Welcome to The Greater Medina Track Club! 

OUTDOOR UNDERWAY!

SHOTWELL WINS BIG TEN MULTI-EVENT

Michigan Sophomore Frank Shotwell wins his second BIG TEN title in 2008. Shotwell scored 7362 to win the competition by 1 point! The meet came down to the 1500m (final event) in which the top three overall spots were 21 points apart. Shotwell ran a lifetime best 4:37 in the 1500m for the win, edging out Penn State Senior Shawn Colligan (7361). Shotwell's 7362 is a new personal best in only his sixth collegiate decathlon and currently ranks him in the top 16 in the nation. Frank's win in the decathlon would set the tone for the Wolverines as the would go on to WIN the BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP for the first time since 1983!!!

BELEN, MARINUCCI, AND WHITE HAVE BIG DAYS AT NOC

In the first ever Northeast Ohio Conference championships, GMTC standouts Ruben Belen and Catherine White had banner days to help lead their teams to respectable finishes. Catherine White, a senior at Hudson, paced the second-place Explorers with wins in the 100 and 200 (12.84, 26.56) and anchored the winning 4x200 (1:46.16). Ruben Belen won the high jump and high hurdles and placed third in the long jump. On the day, he totaled 31 points by himself for the Battling Bess. Brunswick Junior, Zach Marinucci took the weightmen's double with two monster efforts in the shot and discus (56', 173'). Other club competitors hitting high marks include Medina Freshman Alex Wasik who took second in the women's pole vault, Senior Nicole Rymer who won the women's high hurdles as well as third in the long jump, and Freshman Taylor Burke who won the women's high jump. Congratulations to all club athletes who competed this weekend!   

LACROSS TAKES 2nd AT MACs

University of Akron Sophomore KC LaCross took second in the MAC Championship finals of the men's 400 meter hurdles. His time of 53.47 is a personal best. Akron's men's team would end up winning the MAC championship upsetting the favorite Eastern Michigan squad.

CLUB NEWCOMER QUALIFIES FOR DIII NCAAs

Muskingum College Junior and first year club runner, Deanna Dobos, ran 62.37 in the women's intermediate hurdles at the North Central Last Chance meet. In only her first year in the event, Deanna has dropped 3 seconds in two weeks to punch her ticket to nationals.

CLINIC DATES AND TIMES FINALIZED

See Clinic page for details!

USATF OHIO ASSOCIATION WEBSITE

www.usatf.org/assoc/oh

REGION 5 CHAMPIONSHIP VENUE CHANGED! Now being held at Harrison High School in Farmington, Michigan. See association wesbite for further details.

CLEVELAND.COM INTERVIEWS GMTC ATHLETES

http://videos.cleveland.com/plain-dealer/2008/04/discus_thrower_drew_ebersole_t.html

http://videos.cleveland.com/plain-dealer/2008/04/medinas_bob_jenkins_and_ruben.html

BELEN FINISHES 5th IN NIN PENTATHLON

The great tradition of GMTC multi-event talent continues as Ruben Belen finishes 5th in the nation, grabbing an All-American spot. In his first multi-event competition, Ruben's marks were solid across the board. His final point total of 3279 will serve him as a benchmark going it his first collegiate season with the Kent State program. The event was won by University of Florida recruit and Ohio native Gray Horn from Waynesfield Goshen High School. Ranked the number one multi-event talent in the nation going in, Gray did not disappoint. His point total of 3786 was a monster effort with individual wins in four of the five events and surpassed the runner-up total by over 300 points.  

MARINUCCI WINS INDOOR STATE TITLE

Brunswick junior, Zach Marinucci won the men's shot put at Saturday's OAT&CCC indoor state championships at the University of Akron. His throw of 17.00m was not his best of the year, but landed the title nonetheless. Drew Ebersole (Midview, Sr.) threw 16.95m, only five centimeters behind Zach to place third. Nicole Rymer also grabbed a podium spot as she finished 7th int eh 60H. In the relays, club runners Kelly Pickering and Dan Sloat made the podium. The Medina Senior High School boys 4x800m won the stat title with Dan while the ladies took 3rd with Kelly. Congratulations to all of our indoor competitors on their awards and improvements. Now the real season can begin!

4.75m and a BIG TEN TITLE

The favorite going into the Big Ten Indoor Track and Field Championships, Frank Shotwell wasn't about to disappoint his following. Going into the competition with a personal best in the heptathlon of 5525 achieved at a "home meet" at the University of Akron, Frank knew he had to have an unbelievable performance to take the title. After setting personal bests in the 60m, long jump, and pole vault, Frank did in fact take the title making him the first athlete in Medina county history to win a Big Ten title in track and field. His personal best in the vault gave him 834 points that will come up huge for him in the outdoor decathlon where he'll pick up strong points in the discus, javelin, and 400m. Keep your eyes on the NCAA rankings to see if Frank's 5525 can get him into the National Championships at the University of Arkansas on March 14th-16th.

60m - 7.21

LJ - 7.09m

ST - 12.76m

HJ - 1.88

60H - 8.24

PV - 4.75m

1000m - 2:51

5503pts.

MARINUCCI HITS 58 FOOTER!

