enough left to close a ten meter gap and pass conference-rivals, Davenport with a 2:20.7 effort. Julie Oosterhouse turned in a quick 2:15.9 to bring the Golden Eagles home in second place in the third fastest time in school history, 9:20.13.

Jill Louisignau took four seconds off her school record in the 3000 meter steeplechase, improving her spot in the NAIA national list. Her time of 11:14.07 put her fourteenth. Liz Baller chopped 29 seconds off her best time in the event, moving to third on the CU all-time list. She finished 25^th in 11:45.26.

[Women's Outdoor Track & Field] Runners enjoy the weather at GVSU Indoor/Outdoor Meet

Randy Strawser — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 21:00:00 -0600

(Allendale, Mich.) A thin layer of ice on the track and heavy frost on the infield caused the Al Owens Classic to move all but the throws inside the Laker Turf Building. Cornerstone runners took advantage of the ideal conditions and raced well.

Julie Oosterhouse won the 800 meters. Running the event for the first time this season, the 2012 All-American used her consistent pacing ability to perfection, clocking 33 seconds for each 200 meters. The sophomore swept past the lead pack with 100 meters to go, winning by one second in 2:14.80 and bettering the NAIA provisional qualifying standard.

With no way to do the steeplechase indoors, the 3,000 meters was run instead. Jill Louisignau raced with the lead pack of four, passing the mile in 5:30. With 400 meters remaining, Albion's Amanda Weaver launched her kick. Louisignau proved the best chaser taking second in personal best, 10:20.43 to Weaver's 10:16.57.

In the 1500 meters, Audrey Tremaine came within 1.5 seconds of Julie Oosterhouse's freshman record, lowering her PR to 4:53.52 and taking second in her heat and thirteenth out of 64.

The 100 meters switched to the 60 meter dash and Katie Walker advanced to the finals by running 8.23 in the prelims. The freshman from Cadillac placed fourth in the finals in a new best time of 8.07. Walker also took seventh in the 200 meters with a new PR, 26.50.

Meanwhile at the outdoor track throwing circles, Golden Eagles, Kayleigh Hammond and Haley Russell endured miserable conditions. Friday's hammer throw competition saw wind gusts of over 40 miles per hour with sporadic snow and sleet. Saturday the wind abated, but temperatures fell to below freezing most of the day. Russell threw well enough to make the finals in the discus and took seventh with her 122' 8" effort.

[Women's Outdoor Track & Field] Runners enjoy the weather at GVSU Indoor/Outdoor Meet

Randy Strawser — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 06:00:00 -0600

In the 1500 meters, Audrey Tremaine came within 1.5 seconds of Julie Oosterhouse's freshman record, lowering her PR to 4:53.52 and taking second in her heat and thirteenth out of 64.

Back inside, the 4 x 400 meter team of Kaitlyn Bronkema, Oosterhouse, Lyndee Sayers and Larissa Hampton took second. Hampton's 58.2 anchor leg caught the host team in the final strides. Cornerstone clocked 4:01.24 to GVSU's 4:01.32.

[Women's Outdoor Track & Field] Russell rules throws at Adrian

Randy Strawser — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 20:00:00 -0600

(Adrian, Mich.) A steady ten mile per hour wind blowing up the homestretch at the All-American Invitational hosted by Adrian College had a negative effect on times, but didn't prevent the Cornerstone women from winning seven events.

Haley Russell won the first and last events of the meet, taking the lead in the discus in the second round with a throw of 120' 10". Russell improved to 124' 4.5" on her final attempt. After taking second in the hammer throw with new best of 135', the sophomore from Leroy, MI battled teammate Brittany Green and Sara Wegener of Olivet College in the shot put. Green took the lead in the third round with a 36' 5" effort and Wegener responded with a 37' 10.5" effort. Russell took over in the fifth round with a 38' .75" toss.

Lindsay Lipa rode the tailwind to a new best in the triple jump, winning with a mark of 36' 1.25".

Katie Walker won the 100 meters, clocking 13.34 into the stiff wind. She also took fourth in her pole vault debut, clearing 8' .5". Larissa Hampton won the 400 meters easily in 59.66.

