May 5, 2006

BIG RAPIDS - Lake Superior State sophomore Adam Smith clocked a school record and NCAA provisional qualifying time of :47.91 to win the men's 400-meter dash at the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships, which concluded Friday at Ferris State University.

Smith, who went into the finals ranked second in the 400, became LSSU's first GLIAC outdoor track champion since head coach Steve Eles won the steeplechase in 2003. Smith's previous best time was :48.07, which he set a week ago. Teammate DJ Battistella finished fifth in the same event by finishing in :49.25. Battistella was also seventh in the 400-meter hurdles (:56.86).

LSSU also broke a school record in the men's 4x400-meter relay. Battistella, Evan Williams, Anthony Pavicic and Smith clocked a time of 3:20.02. Smith recorded the fastest split of :48.7, followed by Battistella at :49.2. Williams and Pavicic both ran splits of :50.7.

The Laker men placed seventh in the team standings with 43 points, while the Laker women were 10th with five points. Mandi DeBlock led the Laker women on Day 2 by placing 10th in the 3,000-meter run (10:46.79).

Pavicic was second in the men's 1,500 (3:56.98), while Chris Winkler was fifth in the shot put (48-11 ¾) and 10th in the discus throw (125-8). Ben Tarbutton placed ninth in the 5,000-meter run (15:28.25).

LSSU Women's Results
1,500-meter run: 15. Danielle Reinbold, 5:03.70 (omitted from Friday's preliminary results)
3,000-meter run: 10. Mandi DeBlock, 10:46.79; 11. Michelle Ballance, 10:49.44; 15. Reinbold, 11:11.85; 16. Brooke Brenner, 11:12.73
5,000-meter run: 18. Christina Etapa, 20:27.70
4x400-meter relay: 10. LSSU, 4:21.52
High jump: 17. Jessica Hartwig, 4-9

LSSU Men's Results
400-meter dash finals: 1. Adam Smith, :47.91; 5. DJ Battistella, :49.25
1,500-meter run finals: 2. Anthony Pavicic, 3:56.98
5,000-meter run: 9. Ben Tarbutton, 15:28.25
400-meter hurdles finals: 7. Battistella, :56.86
4x400-meter relay: 4. LSSU, 3:20.02
Long jump: 12. Dana Skytta, 20-0 ½
Shot put: 5. Chris Winkler, 48-11 ¾; 10. Skytta, 41-3
Discus throw: 10. Winkler, 125-8; 11. Andrew Athanasopoulos, 124-0; 17. Donald Poppe, 115-1