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March 25, 2005 > Sports > Stadel, Powell take gold at Relays

Stadel, Powell take gold at Relays

By Stephen Whitfield | Thresher Editorial Staff

Even with just four athletes competing, the men’s track and field team performed well in its first meet of the outdoor season. Two Owls participating in the Texas Southern University Relays at the Rice Track/Soccer Stadium Saturday won gold medals, while the other two both placed in the top 10 of their respective events.

Junior Luke Stadel and senior Jason Powell led the Owls, finishing first in the shot put and the triple jump, respectively. Stadel set a personal record with a throw of 54 feet, 11.25 inches. Also a discus thrower, Stadel said although he works on both events daily, he had not focused on the shot put in the days leading up to the meet.

‘We try to throw both every day if we have time to,’ Stadel said. ‘We set distance goals for the shot, and I need an improvement of about three feet. I’ve lopped off a foot of that already. … I didn’t spend a whole lot of time on [the shot put] last week, honestly. We hadn’t thrown since [March 14], so my mind was uncluttered and I was in the right spot for it.’

Head coach Jon Warren (Jones ‘88) said he is most encouraged by Stadel’s gradual improvement over the last two seasons.

‘Luke threw a 54-11 to win the meet, but that’s over a foot better than he threw indoors and almost three feet better than he did outdoors last year,’ Warren said. ‘It wasn’t just that he won that was so good, it was that his marks were getting up into the next level of throwing. His consistency’s getting better with the throws.’

Powell, an All-American last season, triple jumped 48-4.75 in winning the TSU Relays. Powell sat out the entire indoor season with a calf injury, and last weekend’s meet was his first outdoor competition. Because of awkward scheduling at the meet, he could not warm up before the event. Warren said he was pleased that Powell performed so well despite having had very little practice in the last couple of months.

‘Jason hasn’t jumped really since he hurt his calf [during the indoor season],’ Warren said, ‘He hardly got any warm-up at all, so to get 48 feet to win it, that’s really a great start for him.’

Powell said he has benefited from the time off because it has allowed him to focus on his weaknesses.

‘I’m very encouraged,’ Powell said. ‘I’ve been training a lot harder. Not competing has actually given me time to focus on things I needed to get better at, so I’m very excited.’ Freshman Tyler Whitham made his collegiate debut at the meet, clearing 14-1.25 in the pole vault, good enough for an eighth-place finish. Senior Ryan Walsh, the 2004 Western Athletic Conference indoor champion in the pole vault, finished fourth with a 15-1 mark.

Even though the TSU Relays were held at Rice, they were hosted by Texas Southern University — whose fans came out in throngs to support their team. As opposed to last weekend, most members of the team will compete at tomorrow’s Tom Tellez Invitational, to be held at University of Houston’s Tellez Track. But Whitham and Walsh will go to Baton Rouge, La., tomorrow to compete at the LSU Tiger Relays.

Powell said he thinks the team is on track to defend its outdoor conference title. ‘I know the potential’s there, but we need to make sure we’re focused on the right things,’ Powell said. ‘We’re focused on a championship and doing some great things for Rice this year. That’s what it’s about right now.’

Warren said sophomores Pablo Solares and Stephen Magness will not compete this weekend because he wants them to have three weeks off after running at the Washington Last Chance Qualifier March 5.

End of article

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