SAINT PETER, Minn. — The Gustavus track & field teams hosted the Lee Krough Invitational Sunday, and picked up a handful of impressive performances across the board. 12 different Gustie performances earned a spot in the top-five conference list, while Madi Kes (Jr., Jordan) made a dent in the national standings. Gustavus picked up wins in 16 running events and nine field events.
On the track, the Gustie women continued to dominate the 100-hurdles, as Makenna Huetten (So., Eagan) took first in the event with a time of 15.92, joining Birgen Nelson (Sr., Edina), Danielle Miller (Jr., Waconia), and Daneyah Hughes (Fy.) on the conference leaderboard for 10th in the MIAC this season. Megan Geraets (So., Mankato) impressed in the 400-meter with a time of 58.79 to win the event with the second-fastest MIAC time this season. Lauren Rocheford (Fy., Inver Grove Heights) won the 400-hurdles in 1:09.76, good for seventh in the MIAC, joining Huetten who sits in eighth, and Nelson, whose time has her ranked first in the conference.
Both Gustie 4×400 relay teams earned the third spot in the MIAC, with the women’s squad of Syd Hauger (Jr., Springfield), Kate Carlson (So., Inver Grove Heights), Geraets, and Nelson winning the event in 4:03.28. The men’s team of Seth Zeitchick (Sr., St. Paul), Wyatt Quiring (Sr., Fairmont), Argo Gushwa (Jr., Geneva), and Dylan Gast (Sr., Dellwood) also took first, with a time of 3:23.30.
Connor McCormick (Fy., Stillwater) and Sam Schulze (So.) picked up the eighth and ninth fastest conference times in the 110-hurdles, with McCormick winning the event in 16.38 and Schulze not far behind, finishing second in 16.40. Trevor LaVigne (Sr., Farmington) added a first place finish in the 5k with a time of 15:52.36, while Markus Rupnow (So., Mankato) finished first in the 800-meter with a time of 1:59.54.
In the field, Madi Kes set a new meet and school record in the triple jump with a distance of 38-09.50, ranking her first in the MIAC and 16th in NCAA DIII this season. MIAC Athlete of the Week Annika Poe (Sr., Big Lake) continued to dominate the shot put, winning the event with a throw of 13.45m, two meters better than the rest of the field. Poe added another win, this time in the discus, with a toss of 38.76m for first overall and second in the conference.
The Gusties added four top-5 MIAC finishes in the high jump, as Ally Rakow (Jr., Bloomington) and Lindsay Bangs (So., Owatonna) tied for second, clearing a jump of 5-01 and Alli Joerger (So., Jordan) and Erin Beer (Sr., Roseville) tied for fourth at 4-11.
In the field for the men, Isaiah Subah (Jr., Bloomington) took home first in the long jump with a distance of 20-03, and Danny Bies (So., New Hope) cleared a distance of 6-02.75 to win the men’s high jump.
A handful of Gustie track and field alumni returned for the meet, competing in 13 total events. “This is the best time of the year having so many come back, especially when we had to move the meet,” said Coach Brenden Huber. “Seeing how excited they are to come back and what this meant to them is always great to see.”
The Gusties will now prepare for a busy week ahead, hosting the Gustie Twilight on Wednesday before heading to the Drake Relays and the Macalester Rider/Bolstorff Invitational over the weekend.