Vondenkamp on fast track at Benedictine
Jeremy Vondenkamp, a former Marion High School hurdler and sprinter, is making his mark as a freshman on the Benedictine College indoor track squad.
The Atchison-based school competed Friday at Graceland College, Lamoni, Iowa, where Vondenkamp ran the 55-meter hurdles, 200-meter dash, and 4x400-meter relay.
In his first collegiate race in his specialty, Vondenkamp blazed over the hurdles in 8.23 seconds, finishing first in his heat and third overall.
"It was particularly special that he won his heat over the 42-inch hurdles," said Benedictine head track coach Miles Bacon, noting many freshmen have difficulty transitioning to the higher hurdles used in college.
"The provisional qualifying time for (NAIA Indoor) nationals is 8.15 — he missed by less than a 10th of a second," said Bacon.
Bacon suggested Vondenkamp's performance was even more impressive given that Benedictine has no indoor track for practice, so Vondenkamp has been limited to practicing in the school's gym.
Vondenkamp finished fifth out of a field of 30 in the 200-meters, and his 4x400-meter relay team finished third.
If Vondenkamp's hurdles time is good enough, he'll find himself running against top-level competition this weekend at the University of Kansas invitational indoor track meet in Lawrence.
"They only take the top 40 entries in hurdles, from NCAA Division I schools on down," Bacon explained, pointing out the meet brings together schools ranging from community colleges to top-tier NCAA universities.
"We're thinking Jeremy's time is going to be good enough for him to qualify," said Bacon.
Vondenkamp is the son of Mike and Lisa Vondenkamp of Marion.
