SOMERS, Wis. – A new conference record in the men’s distance medley relay and William Jewell’s first-ever conference championship in any sport or event highlighted first-day action at the 2012 GLVC Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championships, which opened Friday at the Petretti Fieldhouse on the campus of Wisconsin-Parkside.

With six events in the books, the Indianapolis men (67 points) hold a commanding lead over second-place Missouri S&T (36) and host UW-Parkside (29) in third. Southern Indiana (28) sits fourth overall, followed by William Jewell (24), Bellarmine (21), Saint Joseph’s (18), Drury (6), Maryville (4) and Northern Kentucky (1).

On the women’s side, Lewis paces the field with 55 points, eight ahead of Bellarmine’s 47 and 11 markers in front of third-place Indianapolis with 44. William Jewell (26) holds fourth in the standings, while Southern Indiana (22) and Missouri S&T (15) sit fifth and sixth, respectively. Saint Joseph’s (14), Drury (6), Northern Kentucky (2), UW-Parkside (2) and Maryville (1) round out the field. 
 

Earlier in the evening, the Bellarmine men made the first splash of the championships by setting a new GLVC mark in the DMR with a time of 10:11.09. The time was more than a second faster than the previous conference record, 10:12.78, set at the 2007 GLVC Indoor Championships by Southern Indiana.

But it was William Jewell that provided the feel-good story of the night as the Cardinals captured an impressive victory in the evening’s last event, the men’s 4x200 meter relay. Jewell crossed the tape with a time of 1:30.78, well ahead of runner-up UW-Parkside at 1:32.17.

Perhaps what was most remarkable of the feat was the fact that up until this evening, Jewell had never competed indoors in the event.

Also claiming the title of GLVC Champion on Friday was Bellarmine’s Julia Zalewski in the weight throw (15.79m) and Meghan Shagena in the 5,000 meter run (17:36.04), Lewis’ Samantha McGaha in the long jump (5.60m), Indianapolis’ Matt Royer in the weight throw (20.45m) and Joshua Bass in the long jump (7.47m), Missouri S&T’s Dan Hellwig in the pole vault (4.93m), and Southern Indiana’s Dustin Emerick in the 5,000 meter run (14:39.09). The Bellarmine women were also victorious in the 4x200 meter relay (1:43.94) and DMR (12:18.18).

The 2012 GLVC Indoor Track and Field Championships conclude tomorrow, with heptathlon and pentathlon events concluding in the morning, followed by an afternoon of finals in multiple events.