NEBRASKA RESULTS | MSU RESULTS
LINCOLN, Neb. / MANKATO, Minn. — The Gustavus men’s and women’s track & field teams continued their indoor season at a pair of meets this weekend, sending athletes to Nebraska’s Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational and MSU-Mankato’s Ted Nelson Classic.
Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational
On day one in Nebraska, Birgen Nelson (Sr., Edina) highlighted the Gustie action, taking second in the 60-meter preliminaries with a time of 8.51, beating out a field of 15 other athletes, including four Division I runners, to qualify for the finals. Nelson’s 8.51 was the second fastest time in NCAA Division III this season at the time — but that time didn’t hold for long. The following day, Nelson ran a 8.39 in the 60-hurdles final for the second fastest time in NCAA DIII history — second only to her 8.38 earlier in the season. Nelson also added a fifth-place finish in the 200-meter, posting a time of 21.57 in the event, .06 seconds shy of her own school record.
Kate Carlson also had a strong performance for the Gusties, finishing with times of 8.04 in the 60-meter and 25.90 in the 200-meter.
Ted Nelson Classic
In Mankato, the Gustie women started off strong, as Julia Severson (Sr., St. Cloud) finished fourth in the women’s 3000-meter with a time of 11:27.19. The Gustie men shined in the 3000-meter as well, with three in the top ten, led by Jake Wielgos (Sr., Elburn, Ill.) finishing with a time of 9:00.18. Wielgos was followed by Henry Hinchcliffe (Sr., Austin) in ninth (9:15.31) and Jonah Kalsnes (So., Thief River Falls) in 10th (9:17.12).
Evelyn Villalobos (Jr., Crystal) led the Gusties in the 5000-meter, finishing third with a time of 18:34.70. Villalobos was followed by Molly Weberg (Sr., Duluth) in fifth (19:55.53). Logan McCullough (Jr., Waverly, Iowa) finished first in the men’s 5000-meter with a time of 15:34.54, while first-year Mark Rud (Waconia) finished sixth in the 800 with a time of 2:01.77.
“It was a great debut from Daneyah Hughes in the sprints, and more strong performances in the mid-distance and distance,” said Coach Brenden Huber. “Evelyn ran one of her best times in a really good 5k with some tough competition and really hung in there. Mark made another huge step up in the 800, as well.”
In the field, Danny Bies (So., New Hope) placed eighth in the high jump with a distance of 1.88 meters. Madi Kes (Jr., Jordan) led the Gustie women in the long jump with a distance of 5.24, good for seventh overall. Kes also added a third-place finish in the triple jump with a distance of 11.28. Annika Poe (Sr., Big Lake) finished third in the shot put with a throw of 13.90 meters, while Josh Beiswanger (Sr., Mankato) finished sixth in the weight throw with a toss of 16.23 meters.
“We had really good jumps from Madi Kes and Sarrah Linder today, and our women were great in the field. Kelley Brennan and Grace Banse had a strong performance, and Annika had another huge throw.
“It’s good to see stuff coming together for the whole team. We’re peaking at the right time as we get close to indoor nationals, and while we might not have had a lot of high places, we face a lot of really good DI and DII competition and had great performances overall.”
The Gusties are back in action next weekend, competing in the MSU-Mankato Massive Meet and the Saint John’s Invitational.