Northern Kentucky University Athletics

RESULTS

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Northern Kentucky University men's track & field team closed out the indoor season this past weekend at the Atlantic Sun Indoor Championships. The men's team scored 43 points and finished in fifth place, improving on last year's sixth-place finish.
 
"The challenge to both teams was to double our score from last year," said head coach Steve Kruse. "Everyone really took at it seriously this winter. It was one of the worst winters weather wise I have ever coached."
 
J.J. Webber proved why he is one of the A-Sun's top performers on the track. He finished the mile run in fourth place, running a 4:17.46 in the prelims and a 4:23.63 in the finals. He scored five points in the event. He continued his dominance in the 3000-meter, finishing in fourth place. His time of 8:29.11 set a new school record in the event and brought home five points for the Norse. 
  Webber wasn't done after that, as he geared up for his best event: the 5000-meter. He came in second place, scoring eight points for the Norse, running a 14:42.00 in the prelims and a 14:46.55 in the finals. His 18 total points earned for the Norse provided a major impact for team's final standing.
 
"J.J. talked me in to putting him in three events," said Kruse. "He was not content being close to the top level, he wants to be better. He did a good job in the mile, beating guys that were ahead of him in the conference rankings. He wanted to stay close to the decision makers of the race and he was in position to contend with them in the end. The 5000-meter is his strongest event in indoor track. Three of our guys ran personal bests and J.J. waited until the last lap to put the hammer down and bring it home."
 
Jess Adamson, Danny Keller, and Michael Leone all got on the board for the Norse in the shot put. Adamson came in fourth-place, earning five points, with a throw of 14.15 meters in the finals. Keller followed in fifth-place, scoring four points, with a mark of 13.53 meters. Leone was able to score one point with his eighth-place throw of 12.34 meters.
 
Keller and Leone scored for the Norse in the weight throw, further proving the strength of the throwing squad. Keller finished in fourth place, earning five points, with a school record setting mark of 15.00 meters. Leone, who scored two points, came in seventh place with a mark of 14.30 meters.
 
"Danny had a big mark in the weight throw," said Kruse. "The throwers pulled together to get some points for us and they helped us break away from USC-Upstate for fifth-place. This year we spread out the points more and I think the conference was tougher this year."
 
The men's relay teams were also on point for the Norse. The 4x400-meter team of Erik Tomczewski, Josh Makin, Trey Naber, and Austin Eibel finished in fifth place with a time of 3:31.37. They set the school record in the event and were able to secure four points from the race. Makin and Eibel teamed up with Zac Holtkamp and Isaak Haas for the Distance Medley Relay, coming in fifth place. They set the school record with a time of 10:32.45, earning four points for the Norse.
 
"We had been chipping away at the men's DMR record all year and now we got it," said Kruse. "Once we get outdoor the times will drop. In the men's 4x400, we really changed up the lineup and it proved to workout."
 
The indoor season came to a close for the Norse and they will take the next three weeks off before the start of the outdoor season. The outdoor season begins on March 13 in Tampa, Fla. at the Bulls Invitational, hosted by the University of South Florida. For updates on the track & field team over the break, follow @NKUNorseXCTF on Twitter.