Women's Track & Field | April 16, 2017
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Western Michigan track and field team wrapped up the Ball State Challenge, winning six total events on the weekend.
After winning the hammer throw on Friday, WMU claimed victories in the 400-meter dash, 1,500-meter run, 100-meter hurdles, 400-meter hurdles and the 4x100-meter relay.
"We came out with several wins and a lot of season and personal-bests," said head coach Kelly Lycan. We got to see some good competition and some good weather, other than strong wins. We are at the halfway point of the season and I feel we are in pretty good shape. Our fitness level is high and we are starting to execute well in a lot of events."
Senior Lindsey Hufnagel took first place in the 400 after running a time of 57.04 seconds. WMU placed three runners in the top four, with Davonne Bolden taking third and Jordan Anderson taking fourth, all while battling strong winds.
In the 1,500, sophomore Sarah Anderson had a personal-best and claimed the top spot in the event after running a time of 4:31.40. The pace of the race was slow due to the wind but Anderson sat in the pack and then pulled away during the final 300 meters.
Senior Jade McKnight earned her first collegiate victory after winning the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 14.34 seconds. Freshman Gabrielle Collins took fourth in the event with a time of 14.45 seconds. Junior Ayiana Gaines took first in the 400-meter hurdles in her first time running the event this season. Gaines bested the field after running a time of 1:00.75.
Gaines was also a part of the winning 4x100 squad, along with Sarita Dotson, Naiomi Dulaney and Madison Meredith. The four combined to run the team's fastest time of the season at 45.66 seconds.
Although she wasn't one of the winners on the weekend, senior Diajah Ruffin nearly made history in taking second place in the triple jump. Ruffin reached 40' 11.50", the second-longest in program history.
In addition to her work on the 4x100 team, Dotson had strong showings in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes. In the 100 she ran a time of 12.0 seconds, followed by Madison in sixth place with a time of 12.02. In the 200 she ran her best time of the season, 24.10, to take third overall. Hufnagel finished right behind her in fourth with a personal-best of 24.51 seconds.
Western Michigan heads to Ohio State next weekend for the annual Jesse Owens Invitational.
