University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
WashU Distance Carnival
Panthers win two titles in opening weekend of outdoor track and field season
3/28/2025 9:27:00 PM | Track and Field
ST. LOUIS --- Katie Fare swept both the women's hammer throw and shot put, while Panther distance runners set new top-five times in program history to open the 2025 outdoor track and field season for UNI at the Central Invitational and WashU Distance Carnival.
HOW IT HAPPENED
In St. Louis, Eden Mueller and Kate Crawford kicked off the weekend running the 10,000 meters with Mueller setting the third-fastest time in school history in 35:50 in 22nd place. Crawford followed in 24th place in 35:51. Caleb Shumaker etched his name into the Panther record book in the men's 10,000-meter run in 30 minutes flat, the fifth fastest time in team history with a 20th place finish.
Chase Lauman (15:24.65), Colin Lillie (15:37.37) and Levi Hill (15:58.00) all competed in the large 5,000-meter field, while Emma Hoins placed 29th in the women's 5,000-meter run that featured over 250 athletes with the sixth-fastest time in school history (17:07.81). Melody Ochana clocked a 17:36.97, with Leah Klapatauskas finishing in 17:47.65 and Lauren Klein in 19:23.56.
Drake Hanson ran in the men's 800 meters, crossing the finish line in 1:50.02, earning him a seventh place finish in his first outdoor competition since 2023.
In Pella at the Central Invitational, Carson Lienau (53.73m) and Sebastian Swistak (51.88m) dominated the men's discus as they both set new career-best marks in the event and topped the podium. David Russell rounded out the podium as he placed third in the event throwing for 46.68 meters. Spencer Kessel (48.11m) and Justin Olson (47.88m) finished off the event for the Panthers as they placed sixth and seventh respectively.
Kileigh Lachacz (48.58m and Jorie Hannenburg (42.27m) both set career-best marks as they battled in the women's hammer throw. Katie Fare would take home the gold as she threw for 53.57 meters with Kamari Brown (48.32m) and Lauren Kounkel (45.59m) competing unattached earning a fourth and sixth place finish. Ciara Heffron competed unattached as well as she capped off a tenth place finish with a throw of 38.80 meters.
Breanna Hackman (45.02m) and Emma Jones (41.66m) handled the women's discus with ease as they finished in second and fourth in the event. Kounkel (41.33m) and Heffron (39.81m) competed again unattached as they finished the event for the Panthers in fifth and sixth place.
For the men's hammer throw, Kessel (55.77m) and Carson Lienau (49.90m) both set personal-best marks as they finished third and eighth respectively. Justin Olson earned a fourth-place finish throwing with a 55.56-meter toss, while Tory Wash competed unattached throwing for 45.28 meters.
Fare wrapped up the day with a first-place performance in the women's shot put with a 16.58-meter toss, with Hanenburg taking third (13.55m), Brown (unattached) throwing for 13.54 meters in fourth and Hackman in fifth (13.45m). Swistak (17.01m) and Russell (16.37m) rounded out the day in the men's shot put placing third and fourth, with Wash (unattached) throwing for 14.39 meters.
UP NEXT
UNI returns to action April 4-5 at the Joey Haines Invite in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, hosted by Southeast Missouri.
UNI track and field action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Track and Field), X (@UNITrackFieldXC) and on Instagram (@uni_tf_xc). Schedules and rosters, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
Players Mentioned
