BROOKINGS, S.D. – The Omaha track & field team piled up five lifetime bests in the 200 meters in a productive day of competition at the SDSU Indoor Classic at South Dakota State.
Freshman
Carrie Simonson posted a lifetime best time of 25.79 in the 200 meters. It was a team season-best and good for ninth place. The time was nearly a half-second better than her previous PR.
Brekk Flax put up a lifetime best mark of 26.04, and
Scarlett Hill was close behind with a lifetime best of 26.23.
Jaycee Schettler and
Vanessa Gunderson also ran lifetime-best times of 26.51 and 29.07, respectively.
"I was extremely happy with the way we competed today," said head coach
Chris Richardson. "To finish off the day in the 200 meters the way we did was great. There were strong performances and strong support for each other.
"It's your teammates who carry you on their shoulders to celebrate and pick you back up after you have fallen."
Also in the sprints, Flax tied her 60-meter lifetime best time of 7.81, good for fourth place in the finals. Simonson had a lifetime best time of 7.91 during the preliminary rounds but did not qualify for the final.
In the distances,
Anita Jenkins led a group of four Mavericks in the mile with a time of 5:18.17, a little more than four seconds off her lifetime best. She finished 12th.
Paige Blackford was 16th in a lifetime best time of 5:22.42, her third PR of the season.
Maya Nachtigal finished 20th with a lifetime best time of 5:25.25.
Renata Valquier Chavez rounded out the field for the Mavericks, posting a season-best time of 5:26.97 that was more than 14 seconds faster than her previous time.
In the 5,000 meters on Friday, the Mavericks got a pair of lifetime bests.
Ivanna Uribe finished 16th in a time of 18:25.45, more than 20 seconds faster than her previous best.
Heidi Hall was right behind in 18th with a lifetime best time of 18:34.37, more than a nine-second improvement on her previous PR.
In the 4x800 meter relay, the team of Blackford, Hill, Jenkins and Nachtigal took second place in a time of 9:32.32 in their first time teaming up.
The Mavericks will return to their home state for the Nebraska Tune-Up in Lincoln on Friday, Feb. 21.
