MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – A small contingent of the Gustavus men’s and women’s track & field teams kicked off their 2022-23 indoor season Friday evening at the University of Minnesota’s Ice Breaker Open. The highlight of the meet was Birgen Nelson (Sr., Edina) setting the NCAA Division III record in the 60-hurdles with a time of 8.38, breaking the previous record of 8.44 set by Adriana Wright of Lehman in 2015.
“A good personal goal is to start off the season with where you finished last year,” Head Coach Aaron Lund said. “All eight who competed established a new personal best in an event. That is wonderful to see and a testament to their hard work, dedication, and desire to succeed. It was really fun to see our team competing with one another and pushing one another to be their best.”
Nelson, competing in her first meet since winning the 2022 NCAA outdoor national title in the 100-hurdles and taking second in the 400-hurdles, won the 60-hurdles prelims today in a field of Division I, II, and III athletes. An hour later, Nelson won the 300-meter with a school record time of 40.03, marking the third fastest time in Division III history. Nelson finished her impressive season opener with another first place finish, this time in the 200-meter with a time of 25.21. Racing in another field of athletes across Division I, II, and III, Nelson’s time in the 200 broke her own school record and ranks second in Division III this season.
“Birgen picked up where she left off last year,” Lund said. “She proved today that she is one of the best track and field athletes in the history of Division III. I am so proud of her and very excited to see what she can achieve this season.”
Wyatt Quiring (Sr., Fairmont) highlighted the men’s side for the Gusties by setting a school record in the 300-meter with a time of 35.92, taking second place in the race. Quiring also took ninth in the 200-meter with a time of 22.83, which ranks in the top-15 in Division III this season.
Personal best marks for Gustavus included Ally Rakow (Jr., Bloomington) in the high jump (1.56 meters), Dominic Flentje (Sr., Minneapolis) in the 60-hurdles (7.56), Danielle Miller (Jr., Waconia) in the 60-hurdles (9.39), Agro Gushwa (Jr., Geneva) in the 400-meter (53.46), and Sam Schulze (So.) in the heptathlon 60-meter (7.71) and long jump (5.90 meters).
Schulze will finish the heptathlon tomorrow while the rest of the Gusties are off until Jan. 14 they host the Black and Gold Showcase, which will be the first home indoor meet in Gustavus program history.
What a great effort by the Gusties. Birgen really lit it up! Thanks for sending me this media clip!