VERMILLION, S.D. – Junior
Lori Vedder put up the third-best javelin mark in school history to lead the Omaha track & field team to a number of lifetime bests at the USD Early Bird on Saturday at South Dakota.
"We had some people really step up today," said head coach
Chris Richardson. "We also loaded up some people in a lot of events, some they weren't a familiar with, to really work on their training. Becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable will lead to greater success."
Vedder took fourth with a lifetime best throw of 130-10 ½, more than seven feet past her previous best set during her freshman season. She moved up three places on the school's all-time list, displacing All-American
Sami Spenner who owns eight school records including five outdoors.
In the hammer throw,
Lucy Turner posted an eight-inch lifetime best in the hammer throw with a mark of 109-11 and threw a lifetime best javelin mark for the second straight week, putting up a mark of 90-11 ½.
Sheridan Rodriguez was part of a four-way tie for fourth in the high jump with a mark of 5-05, tying her season best.
In the long jump,
Carrie Simonson, competing in the event for the first time this season, finished 14th with a leap of 15-11 ½.
On the track, the Mavericks put up a number of lifetime bests in the 1,500 meters.
Joanna Topham led UNO's pack with a lifetime best time of 4:47.50, good for seventh place.
Paige Blackford was 23rd with a lifetime best of 5:04.50, followed by
Maya Nachtigal at 5:05.03 and
Danielle Howard at 5:08.37, the latter also a lifetime best.
Simonson led the Mavericks in the 100 meters with a time of 12.37, just .01 from tying her lifetime best. She finished 12th.
Nina Cuevas was 20th in the event with a time of 12.75, just .08 from tying her lifetime best.
Cuevas also put up a lifetime best in the 200 meters, running a time of 26.10 that put her 10th.
Vanessa Gunderson finished seventh in the 400 meter hurdles with a time of 1:07.86, less than a second off her lifetime best.
In the 800 meters,
Emily Robles led a pack of seven Mavericks, posting a lifetime best of 2:22.58 in her first running of the event. It was a team season best and good for 13th place. She finished just ahead of Topham who posted a lifetime best of 2:23.45.
Jesse Ixta was 16th in a lifetime best of 2:27.60, and
Chloe Sabatka, in her first crack at the event, was 18th in a time of 2:31.22.
Maya Nachtigal followed in 19th place with a time of 2:31.34, and
Danielle Howard was 22nd with a time of 2:33.97.
Kylie Johnson led the Mavericks in the 100 meter hurdle prelims with a time of 15.57, putting her 15th.
Roxy Denton was just behind in a lifetime best time of 15.67.
In the 4x100 meter relay, the team of Cuevas,
Scarlett Hill, Johnson and Simonson finished seventh in a time of 48.81. It was the first time the quartet had teamed up this season.
In the 4x400 meter relay, the team of Hill, Gunderson, Sabatka and Simonson put up a time of 4:07.22 that had them eighth. The team of Blackford, Topham, Nachtigal and Howard ran a time of 4:20.23 to finish 10th. The combo of Denton,
Taylor Ramaekers, Johnson and
Jaycee Schettler was right behind in 11th with a time of 4:21.72.
The Mavericks are at Drake next weekend for the Jim Duncan Invitational on Friday and Saturday, April 9-10.
