SAINT PETER, Minn. – Since 2001, the Golden Gusties track teams have hosted the Drake Alternative to compete against the top tier talent. Gustavus hosted 12 teams and battled rainy weather while climbing new feats in preparation of conference finals.
Down in Iowa; Jack Degonda, Blake Fuller, Markus Rupnow, and Tucker Wallin wrapped things up at the Drake Relay placing 14th in the distance medley relay with a time of 10:38.52.
Birgen Nelson kicked things off at home for the Gusties with a first place prelim time of 14.49 in the 100 hurdles. In the finals later in the day, Nelson broke the meet record with a 14.12 time. Kate Carlson was the Gustavus leader in the 100m dash, qualifying in fourth with a time of 12.87 in prelims and finishing third in the finals with a 12.99.
Keeping the Gusties going, Danielle Miller’s 27.18 time in the 200 dash ranked fifth and Ally Rakow came in behind her at 27.33 for seventh.
“I’m very glad we decided to host today and that we pushed through the tough weather conditions with the heavy rain and lightning delays,” said Head Coach Aaron Lund. “Our team had that same fight and tenacity today. They never backed down and they never quit. I witnessed Dani and Ally achieve lifetime bests in the 200m right after a long weather delay. Birgen helped the Gusties secure a Drake Relays championship yesterday and showed up to achieve a meet record in the 100 hurdles today.”
Molly Weberg braved the rainy conditions in the steeplechase and won the event for the Gusties with a time of 11:58.76.
On the men’s side, Trevor LaVigne placed second in the steeplechase clocking in at 9:57.51.
In relays, Grant Baker, Dominic Flentje, Michael Broad, and Jack Wiessenberger finished in fourth place with a time of 46.67.
Garet Grant’s 4:03.30 time in the 1500m was solid for fourth place while Mackinzee Miest placed eighth in the event with a 5:06.69 time.
Evelyn Villalobos was a solid performer when it came to distance, placing second in the 5000 (18:15.93), on the men’s side Matt Payne placed third in the event with a time of 15:37.36
“I saw Garet, Trevor, Molly, Evelyn, and Matt race with so much pride,” added Coach Lund “They dug deep and found a way to all finish top five in their respective event. They battled the elements to all achieve either lifetime or season bests.”
In the 400 dash, Agro Gushwa placed seventh with a 51.42 time and Emilia Helms-Leslie 1:06.04.
“Agro raced with a confidence and belief in himself that I haven’t seen before getting a new lifetime best in the 400m.”
In relays, the team of Sydney Hauger, Emilia Helms-Leslie, Alyssa Hegde, and Lillian Selberg finished in second with a time of 4:29.80. The Gustie men won the event credited to Seth Zeitchick, Wyatt Quiring, Tyler Smith, and Dylan Gast with a time of 3:20.03.
“It was fantastic to see seven men’s teams in the 4x400m relay. It made for a fun and fitting end to the day in the pouring rain. It was great to see the team of Seth, Wyatt, Tyler and Dylan be able to run 3:20 in those conditions.”
In field events, Annika Poe continued to dominate winning shot put with a 13.49m throw.
Madi Kes finished in second in the triple jump, recording a 13.49m and third in the long jump (4.94m). Olivia Motley’s high jump of 1.55m ranked fourth among the field.
Rachel Erickson continued to shine, placing second in the javelin throw (31.61 m).
On the men’s side Alexander DuMoulin brought home the gold for Gustavus in the long jump recording a 6.64m.
Joshua Beiswanger finished the day strong with championship honors in the hammer with a throw of 55.04m which puts him second in the nation.
“Josh has thrown hammer in the rain a lot at practice this outdoor season so he was definitely ready to throw his huge toss of 55.04m to win the meet and currently rank second in conference and 14th in NCAA.”
The Gusties will next compete at MSU Mankato on May 4th.
“Our team is definitely ready for some big performances in the weeks to come. I am so proud of this team with the energy they brought and their high level of competitive spirit today. Our alumni were awesome too and it was such a joy seeing all of them and having them be a part of this special meet again.”