(Editor’s note: Carroll College athletics release)
MISSOULA — Carroll College track and field picked up five individual and one relay NAIA National Qualifying marks and six event wins at the Montana Open in Missoula.
The weekend started with multi-events and the Saints picked up qualifiers on both sides. Bethany Lacock recorded a 4,340 in the heptathlon taking third place and notching the sixth-best mark in the NAIA. Nolan Hofstee went 5,716 in the decathlon to put up the 15th-best mark in the country.
“Our multi-event kids set a good tone for the weekend,” head coach Harry Clark said. “I am fired up for Bethany coming off of an All-American performance in the indoor season. She looks to be in position to do it again and I can’t wait to see what she can do to improve in the coming weeks.”
Chance Hyatt took third in the 1,500-meter run with an adjusted time of 3:56.29 to record the 10th-best time in the NAIA to date. Samantha Mundel won the 1,500-meter and hit a 4:37.58 in the 1,500 for the ninth-best time in the NAIA.
Rhiannon Sturgess took first and cut nearly a second off of her personal record in the 400-meter hurdles to improve her standing and the Carroll 4×400-meter relay team took second with a time of 3:54.02, the best seventh-best time in the NAIA.
Outside of the national qualifiers, Hannah Porch won the 100-meter dash and the 200-meter dash and took third in the long jump to highlight a stellar day.
The Carroll women won the 4×100-meter relay with a time of 48.78 and Nikki Krueger took second in the shot put.
Daniel Pendergast and Kyle Nickol went 2-3 in the 400-meter hurdles and the men’s relay teams both took second.
Josh Malone took second in the high jump to highlight the field events for the Saints men.
“I am pleased with the performances today, especially with all of the practices that we have missed because of the weather,” Clark said. “The kids competed hard and did a lot of good things. I expect the progression to continue and a lot of our athletes that are on the outside looking in, to hit qualifying marks in the coming weeks.”
The Saints next compete at home at the Trudnowski Open on Friday, April 20, at Vigilante Stadium.
