TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - The Concordia University Wisconsin women's track and field team kicked off the outdoor season with a strong second-place finish, amassing 151 points. DePauw claimed first place with 181 points.
Building on her successful indoor season, junior Kate Kotula (Wyomissing, Pa.) continued her winning streak, securing first place in the pole vault with a clearance of 3.00 meters, earning 10 team points.
The Falcons earned 14 points in the 100-meter hurdles, as senior Maya Hielscher (Macomb, Mich.) finished second with a time of 16.02 seconds, while sophomore Emma Eilertson (Mukwonago, Wis.) followed closely in third at 16.70 seconds, contributing six points to the team's total.
Freshman Jacey Read (Carbondale, Colo.) kept up her impressive momentum from the indoor season, taking first place in the 400-meter with a time of 1:02.75. Senior Sabrina Moore (Park Ridge, Ill.) finished sixth with a time of 1:11.75, and together, the duo earned 13 points for the Falcons.
In the 400-meter hurdles, sophomore Olivia Ebel (Mt. Clemens, Mich.) made a personal-best performance, finishing fourth with a time of 1:08.77.
The 800-meter event saw Concordia tally 18 points, with junior Danielle Van Grinsven (Appleton, Wis.) leading the charge to first place in 2:22.00. Elizabeth Backus placed fourth at 2:28.22, while sophomore Kylee Camble (Cudahy, Wis.) finished sixth, just two seconds behind Backus.
In the 1500-meter, the Falcons earned 11 points, with junior Melanie Arvis (Berwyn, Ill.) claiming third place with a time of 4:53.24 and sophomore Emma Ahrens (Stephens City, Va.) finishing fourth at 4:54.08. Both athletes set personal records in the event.
Junior Kailey Ramaker (Cedarburg, Wis.) contributed points in both the weight throw and hammer throw. She placed fourth in the weight throw with a mark of 33.86 meters and eighth in the hammer throw with a distance of 32.80 meters, securing one point.
Sophomore Morgan Feuker (Mount Pleasant, Wis.) added three points in the shot put, finishing with a throw of 10.02 meters, while freshman Makenna Herbrand (Fond du Lac, Wis.) earned a point with a throw of 9.75 meters.
Eilertson continued her successful day by securing second place in the high jump with a mark of 1.55 meters, while freshman Amiyah Jackson (Beaver Dam, Wis.) followed in third at 1.45 meters. Senior Ashley Burk (Watertown, Wis.) rounded out the scoring with a fifth-place finish at 1.35 meters.
Jackson led the Falcons in the triple jump, earning eight points with a second-place finish and a leap of 10.58 meters. Kotula also contributed to the team's success in the event, securing third place with a jump of 10.04 meters for six points. Freshman Natiya Ballard (Stoughton, Wis.) finished sixth with a jump of 9.75 meters, adding one point.
In the long jump, Hielscher earned third place with a jump of 4.95 meters, continuing her strong performance.
Hielscher also dominated in the javelin, capturing gold with a throw of 35.34 meters. Sophomore Paige Schreiber (Mukwonago, Wis.) added three points with a sixth-place finish in the javelin, posting a mark of 27.06 meters.
The Falcons wrapped up the competition with a strong performance in the 4x100-meter relay, where Hielscher, Read, Ballard, and Moore combined for a time of 50.25 seconds, earning 10 points for the team.
The Falcons will return to action at the North Central 1st Chance Invite on March 28-29.
