ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Competing in the second meet of the indoor season, the Western Michigan track and field team was able to post strong marks at the Michigan Invitational on Saturday afternoon.
The Broncos were great in the sprints, as
Soniya Jones posted a second-place finish in the 60-meter dash. She crossed the finish line in a time of 7.57. The Brown and Gold had two qualifiers in the 60-meter hurdles, as
Sandra Ferrari and
Jade Celestine were able to reach the final. Ferrari finished second (8.63), while Celestine nabbed seventh (9.00). Ferrari's time of 8.60 in the prelims is the 80th best time in D1 so far this season.
The focus then shifted to the 300-meter run, as
Mickaliliah Vassell notched a time of 40.54. She was followed by Celestine, who had a time of 42.45. Then, in the 600,
Joy Evans and
Layla Wallace were able to register solid times. Evans recorded a 1:39.83, and Wallace secured a time of 1:45.80.
It was then
Ava Kurczewski's turn to hit the track in the 800. She was dominant, grabbing third place with a time of 2:13.53. That currently sits as a top-30 time in D1. In the one mile,
Kaelin Hughes (5:00.42, D1 #70),
Lillian Zelasko (5:00.70, D1 #72),
Lara Machado Pereira (5:11.48),
Madison Clor (5:15.29) and
Madison Zarembski (5:16.44) secured some of the top times in the field.
Larissa McGrath then competed it the 3000-meter run, notching a time of 10:30.41 to finish 10th.
Laurine Elisa Marimon and
Anichka Malachi were great in the long jump, securing leaps of 5.63 meters and 5.23 meters, respectively. Marimon was able to grab fifth place in the event.
Moving to the throws, the shot put group all placed in the top eight, with
Lane Hagens leading the way in fifth. She had a top throw of 13.31 meters.
Sierra Sommers was right behind her with a sixth-place mark of 13.20 meters.
Tess Van Dyk took eighth with a throw of 12.79 meters. Sommers then competed in the weight throw, placing fourth with a top mark of 14.12 meters.
To conclude the meet, the 4x400 relay squads hit the track. WMU had a pair of teams cross the finish line, with the quartet of
Rebekah Asselin, Evans, Kurczewski and
Emma Henkel recording a time of 3:56.94. That is a top-100 time in the NCAA so far this season.
Right behind them was the group of Jones,
Laurie-Ann Desormes, Wallace and Celestine. They were able to cross the finish line in a time of 4:04.36.
UP NEXT
The Broncos will take part in the two-day Hoosier Horsepower Classic in Indianapolis, Ind. The meet is set for Jan. 16-17.
