The Northern Michigan University track and field won the Rex Foster Invite on Sunday, April 10 in Whitewater, Wis. with six Wildcats winning individual events.
Leading the charge for the Wildcats were freshmen Michelle Juergen and Yasmin Jelassi. Juergen won the 100-meter hurdles and high jump while Jelassi won the 100-meter dash and long jump.
“The team had a great meet at the Rex Foster Invite,” head coach Jenny Ryan said. “We won the meet over some very strong Division III schools and had great performances all around.”
Also winning for the Wildcats was sophomore Ina Mylle, who set a provisional mark in the triple jump with a distance of 39-0.25. Sophomore Clara Churchill won the 800-meter run with a time of 2:23.27.
Sophomore Kieren Becker won the 1,500-meter run with a time of 4:59.39 and freshman Sarah Goble won the 5,000-meter run with a time of 19:20.76.
“It was a fun win for the Wildcats,” Becker said. “We won a lot of individual events, and each of them was exciting to watch.”The Wildcats won with a total of 239 points, beating second-place finisher University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh by 24 points.The Wildcats had many PRs that helped the team win or place very high in almost every event.
The 4×100-meter relay team of Jelassi, junior Avadon James, sophomore Jenny Chang and freshman Jenna Long finished second with a time of 00:50.57. The 4×400-meter team of Becker, senior Danielle Brzezinski and freshmen Paige Dutcher and Shayla Huebner also finished second with a time of 3:59.65.
The Wildcats will be competing at the Hillsdale Invitational on Saturday, April 16 in Hillsdale, Mich.
“This week we will continue to train hard and work on technique to prepare for the Hillsdale meet and ultimately the GLIAC Conference Championships,” Ryan said. “The team will be working on perfecting hand-offs, starts and technique along with still some pretty hard training.”
The Wildcats will be facing the majority of the GLIAC schools, including Ashland, Findlay, Hillsdale and Grand Valley State, along with some Division III schools.
“We are definitely bringing positive enthusiasm on the road with us this weekend as we head south for a warmer meet,” Becker said. “Hillsdale is one of the strongest teams in the GLIAC and in the nation, and it’s going to be great competing against them.”
Becker added that the team is focused on individual and team goals as they get ready.
“Coming from Marquette, I think we have had an edge at these meets because we are accustomed to the cold and wind and are mentally tough,” Becker said. “I’ve been impressed with my team for their performances and grit this first half of the season. I think we are all looking forward to continuing to train and get stronger.”
Ryan is looking forward to the upcoming meet for the Wildcats.
“This has been an exciting season so far,” Ryan said. “We have had some challenging weather with a lot of wind, but the team has stayed tough and focused.”
