ST. PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus track & field teams are set to compete at the MIAC Indoor Championships this weekend, hosted by Carleton College in Northfield, Minn. The men’s heptathlon and women’s pentathlon are Thursday and Friday, while the rest of the events are Friday and Saturday. Last season, the Gustie men took ninth place with 36 points, while the women also took ninth with 29.5 points.
The men’s team enters the conference meet with nine individuals ranked in the top-10 in 11 events. Sam Fischer (Sr., Sauk Centre, Minn.) has been recognized all season long, and deservedly so, as he ranks No. 1 in the MIAC, and 11th in the NCAA, with a distance of 58-8.75 in the weight throw. Paul Nordquist (Sr., Edina, Minn.) also comes in as a No. 1 seed (46th/NCAA) with a time of 14:58.47 in the 5000-meter. Nordquist will also compete in the 3000-meter, where he ranks No. 7 at 8:46.04.
Other top-10 seeds include:
Thomas Knobbe (Jr., Decorah, Iowa) – third in the 5000-meter at 15:02.15 and fifth in the 3000-meter at 8:40.88
Derek Huntley (Jr., Maplewood, Minn.) – tied for third in the pole vault at 14-8
David Hoien (Jr., South Haven, Minn.) – tied for third in the pole vault at 14-8
Carston Dammann (Jr., Lake City, Minn.) – seventh in the mile at 4:27.86
Alex Fredrickson (Jr., Victoria, Minn.) – eighth in the 800-meter at 1:58.19
Bennet Woltjer (Sr., Kandiyohi, Minn.) – ninth in the high jump at 6-0.75
Ed ReMine (Jr., Mantorville, Minn.) – 10th in the 400-meter at 51.21
The women’s team enters the conference meet with eight individuals ranked in the top-10 in 10 events. Sarah Swanson (Sr., Fairbanks, Alaska) has been the story of the year thus far for the Gusties as she enters the weekend ranked No. 1 in the shot put, and 12th in the NCAA, with a distance of 45-1. She is also seeded second in the weight throw with a toss of 49-9.75. Lydia Hayes (So., Decorah, Iowa) is also ranked in the top-10 in two events. Hayes is seeded second in the 1000-meter with a time of 3:01.47, and sixth in the 800-meter at 2:23.41.
Other top-10 seeds include:
Mallory Butchko (Fy., Elko, Minn.) – third in the pole vault at 10-9
Marit Sonnesyn (Sr., Plymouth, Minn.) – fourth in the 3000-meter at 10:25.37
Jalia Anderson (Fy., Plymouth, Minn.) – sixth in the pole vault at 10-3.25
Kara Helgeson (Sr., Ortonville, Minn.) – seventh in the shot put at 38-11.5
Hayley Solheim (Sr., Crookston, Minn.) – eighth in the shot put at 38-8.75
Kelsey Harms (Sr., Apple Valley, Minn.) – 10th in the pole vault at 9-10.75
Bailey Van Den Heuvel (Fy., Mondovi, Wis.) is the lone Gustie competing in the MIAC Multi’s as a participant in the women’s pentathlon, which begins at 2 p.m. Thursday.