'Cats Track and Field team had strong performances at GVSU

Courtesy of NMU Athletics

ALLENDALE, Mich.- The Northern Michigan University outdoor track and field team finished the two-day Al Owens Classic from the campus of Grand Valley State University on Saturday (April 21). The Wildcats had three first place finishes on the weekend.

Junior Mallory Celaya took the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a provisional qualifying time of 10:59.14. Redshirt freshman Sherice Hewett won the triple jump with a provisional qualifying jump of 39 feet, 8 inches meters. Senior Melissa Christensen won the heptathlon with 2,709 points.

Jamie Roberts finished second in the pole vault, clearing 12 feet, 5.6 inches. Christensen was second in the long jump, jumping 18 feet, 5.3 inches.

Senior Catherine Angeli (7th) and freshman Angelina Howard (10th) finished in the top 10 of the 100-meter dash. Angeli also finished ninth in the 200 dash while Hewett was eighth in the 100 hurdles. Junior Colby West finished 16th in the 400 hurdles.

Freshman Larissa Halonen was 12th in the 1500 while sophomore Mandy Dye was 17th and junior Nora Kiilunen 19th. Senior Rachael Williams was 16th in the 800 run and sophomore Katie Granquist was 18th. Freshman Olivia Howard finished seventh in the 5,000 while junior Rita Woitas (16th) was also in the top 20.

The 4×100 relay team of Howard, Angeli, sophomore Samara White and Hewett finished fifth.

Brooke Granquist was fifth in the triple jump. White (9th) and junior Mariah Beaman (14th) were also in the top 15 in the long jump. Beaman was sixth in the javelin with a 109 feet, 9 inch toss. Sophomore Katie Searles was 11th.

The ’Cats travel to the Penn Relays in Philadelphia, Pa. next weekend (April 26-28) to participate in the nation’s largest outdoor track and field meet.

Posted by Jerry Taylor