TJ Leverentz/ Winonan
Last weekend the Winona State University track and field team made an eight-hour dive to Pittsburg, Kan. for the David Suenram Gorilla Classic.
The Warriors won two events, set a school record and recorded an NCAA Division II Outdoor Championship qualifying mark.
Jordan Skelly had the biggest day for the Warriors. Skelly recorded a time of 11:16.71 in the 3000-meter steeplechase—seven seconds better than the previous school record. Skelly won the event and finished two seconds away from an NCAA Championship qualifying mark.
“It was great seeing everything come together like that,” Skelly said. “It was a fun day.”
Jordan Paschke was the second event- winner of the day. She posted a time of 18:34.59 to take the 5000-meter run title.
Jessica Young also cracked the top five in the 5000-meter run. Young posted a time of 19:04.05 to take second.
The Warriors collected three more second place finishes led by the 4×400 meter relay team, which posted a time of 04:01.83.
Delany Miller posted a NCAA Championship qualifying mark in the discus throw. She threw 45.26 meters to earn her a second place finish in the event.
Miller was also third in the hammer throw. She threw for a distance of 49.434 meters. The redshirt freshman now has a provisional qualifying mark in both the discus and hammer throw.
Two other Warriors finished in the top five of the hammer throw. Abbey Ristow took fourth, finishing one and a half meters short of a provisional qualifying mark and Nicole Nelson placed fifth.
Catherine Whitcomb posted a second place finish in the 400-meter run with a time of 58.41. Kelsey Bethke took third in the same event with a time of 59.27.
Bethke placed second in the 800-meter run with a time of 02:18.58.
Three more Warriors finished in the top ten in the 800-meter run.
Madeline Tompach took fifth, Tara Roelofs placed sixth and Amanda Kaiser placed eighth.
Andrea Bartz added a fourth place finish in the triple jump, while the 4×100-meter relay team finished fourth in their respective event.
Hannah Mueller, Natalie Busher, Chelsea Schrubbe, Taylor Vogel and Megan Seidl all placed fifth in their respective events.
“For being a meet in early April you don’t expect people to have lifetime best performances,” head coach Mason Rebarchek said. “At this point in the season you are just trying to get out and compete. Hopefully this is a sign of good things to come.”
Winona Sate will see limited amounts of their conference opponents until the NSIC Outdoor Championship meet in May in Winona. Rebarchek said this is due to the Warriors being the southernmost team in the conference.
“You don’t want to go north in the early part of the outdoor season. We try to schedule meets to the south where the weather is much nicer,” Raberchek said.
In less than four weeks the Warriors will be hosting their first NSIC Outdoor Championship meet in school history.
“I always say it’s a good thing when you can sleep in your own bed and don’t have to take a bus somewhere, so hopefully that helps us,” Rebarchek said.
The Warriors will be back in action April 18 when they travel to La Crosse, Wis. to compete in the Esten Challenge.
