TJ Leverentz/ Winonan
Despite the wintry weather last Friday, the Winona State track and field team was still able to compete in the Ashton May Invite on Saturday in La Crosse, Wis.
The Warriors finished second in the meet. Head coach Mason Rebarchek said this is “the type of meet you want to see on your schedule any time of the year.”
Jordan LeSavage was the sole Warrior to win, as she took the 5000-meter run with a time of 18 minutes and 50.38 seconds. LeSavage’s teammate Heidi Hujik placed third in the event with a time of 19:07.08.
Delaney Miller improved her NCAA Division II Outdoor Championship provision qualifying mark in the hammer throw. She totaled a distance of 51.48 meters to finish second. Nicole Nelson was the second Warrior to place in the top five, as she posted a distance of 46.56 meters and placed fourth.
Miller also posted a fifth place finish in shot put with a distance of 12.40 meters. Paige Garriga was sixth in the same event by tossing a distance of 12.32 meters.
Katie Bagley was runner-up in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:16.60. Tara Roelofs also competed in the 800 meter run to finish seventh.
The Warriors placed two athletes in the top five in javelin. Natalie Busher placed fourth with a distance of 35.56 meters and Garriga threw a distance of 33.86 meters to take fifth.
Megan Seidl and Jordan Skelly each posted fourth place finishes in their respective events. Seidl totaled a time of 59.61 in the 400-meter and Skelly posted a time of 4:45.26 in the 1500 meter run.
Catherine Whitcomb had a fifth place showing in the 200-meter run, while Lizzie Bartow, Madeline Tompach, Bagley and Roelofs took fifth as a team in the 4×400-meter run.
Three other Warriors finished in the top ten in their respective events. Reagan Johnson took seventh in high jump, Hannah Mueller placed sixth in long jump and Abbey Ristow added a sixth place finish in discus.
“The throwing events are what change the most, no one really gets an advantage—things just change,” Rebarchek said. He also said shot put is the only event which carries over from the indoor season.
The Warrior totaled 140 points, one point ahead of third place University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Host school University of Wisconsin-La Crosse won the meet with a total of 329 points.
With the winter weather appearing to be over, the Warriors are looking forward to the outdoor season.
“It will be fun to see what we can do. I’m personally excited for the 4×100 and can’t wait to put a fast relay together,” Hailey Deschaine said.
Jessica Young is also looking forward to the remainder of the outdoor season. Young said she is anticipating the best outdoor season yet. She also said she is “blessed with amazing coaches that are passionate about the sport and dedicated to the team.”
Wayne State is the sole Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference team to crack the top 25. The Wildcats are ranked 17th and are projected to finish seventh in the NSIC outdoor season, two spots behind Winona State.
“The preseason polls don’t really show how good a team is because it’s based on how that team finished in the indoor season,” Rebarchek said.
The Warriors will be back in action April 12 when they travel to Pittsburg, Kan. to compete in the David Suenram Gorilla Classic.
