DAVENPORT, Iowa – It was the first full team competition for Head Coach Jake Shaver's Augustana men's track & field team on Friday, January 11 at the Fighting Bee Opener and the results were positive. Shaver, who is taking over after legendary head coach Paul Olsen retired last spring after a career that spanned 52 years, guided his team to a second place finish in the five-team meet held at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa.
 
The Vikings scored 128 points to finish in the runner-up position, behind the winning total of 157 amassed by Grand View. St. Ambrose was third with 93, Monmouth took fourth with 70 and St. Francis was fifth with 38.
 
Shaver's crew won three individual events as a trio of seniors led the way.
 
Clayton Sommers (Saydel HS, Des Moines, Iowa) won the 400 with a time of :51.22 and his freshman teammate Ian Rothery (Wheaton North HS, Wheaton, Ill.) was second in :51.77. Also scoring in the event was freshman Michael Gille (Loves Park Harlem HS, Roscoe, Ill.) with a sixth place time of :55.46.
 
Brandon Wilkerson (Tri-Point HS, Stelle, Ill.) claimed the 3000 in 8:55.44 and this was another big point event for the Vikings. Junior Cameron Shotton (DeKalb HS, Cortland, Ill.) was fourth in 9:25.61, senior Rob Williams (Vernon Hills HS, Vernon Hills, Ill.) took fifth in 9:25.80 and freshman Carl Schoenfield (Mundelein HS, Mundelein, Ill.) placed sixth in 9:28.71.
 
Mark VanderHeyden (Mercer County HS, Aledo, Ill.) won the pole vault with a clearance of 14' 1 ¼" and fellow senior Patrick Crompton (Hood River Valley HS, Hood River, Ore.) cleared the same height and finished second. Junior Kevin Donovan (Platteville HS, Platteville, Wis.) took fourth at 12' 1 ½" and sophomore Peyton Couch (Ottawa HS, Marseilles, Ill.) placed fifth with a vault of 11' 7 ¾".
 
Sophomore Bradley Kohler (Woodstock North HS, Woodstock, Ill.) took second in the 200 (:23.16) and sixth in the 60 (:07.28). He also teamed with Sommers, Rothery and sophomore Andrew Mimlitz (York HS, Elmhurst, Ill.) to finish third in the 4x400 relay with a time of 3:30.34.
 
Sophomore Jackson Mainellis (South Elgin HS, Bartlett, Ill.) led a group of four Augustana place winners in the mile. Mainellis was second in 4:56.91 while freshman Ryan Sorenson (Barrington HS, Lake Barrington, Ill.) took third in 5:01.03. Freshman Brady Johnson (Harlem HS, Loves Park, Ill.) was fourth in 5:07.06 and junior Ehren Braun (Crystal Lake Central HS, Crystal Lake, Ill.) was fifth in 5:19.81.
 
Sophomore Mason Wright (Polo HS, Woosung, Ill.) took second in the triple jump with a leap of 43' 6 ½". Sophomore Ryan Thornton (Limestone HS, Mapleton, Ill.) was third in the high jump with a leap of 6' 2 ¼".
 
Senior Nate Ambrose (Winnebago HS, Winnebago, Ill.) clocked a time of 2:04.17 and was fourth in the 800. In the 1000 sophomore Joshua Teets (Burlington Central HS, Maple Park, Ill.) took fourth in 2:33.56 with junior Nick Harvey (Burlington Central HS, Elgin, Ill.) grabbing fifth in 2:35.11. Senior Cody Wheeler (United Township HS, East Moline, Ill.) placed fourth in the weight throw with a toss of 56' 5 ¾".
 
Senior Michael Johnson (Owensboro HS, Owensboro, Ky.) took fifth in the 200 in :23.35. Junior Joshua Mathis (Geneseo HS, Geneseo, Ill.) placed sixth in the shot with a toss of 45' 3 ¾".
 
Augustana will be in action again on Saturday, January 19 at the Midwest Invitational in Monmouth, Illinois.