CHARLESTON, Ill. — Four school records were set and All-America honors were earned on the indoor track at Eastern Illinois University over the weekend by Allen Community College athletes.
Three of the four ACC athletes qualified for the 2012 NJCAA Indoor Track Championships competed on the track. Garrett Colglazier, a freshman from Topeka, was pulled out of the national meet because of an injury.
Freshman Tegan Michael ran a season’s-best 1 minute, 57.21 seconds for fifth in the men’s 800-meter run. Michael was eighth in the mile race in 4:24.87. Both were ACC records and earned Michael All-America honors.
Tsianina Whitetree and Gabby Ruiz represented Allen in the women’s 5,000-meter race and the 3,000 meters. Whitetree set ACC records in both races finished third in the 5,000 meters in 18:37.27 and seventh in the 3,000 meters in 10:45.78.
Ruiz posted a fifth-place finish in the 5,000 meters in 18:57.75. She was 10th in the 3,000 meters in 10:59.76. Whitetree and Ruiz received All-America honors in the 5,000 meters and Whitetree’s finish in the 3,000 meters earned her an All-America award.
Whitetree, a freshman from Topeka, finished ninth in the women’s mile in 5:26.63. Ruiz is a freshman from Tulsa, Okla.
“I’m very proud of Tegan, Tsianina and Gabby and pleased with our indoor track season conclusion. The hardest part about nationals is getting through the rounds of preliminaries,” said Vince DeGrado, ACC head track and field coach.
“Garrett injured his calf muscle running and to preserve his outdoor season it was worth holding him out.”
DeGrado said Ruiz ran at nationals even though her foot injury flared back up.
“Gabby and Tsianina have bought into what I’ve asked of them and we’re seeing the results. They will continue to make their mark throughout the outdoor season,” DeGrado said.
“After Tegan’s suspension during the cross country season, he could have just transferred out or left but he stuck with it, learned his lesson and has truly earned every bit of this success.”