Zach Marrinucci continues his assault on the record books as he posts a 58'11" throw at the Oberlin Open this past weekend. Marrinucci, only a junior at Brunswick Senior High School, is now the favorite to better the Medina County record set by John Palini only a year ago at 61'. His mark places him atop the leaderboard for the OAT&CCC indoor championship to be held at Akron University's Stile Fieldhouse on March 15th. In other GMTC news, Drew Ebersole hit a season best in the shot with a toss of 56'11" placing him second on the leaderboard behind Zach. Good luck to them both at they head into the championship. Let's continue to keep GMTC at top of the podium! 

29FEB2008

BELEN SETS PERSONAL BEST IN HIGH JUMP

Medina senior Ruben Belen jumps 6'8" in the high jump at the #2 Kent State High School Indoor Meet breaking the Medina school record and establishing himself as a threat to compete for a state championship in 2008. Ruben has also worked into his competitive schedule, efforts in the long jump, shot put, and a top mark in the 55m high hurdles that is the second fastest in Medina High School history (7.68). Also competing at high levels during the early stages of the indoor season are Drew Ebersole who leads the state with a 56' effort in the shot put and Zach Marinucci with an effort of 55'.

*03FEB2008 

SHOTWELL HITS NCAA D1 PROVO IN THE HEPT

Michigan sophomore multi-eventer Frank Shotwell shattered the University of Michigan indoor heptathlon record by 217 point in route to qualifying for the NCAA Division 1 indoor national championships at the University of Arkansas in March. His score of 5525 came after indoor personal bests in the long jump, high jump, pole vault, and shot put were achieved. Currently the mark ranks him in the top eight in the nation and third among sophomores.

*02FEB2008 

CLUB COLLEGIANS HITTING HIGH MARKS

KC LaCross, a sophomore at Akron, ran 48.25 in his sophomore season debut hitting a lifetime best in the 400m indoor by almost a whole second. Two weeks following his PB in the quarter, KC ran a lifetime best in the 200m of 22.09. At his current pace, KC should be capable of hitting a high 47 by the Indoor MAC Championships giving him a huge leg up on his outdoor intermediate hurdle competition. Look for KC to break 53 in the IMs early and make a run at the Akron Intermediate Hurdle record in 2008.

Both Brian and John Palini have also had great success early in their 2008 campaigns. John, a freshmen at Youngstown State, hit personal bests in the shot put three weeks in a row and currently holds an indoor best of 16.01m (52'6"). Brian, a senior at Marietta College, took second at the OAC relay championships in the shot put with a throw of 14.08m and a first place finish in the weight throw with an effort of 14.17m.

*02FEB2008  

GMTC ADVANCES MANY TO WALNUT

Many athletes showed up to compete and represent the Greater Medina Track Club at the USATF Region 5 Championships at Cedarville University on Saturday July 14th. Clubs and athletes from all over Michigan, Kentucky, West Virginia, and all of Ohio. We were fortunate to have a strong showing from all of our athletes including many who advanced to the USATF Junior Olympic Championships in Walnut, California, on July 24-29 @ Mount San Antonio College. Some highlights were Ruben Belen winning the Young men's division high jump, Alex Wasik coming in second in the Youth girl's high jump, and Drew Ebersole taking second in the Young men's discus. Zach Marinucci had a huge day in the intermediate division shot put, disus, and hammer qualifying in all three!

*20JULY2007 

Greater Medina Welcomes Kevin Hutchinson

The Greater Medina Track Club coaching staff would like to welcome Kevin Hutchinson to the team. Coach Hutchinson was a 17' vaulter who worked on the USATF Olympic Development program for the pole vault. He will be bringing add expertise to our already strong staff of field event coaches.

*29JUNE2007 

THANK YOU!

We would like to thank all the participants, coaches, and parents for a successful clinic. It is our hope that all participants will continue to train with our club members and coaches throughout the summer. Improving athletic performance doesn't happen over night and it is important to continue to work with our programs if you wish to see the results in 2008!

*25JUNE2007 

CONGRATULATIONS!

GMTC Member Frank Shotwell finished 5th in the nation in the Multi-Event at the USATF Junior Championships in Indianapolis. His score of 7080 was a personal best. A few weeks earlier, GMTC member John Palini competed and finished second at the Midwest Meet of Champions in the Shot Put with a 60+ foot throw.

*20JUNE2008 

USATF CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

Check out the upcoming opportunities to compete this summer. It is our hope to have multiple athletes representing our club at the Nationals in Walnut, CA in late July!

INTERESTED IN MULTI-EVENT?

If you are interested in learning how to train and compete in the pentathlon, heptathlon, or decathlon, become a member and come to practice! Coaches Schmuhl, Shoffstal, Miracola, Shotwell, Krueger, and George will be working throughout the month of July helping novice athletes train in new events and acquire the skills necessary to be competitive in multi-event competition. FIND OUT HOW ATHLETIC YOU REALLY ARE!

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL COUNTY ATHLETES ON AN SUCCESSFUL 2007 SEASON! WE WERE ALL VERY PROUD TO SEE SO MANY RECORD SETTING PERFORMANCES BY MEDINA COUNTY ATHLETES AND A SPECIAL CONGRATULATIONS TO THOSE ATHLETES WHO HAVE CHOSEN TO GO ON TO THE NEXT LEVEL.

NCAA TRACK AND FIELD

HUNGRY? WHY NOT?