SETH DRURY ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
The Wartburg track and field team finished Saturday’s Wartburg Select as champions for the women and a fourth place finish on the men’s side.
The women had two automatic-qualifying performances and two provisionally-qualifying performances.
The men’s team was highlighted by top performances in three events. The 4x200-meter relay team finished first with a time of 1:32.2.
Brian Chenoweth took home runner-up honors in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 8:37.
Damoan Lott finished second in the triple jump as he leaped 13.64 meters.
“It’s really good to get some good competition and these are some teams you will see at nationals. It’s always good to know where you stand and it’s always good to challenge yourself in the middle of the season so you get better,” Derek Peth said.
The men finished with 90.5 points which was good enough for a fourth-place finish.
The University of Wisconsin -La Crosse finished atop the men’s standings with 211.5 points followed by St. Thomas with 174 points.
“I felt like the men performed well today I know we have some injuries that we’re battling through but those who competed did well. The women are the same way but they had a little more success,” head coach Marcus Newsom said.
The women had a great day with two automatic qualifying times.
Hannah Baker was a part of both times as she ran a 56.62 in the 400-meter dash, which also set a new school record.
The 4x400-meter relay team of Jenny Kordick, Faith Burt, Nevada Morrison and Baker ran a time of 3:52.43.
The women also had multiple provisional-qualifying efforts throughout the day.
Akeya Aimable provisionally qualified in the triple jump with a jump of 11.65 meters. Her jump also set a new school record.
“She just has a lot of talent, I just feel bad that we’ve waited this long to put her in the triple jump. I’m very excited for her she’s worked hard for four years and is a returning All-American in both indoor and outdoor. It’s a great pro-vo and a school record,” Newsom said.
Other provisional qualifiers were Brittany Thomas in the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 8.49 seconds and Amanda Kuiken in the 800-meter run with a 2:15.55.
In the 55-meter dash, Burt ran to a first-place finish with the time of 7.21 seconds. Nevada Morrison was right behind Baker in the 400 with a time of 58.18 seconds.
Overall, the women finished in first place with 213 points beating UW-La Crosse by 31 points, the Eagles finished with 182 points. St. Thomas finished in third with 109.
“I’m excited about all the pro-vo’s all across the board but what I’m more excited about is what we showed today and how we can get even better,” Newsom said.
Both the men and women will head to UW-Platteville to compete in the Pioneer Open Saturday at 10 a.m.
Photo: Russell Harris clears a hurdle during the 55-meter hurdles Saturday. Photo by Luke Shanno