By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
EMPORIA, Kan. – The Fort Hays State track and field team took home first place as a team in its outdoor opener Friday (March 19) at the ESU Spring Invitational thanks to six individual titles and three provisional performances. The Tigers scored 157.5 points as a team, 28 more than second-place Emporia State.
The Tigers had two freshmen clear the NCAA Division II provisional threshold in the javelin throw in their first collegiate competition. Rhyann Brown placed third with a toss of 154-3 after improving her mark by more than 14 feet on her sixth and final toss of the day, while Addie Berens finished sixth thanks to a mark of 143-2. Brown’s toss is good for fourth all-time at FHSU while Berens now sits in 11th all-time at FHSU.
Laurel Haley surpassed the provisional mark in the hammer throw with a personal-best heave of 178-3 to place fourth, 14 feet better than her previous top mark and just one foot, five inches off the program record. Haley was the top Division II finisher in the discipline and now sits in second on the all-time performance list in FHSU. The junior also placed fifth in the discus with a toss of 137-3.
Emily Salmans came away with a pair of first-place finishes, winning the 800m run with a time of 2:15.30 before crossing the line first in the 1,500m run in a personal-best 4:43.84. Her 800m time is fourth all-time at FHSU while she now sits in sixth on the all-time list in the 1,500m run. Faith Little finished close behind in fourth in the 800m run with a personal-best time of 2:17.22, good for eighth on the all-time list at FHSU.
Mattie Rossi finished first in both hurdle events, posting personal-best times in both the 100m hurdles at 14.97 and in the 400m hurdles at 1:04.27. Rossi now sits in ninth all-time on the 400m hurdles performance list at FHSU. Taylor Savolt crossed the line right behind Rossi in second in both races, posting a time of 15.46 in the 100m hurdles and a mark of 1:06.64 in the 400m hurdles.
Abigail Stewart won the 5,000m run with a personal-best time of 18:07.68, good for sixth all-time at FHSU.
Summer Kragel took home first place in the high jump after clearing the 5-5 bar. The junior was one of three athletes to clear the 5-5 bar, but she was the only one to do so without a miss before that point.
The Tigers are next scheduled to compete at the Central Nebraska Challenge in Kearney, Neb. on April 3.
Full FHSU Results
100m Dash
11th – Tori Poe – 12.71
27th – Kendra Clary – 13.43
200m Dash
9th – Tori Poe – 26.08
26th – Kendra Clary – 27.59
400m Dash
4th – Hannah Wiebe – 1:01.65
14th – Zoie Shupe – 1:09.08
16th – Ella Benkendorf – 1:13.79
800m Run
1st – Emily Salmans – 2:15.30
4th – Faith Little – 2:17.22
6th – Hannah Wiebe – 2:22.32
7th – Gretchen Kuffel – 2:22.90
14th – Carson Pierce – 2:28.82
25th – Zoie Shupe – 2:42.06
28th – Celeste Zamarron – 2:47.96
1,500m Run
1st – Emily Salmans – 4:43.84
5th – Gretchen Kuffel – 4:52.65
9th – Faith Little – 4:56.19
12th – Carson Pierce – 5:06.93
25th – Celeste Zamarron – 5:46.34
5,000m Run
1st – Abigail Stewart – 18:07.68
3rd – Brooke Navarro – 18:34.19
8th – Mya Navarro – 19:55.70
100m Hurdles
1st – Mattie Rossi – 14.97
2nd – Taylor Savolt – 15.46
5th – Chloe Stanley – 15.93
14th – Haley George – 17.24
400m Hurdles
1st – Mattie Rossi – 1:04.27
2nd – Taylor Savolt – 1:06.64
3rd – Layne Needham – 1:06.78
6th – Chloe Stanley – 1:06.92
High Jump
1st – Summer Kragel – 5-5
5th – Haley George – 5-3
Pole Vault
4th – Taylor Linn – 10-10
5th – Cheyenne Nickelson – 10-2
Breanna Schmitz – NH
Maleigha Schmidt – NH
Long Jump
2nd – Taylor Savolt – 18-4.5
6th – Mattie Rossi – 17-5.25
Shot Put
13th – Hailey Rhodes – 36-1.25
Discus
5th – Laurel Haley – 137-3
8th – Jessie Castellucci – 125-2
Hammer Throw
4th – Laurel Haley – 178-3
28th – Hailey Rhodes – 101-7
Javelin
3rd – Rhyann Brown – 154-3
6th – Addie Berens – 143-2
Bold indicates NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships provisional performance