In the distance events, the Golden Eagles completed a 1-4 sweep of the 1500 meter run. Senior, Julia Contreras led the entire way towing Audrey Tremain, Julie Oosterhouse and Jill Louisignau to a blanket finish. Contreras got the win in 4:59.05 and Tremaine lowered her PR to 5:00.35 with Oosterhouse (5:00.49) and Louisignau (5:00.52) alongside. Contreras also took fourth in the 5,000 meters, clocking 18:38.94. Oosterhouse took third in a tactical 800 meters then anchored the 4 x 400 to an easy win, combining with Lindsay Lipa, Kaitlyn Bronkema and Anita Souza for a time of 4:07.50.

[Women's Outdoor Track & Field] Lawrence Wins Walk at Goshen

Aimee Luurtsema — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 10:40:00 -0600

GOSHEN, IN (3/28) The Cornerstone Golden Eagle race walkers opened their outdoor season at the Goshen College Track & Field Invitational.

Monica Lawrence took control of the race in the opening laps of the 5,000 meter race walk, building a lead of over 30 seconds. Her winning time of 25:50.28 chopped 1:17 off her best time and was well under the NAIA automatic qualifying standard of 27:45.0. The junior from Schoolcraft, MI also better the qualifying time for the USA Track & Field Championship.

Freshman, Kayla Ovokaitys made her debut at the 5,000 meter distance finishing fifth in 29:17.20.

[Women's Outdoor Track & Field] Relays rule at Grand Rapids Open

Randy Strawser — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 18:20:00 -0600

(Grand Rapids, Mich. – Houseman Field) Conditions at the annual Grand Rapids Open, hosted by Aquinas College were perfect for early season competition. The Cornerstone women took full advantage, winning relays to start and end the meet while earning five other top four performances.

The 4 x 100 meter relay of Lindsay Lipa, Anita Souza, Larissa Hampton and Katie Walker got things started by winning easily in 49:27.

Most for the Golden Eagles efforts focused on field events. Brittany Green and Lipa placed second and third in the long jump. Green's best mark measured 17' .5" to Lipa's 16' 11.25". Brittany also took second in the javelin, throwing 104' 1".

Haley Russell took second in the shot put with a mark of 36' 11.5" and sixth in the discus with a throw of 126' 1". Kayleigh Hammond was seventh in a new best of 117' 7". Hammond also took sixth in the hammer throw at 127' 2".

The Golden Eagles put three in the top six of the 3,000 meters. While Jill Louisignau pushed the pace with the lead pack after going through the first mile in 5:40, Julie Oosterhouse and Julia Contreras moved up through the field in the second half of the race. The trio converged with 200 meters remaining and Contreras had the best kick taking third in 10:32.55 ahead of Oosterhouse in fourth at 10:33.10. Louisignau was sixth in 10:38.59 as all three set new personal bests. Kaylee Carew won the second heat, lowering her PR to 11:01.60.

Lipa, Lyndee Sayers, Souza and Hampton combined to win the 4 x 400 meters in 4:01.46, more than two seconds ahead of Hope College.

[Women's Outdoor Track & Field] Lawrence wins Race Walk at Goshen

Randy Strawser — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 19:30:00 -0600

(Goshen, Ind.) The Cornerstone Golden Eagle race walkers opened their outdoor season at the Goshen College Track & Field Invitational.

Freshman, Kayla Ovokaitys made her debut at the 5,000 meter distance finishing fifth in 29:17.20.

[Women's Outdoor Track & Field] South Carolina Sun Brings Satisfying Start to Outdoor ...

Aimee Luurtsema — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 21:45:00 -0600

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (3/9-10) The Cornerstone University 2013 Outdoor Track & Field season opened at the sunny Coastal Carolina University Invitational in Myrtle Beach, SC. After a week of practice and oceanfront relaxation, the Golden Eagles put up two national qualifying marks.

After earning All-America honors in the 60 meter hurdles at the NAIA Indoor National Championships one week earlier, Anita Souza ran her way to outdoor nationals in the 100 meter hurdles. The sophomore from Brazil took sixth running 14.58, well under the automatic qualifying mark of 14.90. Brittany Green took fourteenth in 15.57. Green also took third in the long jump with a mark of 17' 9"

In other sprint action, Souza placed fifteenth in the 200 meters at 25.56 and Larissa Hampton ran 59.74 to finish 18^th in the 400 meters . Lindsay Lipa, Souza, Hampton the Katie Walker combined for fourth in the 4 x 100 meter relay with a time of 48.73. Kaitlyn Bronkema and Lyndee Sayers joined Lipa and Hampton to run 4:01.93 for eighth in the 4 x 400 meter relay.

