Behind championship performances from Lisa Brown (javelin), Sari Lindeman (long jump), and Janna Castellano (pole vault) the Gustavus Adolphus women’s track and field team leads after Friday’s first day of competition at the 2007 MIAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Collegeville. Gustavus (54 points) holds a 21-point lead over St. Thomas and Carleton (33 points each) heading into the meet’s final day.
Brown (So., Lake Crystal, Minn./Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial) won the javelin with a meet and stadium record throw of 145-9 and took third in the shot put with a heave of 41-11 1/2, missing the NCAA provisional mark of 42-0 by one-half inch. Lindeman (Jr., Cannon Falls, Minn.) won the long jump with a leap of 17-7.
Castellano (Sr., Blaine, Minn./Totino-Grace) took the MIAC title in the pole vault after clearing 11-9 3/4, nearly a foot better than the nearest competitor. Meredith Halling (Fy., Rochester, Minn./Mayo) finished third after clearing 10-6, while Shanna Dawson (Jr., Fairmont, Minn.) took sixth and Linda Kanne (So., Franklin, Minn./Cedar Mountain) took seventh after clearing 10-0.
Jill Fagerstrom (So., Rosemount, Minn.) took fifth place in the 10000 with a time of 38:35.41, while the 4×800 relay team of Krista Cruse (Sr., Hastings, Minn.), Heidi Bulfer (Sr., Fairmont, Minn.), Raychal Zupancich (Jr., Ely, Minn./Memorial), and Sam Madsen (So., Morgan, Minn./Cedar Mountain)
Qualifying for Saturday finals were Funto Okanla (Jr., St. Paul, Minn./Arlington) in the 100, Cruse and Elizabeth Pringle (So., Northfield, Minn.) in the 400, Aryn Bell (So., Eden Prairie, Minn.) in the 100 hurdles, and the 4×100 relay. Okanla finished third in her qualifying heat with a time of 12.95 seconds. Cruse won her heat of the 400 with a time of 59.82, while Pringle took third in hers with a time of 60.52. Bell placed second in her heat of the 100 hurdles, crossing the line in 15.98 seconds. The 4×100 relay team of Kelsey Becker (Sr., Lakeville, Minn.), Okanla, Lindeman, and Bell finished second in their heat (50.75) and have the fifth fastest time overall.
As has been the case all year, Gustavus performed well in the field events, but the Gusties will need to maximize their potential for points Saturday if expect to content for a league title. Field events (hammer, high jump) begin at 2 p.m., while running events begin at 3 p.m. with the men’s 3000 steeplechase and continue through the day on a rolling schedule.