University of Northern Iowa
Bobcat Invitational
UNI track & field collects 15 individual titles at Good Friday Challenge
3/30/2024 5:01:00 PM | Track and Field
WAVERY, Iowa --- UNI track and field opened the 2024 outdoor season with a bang over the weekend at three separate meets, competing at Wartburg's Good Friday Challenge while also sending athletes to Texas State's Bobcat Invitational and the Texas Relays in Austin.
The Panthers would record an impressive afternoon with 15 first-place finishes at the Good Friday Challenge at Walston-Hoover Stadium.
Competition for the Panthers began on Thursday afternoon at the Texas Relays as Brendan Safley placed eighth in the men's pole vault after clearing 5.15 meters at Mike Myers Stadium. Safley also placed eighth in the pole vault at Texas State with a 5.02-meter vault.
Competing in Saturday's shot put at the Texas Relays, Spencer Kessel finished in 12th place with a throw of 17.40-meters for UNI. Katy Stephens, meanwhile, took 13th place in the heptathlon on Thursday and Friday at Texas State with 4,647 points, recording career-best markings in three events.
At the Good Friday Challenge, Caleb Shumaker started the afternoon for the purple and gold with a win in the men's 5,000-meter run with a time of 14:57.06. Brady Griebel placed fourth in 15:21.16. In the women's 5,000-meter run, Eden Mueller took home second in a personal-best time of 18:08.65.
Running the women's 100-meter hurdles, Paige Kisley earned her first victory of the outdoor season in a winning time of 14.55, while Silvana Kabolo (14.79) finished in third place for UNI. Jack Sumners won the men's 110-meter hurdles in a time of 14.20, with Hunter Manock (14.62) taking third and Carter Accola (14.97) finishing in fourth place.
The Panthers swept the top-five spots In the women's 100-meter dash with Madelyn Sanda topping the field with a winning time of 11.98 seconds. Olivia Kramer (12.25) and Eva Van De Mortel (12.30) finished in second and third respectively, followed by Ariana Yaklich (12.31) and Paige Kisley (12.33). On the men's side, Jerome Jessup picked up a first-place finish in a time of 10.67, with Hunter Manock coming in second with a personal-best time of 10.91. Jack Sumners (10.92) and Zach Fall (11.01) finished in third and fifth place.
Sophia Jungling secured another first-place finish in the women's 1,500-meter for the Panthers in a personal-best time of 4:32.20, while Emma Hoins (4:35.03) came in second place. Liza Schaffer and Amelia Hill placed third and fifth in the event.
Jill Bennett took home the women's 400-meter title in a time of 57.96. In the men's 800-meter, Ty Getz competed unattached and finished in fourth place in a time of 2:01.88, as Grace Schaefer, on the women's side ran a time of 2:23.49 in the women's 800-meter to take second place. Carlie Jo Fusco earned first place in the women's 400-meter hurdles in a time of 1:04.21. Anna Winterrowd (1:07.49) and Darci Wiseman (1:08.76) finished in fourth and fifth place. Edgar Tapia (57.71) finished in fifth place in the men's 400-meter hurdles.
The Panther swept the podium in both the women's and men's 200-meter dash with Madelyn Sanda and Tinashe Chigudu on top. Sanda finished in first place with a time of 25.12, while Chigudu won the men's 200-meter, competing unattached in a time of 21.04.
In the field, Ethan Peters claimed the title in the men's high jump after clearing 1.95 meters. Josie Moreland (1.63 meters) and Chloe Largent (1.58 meters) came in second and third place in the women's high jump, with Soren Maricle (1.53 meters) finishing in fifth place. Josey Dunbar won the women's long jump with a personal-best leap of 5.93 meters to record the fourth-best jump in program history, while Joey Perry took second place with a personal-best 5.48-meter jump.
Justice Miller won the men's javelin throw with a personal-best 56.90 meters, while Sebastian finished in first place in the men's shot put competing unattached with a 16.53-meter toss. Carson Lienau (16.52-meters) and David Russel (16.13-meters, personal-best), both competing unattached, placed second and third.
Hannah Wallace (3.05-meters) and Isabelle Cox (2.90-meters) placed second and third respectively in the women's pole vault for the Panthers. In the men's hammer throw, Jacob Baier finished as the runner-up with a personal-best throw of 60.95 meters with the program's sixth-best throw all-time. Bo Braunecker and Justin Olson placed third and fourth respectively.
Also competing in the men's discus throw, Braunecker (44.98 meters) and Olson (41.81 meters) finished third and fifth on the board. On the women's side, Breanna Hackman took home second place honors with a 45.75-meter throw, as Allison Flanscha finished in third place (41.52 meters). Emma Joens placed fourth with 41.15-meters.
In the women's shot put, Katie Fare clinched first place competing unattached with a throw of 16.28 meters, as Jorie Hanenburg (13.65 meters) and Hackman (13.60 meters) took second and third place.
To close out the meet, the team of Bennett, Winterrowd, Jungling and Mary Kelly finished second in the women's 4x400-meter relay in a time of 4:05.37. Hill, Schaffer, Tiffany Woerdehoff and Wiseman (4:18.21) placed third.
UP NEXT
The Panthers return to action for another pair of meets next weekend, returning to Waverly for the Wartburg Outdoor Select on April 5-6, as well as the Arkansas Spring Invitational in Fayetteville next Saturday.
Players Mentioned
