The NMU outdoor track and field team continued to speed down the highway of success as they made their way back to Waukesha, Wis. to attend the Carroll Invitational. Once again, scores were not kept, but that didn’t stop the ‘Cats from attaining 12 first-place finishes while setting five school records.
Head coach Tom Barnes said that he was pleased with the outcome of the meet and expects his team to continue to challenge themselves on a daily basis.
“We did great, as usual, in all of our events, and I couldn’t be happier,” Barnes said. “The big thing we have to keep in mind is that we always need to stay sharp and continue to challenge ourselves. Also, having some nice weather on our side wouldn’t hurt, either.”
Junior Catherine Angeli reset two of her school records in the 100-and 200-meter dashes, winning both events. She sprinted 12.24 in the preliminaries of the 100-meter and 24.98 in the finals of the 200-meter.
Angeli said that she is happy with her results but always continues to challenge herself so that she can remain at the top of her game when competing.
“It’s the greatest feeling in the world when you win an event or break a record,” said Angeli. “It’s nice to see that all your hard work and efforts pay off when it’s time to compete. Right now we just have to stay focused and remain goal-oriented no matter what.”
Both the 4×100 and 4×400 relay teams set new records while winning the events. Samara White, Brittnee Balbierz, Katy Lafayette and Catherine Angeli were members of the 4×100-meter squad that ran 48.06 seconds. Sydney Schultz, Sara Turschak, Katrina Lamansky and Colby West ran 3:58.67 in the 4×400 race.
Jamie Roberts won the pole vault, clearing 11-feet-5.75-inches to tie her old school record.
Christina Turman won the 1,500-meter run and was followed by Nora Kiilunen who placed third, Kristen Schulz (fourth), Chelsea Farquhar (sixth), Rita Woitas (ninth) and Alicia Romano (10th).
Turman (second), Rachael Williams (fourth), Kiilunen (sixth) and Schulz (ninth) all placed in the top 10 in the 800-meter run.
Olivia Juntila won the 1,000-meter run and Jess Krob was second. Brittany Loomis was third in the 5,000-meter run. Balbierz finished second in the 100 and third in the 200. Lamansky won the 400-meter run and Sydney Schultz was third.
Bailey Franklin finished first in the 100-meter hurdles while Melissa Christensen was second. Roberts also placed fifth and Katie Searles sixth in the event. Colby West and Brooke Granquist were the top two in the 400-meter hurdles.
Franklin won the high jump while Brooke Granquist was fourth. Turschak was third in the pole vault. Delaney Lovett was third in the triple jump. Christensen was first in the long jump followed by teammates Samara White (third), Jaime Roberts (fourth) and Katie Searles (fifth). Mariah Beamen was second in the javelin while Granquist was fifth and Searles sixth.
The Wildcats will travel to Midland, Mich. where they will participate in the Northwood Invitational on Saturday, April 16. The meet will consist of 10 schools from around the state competing in numerous events.
Head coach Tom Barnes said his team is ready for any challenge thrown their way and looks forward to seeing his team excel in what they do best.
“Like I keep saying every week, this team is doing an outstanding job and I couldn’t ask for more,” Barnes said. “There is always room for improvement, but when it comes to this team, there isn’t much to improve on.”
