The Gustavus men’s track and field team opened its outdoor season with an eighth place finish out of 18 teams at the Central Invitational in Pella, Iowa on Saturday. Pole vaulter Drew Hood turned in the top individual finish of the day as he placed second at a height of 14 feet, 8 1/4 inches. The University of Iowa finished first in the team standings with 96 points, while Drake was close behind at 94.20. The Gusties scored 34 points.
Hood’s performance in the pole vault led the way in the field events in Pella, however other top field event performances included Collin Rust finishing 10th in the triple jump (39-10 3/4) and Brian Anderson placing 11th in the javelin (140-2).
In the running events, Cole Carlson finished third in the 400 meters (49.62), while Dan Foley (33:18.48) and Mark Hartman (33:23.40) finished third and fourth respectively in the 10,000 meters. Tyler Geyen added a sixth place finish in the 110 meter high hurdles (15.24) and the 4×100 meter relay team placed fourth in a time of 43.65.