ALLENDALE, MICH. – The Grand Valley State track and field team is back at the Kelly Family Sports Center on Friday, January 26^th, as they host the annual GVSU Bill Clinger Classic to close out the month of January.
 
The meet will begin at 12:00 p.m. with the 5000m, followed by the reminder of running events. The field events will start at 12:30 p.m. with the weight throw, followed by the remaining field events beginning every half hour. 
 
Schedule of Events
Meet Program (Field Events)
Watch Live
Tickets
 
The Bill Clinger Classic will consist of 30 events overall, 15 men's and 15 women's. There will be 18 track and field programs in attendance, with approximately 859 athletes competing. The Grand Valley State Lakers will take part in 27 of these events this weekend. 
 
The men's and women's sprints crew are back in action again this weekend, where they will take on the 60m dash, 60m hurdles, 200m, and 400m at the Bill Clinger Classic. Melia Williams, Taylor Kyle, and Catherine Guckenberger will be competing in the 60m dash, as all three lady Lakers sit seeded in the Top 5. Kate Zang will be the only Laker on the track competing in the women's 400m, after recording a second-place finish last weekend. 
 
On the men's side, Myles Rhodes, Fallou Gaye, and Zach Pray will take on the men's 400m dash. Pray and Rhodes finished back-to-back last week in the 400m at the Mike Lints Alumni Meet, placing first and second. Ethan Smith and Joshua Hurt will participate in the men's 60m hurdles for the second weekend in a row. Smith and Hurt recorded a 1, 2 finish last weekend for the Lakers, both surpassing the Division II provisional mark.
 
The distance crew will be in full force this weekend, representing the Lakers in the 800m, mile, and 3000m. The majority of the crew will be competing in the men's and women's 3000m, where Grand Valley State holds the Top 5 seeding time on the women's side and 3-7 on the men's side. 
 
Lauren Kiley will lead the Lakers in the women's 3000m, alongside Allie Arnsman, Kayce Rypma, Landyn Howell, and Sarah May. Dan Lambert, Sam Martens, Jayden Page, Ryan Ruppert, and Brock Wooderson will take on the men's 3000m. 
 
In the field, Grand Valley State will be stacked in nearly all events. The Lakers will have 14 athletes taking on the pole vault, five on the women's side and nine on the men's. At the Mike Lints Alumni Meet, the Lakers went 1-3 on the men's side led by Wyatt Alwin and Colton Emeott who tied for first place with a height of 4.81m. 
 
Eli Kosiba, Jonathan Rankins-James, and Jaivon Harrison continue to have their sights set on breaking the Grand Valley State men's high jump record of 2.23m. All three men find themselves in just short reach of the 2.23m record, Rankins-James currently being the closest this season at 2.22m while Kosiba sits a 2.20m and Harrison at 2.19m. 
 
In the throwing circle, the throws squad remains in control of the weight throw and shot put on both the men's and women's side this weekend. After a 1-4 finish in the women's shot put invite at the Mike Lints Alumni Meet, Erika Beistle, Paige Westra, Reette Thorns, and Margaret Stevenson will find themselves in the circle again at the Bill Clinger Classic. 
 
Alaina Omonode and Shelby Ulven are in the hunt for their third consecutive back-to-back finish in the women's weight throw, after placing first and second at the past two meets. 
 
On the men's side, Myles Kerner, Matt Thomas, and Andrew Berryhill sit in the Top 3 seeds in the men's shot put. Additionally, Shane Byrne and James MacKey Jr. hold onto the 1, 2 spot in the men's weight throw. 
 
Spectators are welcome to attend the event and may purchase tickets online. Follow along @GVSUXCTF or check out gvsulakers.com for more updates. The Bill Clinger Classic will also be available on FloTrack with a paid subscription to watch live. 
 
FloTrack will be available all year long for viewers to follow along with Grand Valley State track and field this season.