GRINNELL – Cornell's men made a strong Day 2 charge at another team title and senior Isaac vanWestrienen was voted Most Outstanding Track Performer at the Midwest Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships, contested Friday and Saturday inside Grinnell's Bear Recreation and Athletic Center.
 
Coach Jerry Monner's Rams surpassed last year's point total when they won it, although finished runner-up this weekend in a tight battle with Grinnell, 130-125.
 
The Rams claimed 11 all-conference awards and crowned three event champions, paced by two-time winner vanWestrienen. The distance star raced to titles at 3000 and 5000 meters for the third consecutive year.
 
Now a seven-time MWC indoor champion, VanWestrienen broke facility and meet records in Saturday's 3000 with a mark of 8:21.18. He shaved eight seconds off his own Championships record from a year ago.
 
VanWestrienen won Friday's 5000 in 14:58.09, and came back shortly after to place third in the mile (4:19.24).
 
Senior Chase Staker captured gold in the 400 with a quick clocking of 49.49, equaling the exact school-record set by teammate Jensen Meeker a year ago. Meeker took second in Saturday's race (50.07) while Jaxin McGuire finished fourth (50.55).
 
Staker, Meeker and McGuire ran on the runner-up 4x400 relay that included freshman Blaine Dohrmann. The quartet crossed in 3:22.65, a shade shy of the school record set earlier this season.
 
Staker anchored the third-place 4x200 relay to a school-record time of 1:30.10. The foursome included Hadley Beaty, Meeker and Dalles Hernandez.
 
Junior Jake Bach medaled in two races, and nearly a third. He was runner-up in the mile (4:17.40) to meet record-setter Lance Miller of Knox (4:16.08). Bach finished third in the 800 (1:57.93) and fourth in the 3000 (8:36.55).
 
High jumper Ike Claussen-Tubbs placed second with a height of 6-2.75. Beaty was runner-up in the 200 (22.25) and fourth in the 60 (6.99).