In the 3,000 meter steeplechase, Jill Louisignau and Amber Thompson of Mount Olive College repeated their duel from 2012. Last year, Thompson set the pace and Louisignau won with a great kick. In the 2013 rematch, Jill took the early lead, with the goal of running 11:10 for the seven and one half laps. Thompson sat back and reversed the outcome having the better finish, winning in 11:15.83. Louisignau came within one second of her school record, taking second in 11:19.74, bettering the NAIA automatic standard of 11:25.00. Liz Baller was sixth in 12:17.41.

On Friday, Louisignau, Audrey Tremaine, Tanner Hostetler and Julia Contreras battled 20 mile an hour winds on their way to third in the 4 x 800 meter relay in 9:51.15. Saturday, with the wind reduced to a breeze, Contreras took third in her heat of the 1500 meters running 4:56.32. Tremaine used a 74 second last lap to take fourth in her heat, clocking 5:02.90 in her 1500 meter debut. Freshmen Trinity Hulst and Hostetler took second and third in their heat of the 800 meters with Hulst running 2:23.37 and Hostetler 2:24.83.

The Golden Eagles will take a break with the next meet scheduled for March 30-31 at Houseman Field in Grand Rapids.

[Women's Outdoor Track & Field] Contreras and Wyma run auto qualifying time in Half

Randy Strawser — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 21:00:00 -0600

(Grandville, Mich.) One year ago, CU Men's Cross Country Coach improvised an accurate half marathon course on just a few days' notice. The event in Nebraska he planned to take his athletes to was cancelled due to inclement weather. This year, with more time, Van Holten put together an excellent course and attracted 30 entrants from five NAIA schools.

The forecasted snow fell overnight, but didn't stick to the road. The start / finish line had to be moved, since the precipitation collected in an ankle deep puddle on the original line.

Trisha Nelson of Bethel was the first woman finisher, clocking 1:28:01. Cornerstone senior, Julia Contreras cranked out a 6:33 last mile to finish in 1:29.13. CallyAnne Wyma raced with Contreras for 12 miles and came in at 1:29:42. The top three women were under the NAIA auto mark of 1:31:00. Emily Dean of Indiana Wesleyan and Cornerstone's Leah Shepherd followed in 1:31:26 and 1:32:31 to better the provisional standard of 1:33:00.

[Women's Outdoor Track & Field] Mary Konsoer-Rose Signs with Golden Eagles

Randy Strawser — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 11:12:24 -0600

Mary Konsoer-Rose from Forest Hill Eastern high school signed a Letter of Intent to become a Cornerstone University Track & Field athlete. Konsoer-Rose helped Forest Hills Eastern to MHSAA Division II All-State Honors in the 4 x 400 meter relay. She has a 60.90 best for 400 meters.

[Women's Outdoor Track & Field] Rieley Anglin-Hondalus Signs With Cornerstone

Randy Strawser — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 11:00:26 -0600

Rieley Anglin-Hondalus joins Cedar Springs teammate, Kayla Ovokaitys in signing with Cornerstone University for the 2012-2013 season. Rieley led off the Red Hawks 4 x 100 meter relay to a conference title, school record of 50.77 at Regionals and an 11^th place finish at the MHSAA Division II State Meet. An excellent student with a 3.8 GPA, Anglin-Hondalus plans to major in Health Sciences.

[Women's Outdoor Track & Field] Oosterhouse Adds another All-American Award

Randy Strawser — Sat, 26 May 2012 20:19:32 -0600

(Marian, Ind.) The final day of the 2012 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championships offered the Cornerstone women two more scoring opportunities and they attacked both of them.

By early afternoon the temperature was near 90 degrees and the heat from radiating off the track pushed that closer to triple digits. In the 3,000 meter steeplechase, Jill Louisignau came in seeded ninth, but lost six weeks of training in March and April recovering from injury. She went into the race not sure of her fitness level, but determined to get into the mix and see what developed.

[Women's Outdoor Track & Field] Green Gets All-American in Heptathlon

Carla Fles — Sat, 26 May 2012 16:44:43 -0600

MARION, IN (5/25) Cornerstone freshman, Brittany Green returned for the second day of the heptathlon competition looking to maintain her position in the top five.