COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. -- The 2014 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Men's Track and Field Championships got off to a rousing start Friday at Saint John's University in Collegeville, Minn., with three new meet records and St. Thomas' quest for its incredible 30th-straight title taking the top headlines.

The Tommies won three individual events Friday and added several other All-Conference performances en route to 104.5 point and a lead of more than 30 points over the rest of the field. St. Olaf used its success in the distance to claim the second spot in the standings with 70 points, and Hamline was great in the field events, and trails the Oles by just five (65 points) after the first day.

Gustavus got off to a great start Friday and currently sits in fourth with 47.5 points and the host school also earned a spot in the top five, as Saint John's scored 37 to come in fifth. Bethel isn't far behind the Johnnies, in sixth with 32.5 points, and Carleton (25) holds a two-point edge on Augsburg (23) for seventh. Macalester (12.5) and Concordia (12) are separated by just a half-point, and Saint Mary's didn't score Friday to round out the team standings.

| RESULTS | PHOTO GALLERY |

Friday's men's action began with the fall of a meet record via the dramatic final three events of the heptathlon. Gustavus' Cameron Clause established a new meet record as he edged out St. Thomas' Max Dunne in the final event - the 1,000-meter run. Clause's score of 5,088, Dunne's score of 5,030 and St. Thomas's Connor O'Neil all beat the previous meet record over a thrilling and competitive two days.

St. Thomas' Bryan Thell helped his team take the lead with a win in the weight throw Friday. (Photo by Matt Higgins, MIAC)

St. Thomas placed two more in the top three of the weight throw, which was won the Tommies' Bryan Thell with a distance of 58-8. Teammate Aba Omot, the 2013 champ, was third at 57-11, and Thell was the runner-up a year ago. Gustavus' Ryan Obele was sandwiched between the UST teammates in second at 58-3.75.

The Tommies didn't let up there, with a pair of first-place finishes on the track as well. Joe Wistrcill set a new meet record during his victory in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.47 seconds. St. Thomas teammate Brian Jarvey added a win in the 400-meter dash, finishing in 49.68.

The St. Olaf men flexed their distance muscles after winning the 2013 national championship in cross country. Junior star Grant Wintheiser set a new meet record by the slimmest of margins in the mile, as he crossed the finish line in 4:11.94. The previous record was 4:11.95. Teammate Paul Escher crossed the finish line just behind Wintheiser in second place.

The Oles also claimed two of the top three spots in the 5,000-meter run, with Jake Campbell claiming first place with a time of 14:42.08. Teammate Phillip Meyer finished third. St. Olaf's Northfield rival, Carleton, was also good in the distance events, as Hart Hornor was second in the 5K and Jonah Barry was third in the mile.

The home fans had something to cheer about in the 800-meter run as Saint John's Thomas Feichtinger ran to victory. The Johnnie middle-distance runner crossed the finish line first in 1:55.33. Bethel star Matt Schafer finished second in the 800.

Augsburg's Undre Smith-Brewer delivered his team's top highlight Friday, and he sprinted to a title in the 60-meter dash in his MIAC Championship debut. The Auggie rookie won with a time of 6.91 seconds. Concordia's Ben Vickstrom also broke seven seconds, finishing second in 6.98, and St. Thomas' Omot finished third to claim All-MIAC honors in a rare pair of events - the 60 and the weight throw.

The men's pole vault was another of Friday's top highlights, with both Hamline's Mark Volker and Gustavus' Clause both cleared the bar at 15-1.5. However, Volker needed less attempts and he claimed the MIAC title in the event, while Clause settled for his second top-two finish of the day. Hamline and Gustavus student-athletes also earned All-MIAC honors in the 60-hurdles, as the Pipers' Eric Hanson finished second and the Gusties' Jordan Lovestrand took third behind Wistrcill's record time.

Hamline got another win in the field thanks to Travis Latzke's performance in the long jump. Latzke soared 22-2.5 to win by more than four inches over St. Olaf's Cameron Smith. Another Piper, Derrick Mora, took third in the long jump.

The pole vault was one of Friday's most  entertaining events at the MIAC Indoor meet. (Photo by Matt Higgins, MIAC)

Bethel was victorious in the final event of the night, as Zach Haskins, Brooks Hitt, Connor Haugen and Berens combined to win the MIAC title in the distance medley relay, with a winning time of 10:27.98. St. Thomas finished second and St. Olaf took third in the DMR. The Oles were the defending champs in the race.

Saturday's final event begins at 4:10 p.m., and there will be a short awards ceremony following the conclusion of the meet to honor both team champions. The top three individuals in each event and the first-place relay team will automatically earn All-Conference honors, and the 4th-through-6th place finishers in each open event and 2nd-through-6th place relay teams will all be named All-Conference Honorable Mention.

The MIAC has a home page dedicated to the 2014 Indoor Championships, complete with venue and admission information, the event schedule, entries, heat sheets and links to follow the results live. Results, recaps, and multimedia coverage of the championships will be available throughout the event. There will be live results available for all events courtesy of Apple Raceberry Jam and Wayzata Timing and fans can also find entries and heat sheets on the MIAC's event page as they become available.

Admission for the event is $7 for adults and $3 for students per day, with children ages 5 and under admitted free. MIAC passes will be honored. The MIAC would like to thank Saint John's University and the College of Saint Benedict and their coaches and staff for their efforts to host the event.

| 2014 MIAC Indoor Track and Field Home Page |