Lisa Brown recorded two NCAA provisional standards in the javelin and the shot put.
Kaelene Lundstrum won the heptathlon with 4,385 points.
Janey Helland captured first place in the long jump.
Sam Broderius posted two top-eight finishes in the discus and shot put.
The Gustavus Adolphus College women’s track and field team opened its outdoor season with a fifth-place finish at the Central Invitational in Pella, Iowa. Division II institution UM-Duluth scored 166.5 points to claim the team title, followed by Northern Iowa (149), Drake University (94), Augustana (IL) (84.5), and Gustavus (83.25).
The Gusties received solid performances from Lisa Brown (Sr., Lake Crystal, Minn.) and Kaelene Lundstrum (Jr., Bird Island, Minn.) as each athlete won events with NCAA provisional qualifying standards. Brown claimed the event title in the javelin with a provisional standard throw of 143-11, and also reached provisional standard in the shot put with a distance of 43-4 1/2 to finish second. Lundstrum won the heptathlon after compiling 4,385 points to reach a provisional standard.
Janey Helland (So., Mapleton, Minn.) had a big day as she won the long jump with a leap of 17-9 and earned second place in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:10.56. Sam Broderius (So., Hector, Minn.) also had two top-eight finishes as she claimed third in the discus (136-5) and seventh in the shot put (41-5 1/4). Laura Lynch (Sr., Waunakee, Wis.), Kelly Nelson (Jr., Milaca, Minn.), and Meredith Halling (Jr., Rochester, Minn.) rounded out the Gustavus effort in the field. Lynch took fourth place in the triple jump (34-9 3/4), while Nelson tied for third in the pole vault after clearing a height of 10 feet and Halling tied for eighth in the event (9-6 1/4).
Jill Fagerstrom (Sr., Rosemount, Minn.) led the Gusties on the track with a fourth-place finish in the 10,000 meters after she crossed the finish line in 40:02.71. Aryn Bell (Sr., Eden Prairie, Minn.) took sixth in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 18:40.97. Gustavus also received points from Megan Lundgren (So., Mankato, Minn.), Elizabeth Pringle (Sr., Northfield, Minn.), and Brooke Beskau (So., Hastings, Minn.). Lundgren was eighth in the 200-meter dash (28.25), Pringle was eighth in the 400-meter dash (1:01.10), and Beskau took eighth in the 5,000 meters (18:40.97).
Gustavus also had success in the relays as the 4×400 relay team ran a time of 4:07.97 to finish third and the 4×100 relay team finished seventh (52.01). The 4×400 group consisted of Pringle, Abby Karl (St. Cloud, Minn.), Lundgren, and Lundstrum, while the 4×100 team was comprised of Dani Serbus (Franklin, Minn.), Julia Thompson (So., Cannon Falls, Minn.), Sam Frings (Fy., Coleraine, Minn.), and Bell.
The Gusties will continue their outdoor season Friday, April 10, when they host the Lee Krough Invitational.