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In the distance events, Lacee Schrupp easily won the 5000-meter race with a time of 19:11. First-year
Sara Burns had a personal best in the 600-meter run, and Sara Warnke, who has been consistently improving, dropped her time in the 1500-meter run. Haden Bowie had her best 3000-meter race of the season.

St. Ben’s won the meet with 182.5 points, Hamline placed second with 75 points, and the University of MinnesotaMorris placed third with 47.5.

The women will compete this Thursday through Saturday at the conference meet at Concordia-Moorhead.

Coach Kelly O’Hara said, “Our team is pretty small, but everyone we have has the chance to score, which is impressive.”

The meet begins on Thursday with St. Louis, Luiken, and Angie Asmus competing in the pentathlon.

The pentathlon is made up of five events: 55-meter hurdles, high jump, long jump, shotput, and the 800-meter run. Luiken is the current school record-holder, and all three women look to score in the event.

St. Louis will also be competing in the high jump and 4x400-meter relay. Luiken will have a busy weekend with the high jump, triple jump, 55-meter hurdles, and the 4x400-meter relay.

Amanda Jones is currently ranked in the top five for the 20-pound weight throw, while Asmus is a strong competitor in the shotput.

Co-captain Keidra Anderson leads a strong distance squad. Anderson will be a tough competitor in the
3000-meter and 5000-meter races.

Burns will represent the Pipers in the middle distance events, looking to score in the 800-meter and 600-meter runs. Filling out the distance events will be veteran runners Warnke and Schrupp.

The women placed eighth last year at the MIAC championships and have a “good chance to improve,” O’Hara said.

Men’s team

The men placed second at the St. John’s meet with 126.5 points. St. John’s won the meet with 157.5 points, while U of M-Morris came in third with 25 points.

Jake Courrier had a double win in the shotput and weight throw. Drew Jones and co-captain Ralph Rosario rounded out the throws.

Ben Ganske had a personal best in the 200-meter dash, while Grant McDonald led the Pipers in the 55-meter dash. Also competing soundly in the sprinting events were Chris Fream and Mike Dugas.

In the distance events, Travis Bristow (1500-meter) and Chris Yotter (3000-meter) both raced to first place in their respective events with personal best times.

Tony Klappa also achieved a personal best and a win in the 800-meter run. Adam Lehner gave a solid performance with his best time of the season in the 400-meter and a second-place finish.

The men will compete at the conference meet at Concordia beginning on Thursday.

Coach Paul Schmaedeke said, “The most important thing is to go in there and compete to the best of our ability. Everything else comes second.”

Schmaedeke identified several team strengths, including Jake Kruger in the pole vault and Jeff Metzdorff in the 3000-meter and 5000-meter runs.

Both Kruger and Metzdorff have qualified for the national meet. Metzdorff leads the strong distance crew of Bristow, Klappa, Yotter, and Chris Lutz.

Schmaedeke identified Lehner and Shawn Smith as “the heart of our 4x400-meter relay team.”

According to Schmaedeke, the throws core have also been very consistent this season. In the 35-pound weight throw, Courrier, Oliva, and Rosario each have potential to place highly. Shotputter Drew Jones looks to repeat as a conference scorer.

The MIAC holds tough competition for the young Hamline sprinters. Sophomore Ben Ganske and first-year Grant McDonald each have potential to break into a coveted top-10 position.

However, Schmaedeke did not limit the team’s success to a select few individuals. “The great thing about the conference meet is that someone always surprises you,” Schmaedeke said. “Someone always steps up to the challenge.”

The men’s team goal for the indoor season is to place in the top four in the conference.