Rodgers, 4x800 relay earn CSM its first GPAC track titles
HASTINGS, Neb. – Freshman Mikaiya Rodgers and the College of Saint Mary 4x800 relay team became the answers to a trivia question that will live forever after superior performances on Friday.
The question: Who were the first Flames to win an individual event and a relay at the Great Plains Athletic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships?
Rodgers won the long jump on her final attempt with an outdoor personal best of 5.67 meters (18 feet, 7¼ inches), and Carly Henderson, Olivia Elbert, Mira Fosmer and Kara Muller captured the 4x800 relay by more than nine seconds in 9:17.17.
Those victories propelled CSM into fourth place after the first day of the two-day conference meet on a cold, blustery day at the Jack Osborne Track Complex. The Flames have 28 points, trailing only Doane University (61), Concordia University (40) and Dordt University (35).
"What a day!'' CSM Coach Steve Gordon Jr. said. "Once again, a rough start with the cold and windy weather, but the day shaped up as the weather did. To have eclipsed our point total from last year's championships on day one is remarkable!''
In the long jump, Concordia's Kiki Nyanok held the lead over Rodgers by one centimeter (5.67 to 5.66) entering Rodgers' final attempt. Rodgers came through in the clutch, sailing one more centimeter to 5.67 on her final try. That tied her with Nyanok, and Rodgers earned the conference title on the tiebreaker by having a better second-best jump (5.66 to 5.41).
In the 4x800, CSM led almost the entire way, thanks to splits of 2:18.77 by freshman Henderson, 2:17.40 by freshman Elbert, 2:19.36 by sophomore Fosmer and 2:21.62 by freshman Muller. Their finishing time is a new program record, currently ranks 12th nationally and is a national "B'' standard.
Junior Kiley Craft placed fourth in the 10,000 meters in a program record 41:31.67. In the same race, senior Autumn Simons placed eighth with a big personal best of 42:31.58.
Senior Madalynn Rhodes grabbed seventh in the javelin with a throw of 36.75 meters (120-7).
Here are the rest of Friday's CSM results heading into Saturday's competition:
100 meter prelims: 9, Savannah Horne 12.57; 13, Mikaiya Rodgers 12.75.
10,000: 11, Ella Miller 44:01.11.
Hammer: 14, Clare Ullery 45.53 (149-4).
Long jump: 16, Allison Isaacson 4.83 (15-10¼); Fouls—Kellesse Heard, Taylor Hrabik.
Pole vault: 12, Allison Isaacson 3.05 (10-0); NH-Phoenix Jensen.
