DUBUQUE, Iowa — The Lawrence University women's track & field team delivered a strong and record-setting performance Saturday at the Spartan Shootout, hosted at the Dubuque-Chlapaty Recreation Center.
Distance standout Mila Westra produced one of the highlight moments of the meet in the women's mile. Westra would finish 2nd in the Womens mile ( best finish by a MWC runner), crossing the line in 5:07.32. The performance broke a 24-year-old Lawrence school record, marking one of the program's most significant distance efforts in recent history.
First year Elena Hartung added another victory — and another record — for the Vikings in the women's 60-meter hurdles. Hartung captured first place with a time of 9.32 seconds, breaking her own school record in the event. She later played a key role in Lawrence's relay success to close out the meet.
Lawrence also found success in the 400 meters, where Gaby Skorczewski turned in a standout effort with a second-place finish in 1:03.83, earning a podium result in a competitive sprint field. Skorczewski also competed in the 200 meters, finishing in 28.61 seconds.
In the shorter sprints, Gisselle Reyes advanced to the finals of the 60-meter dash and finished sixth overall in 8.39 seconds. Reyes followed with an eighth-place finish in the 200 meters, clocking 28.18 seconds. Izzy Baumgardt and Morgan Cross also competed for the Vikings in the event.
The Vikings capped the meet with a strong showing in the women's 4×400-meter relay. The quartet of Hartung, Faith Onukaogu, Lillian Courtnage-Dyke and Westra combined for a time of 4:13.22 to place second overall, finishing just behind host Dubuque and ahead of Cornell College.
Lawrence also picked up key contributions in the field events. Ashlee Long turned in a standout performance in the high jump, finishing third overall with a best clearance of 1.38 meters, adding another podium result for the Vikings. In the horizontal jumps, Anna Vanden Acker competed in the triple jump with a consistent series, while Morgan Cross led Lawrence in the long jump with a best mark of 4.54 meters.
Men's Highlights
In the sprint events, Lawrence saw solid individual efforts. Benjamin Baldwin competed in the men's 60-meter dash preliminaries, recording a time of 7.37 seconds, while Nick Lubin also ran in the preliminaries with a 7.48-second effort as the Vikings battled through a competitive field in the short sprint.
On the longer sprint, Brendan Cross led the Lawrence contingent in the men's 200 meters, turning in a 24.02-second performance to represent the Vikings' speed around the curve, with Lubin also racing for Lawrence in the same event finished behind Cross. In longer distance running Zach Meyer finished 2nd overall in the men's 800 meters with a time of 1:58.90. Tristian Grey also found success in the men's mile finishing 2nd overall with a time of 4:33.72 the best finish by a MWC runner.
Finn Lee had the top Lawrence finish in the men's 3000 meters taking 2nd place with a time of 8:42.54. Nick Hansen would finish fourth in the field with a time of 8:49.03, followed by Ryan Cassidy following behind in 7th with a time of 9:10.00 and Caleb Hardy rounding out the Lawrence crew at 10th with a time of 9:18.02
In the men's 4×400-meter relay, the Vikings combined speed and teamwork to place sixth overall. The quartet of Marcus Jackson, Tristen Gray, Nick Hansen and Zach Meyer completed the relay in 3:42.50, gaining valuable experience and scoring points for the Lawrence squad in a deep relay field.
Lawrence also competed in the men's weight throw, where Jack McLaughlin turned in consistent marks throughout the competition, with a best effort of 15.84 meters, contributing in the throws against area opponents.
