Northwestern College announces Raider Women Compete at Mount Marty Twilight
From April 27, 2023 post.
YANKTON, S.D. – After snow in late April at last week's Red Raider Open, it seemed like the weather would never warm up as the season began to come to a close, but Yankton decided to prove the Raiders wrong. The temps began to rise as the meet progressed and the performances rose along with it. This was also the last regular-season meet, before a select few Raiders compete at Drake Relays Friday the 28th and Saturday the 29th, and the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Championships happen on May 5-6.
The meet would start in the morning with the Javelin throw to be contested for the women. Freshman Jordan Bjork, throwing out of the second flight would PR, yet again, with a 5m betterment from her javelin throw at the NCAA USD meet. Bjork, on her first throw, would hit 35.70m or 117' 1" to immediately take first in the competition. That mark would hold through all the way through finals, winning her the competition. The next highest mark in the throws would be junior Emily Kraft in the shot put, where she would hit 11.65m or 38' 2.75" not once, but twice in the competition. Both of those throws would cement her in 8th place for the competition. Next two highest places of the competition, to round out the field events, came from the pole vault. The PR bug was catching on as Colleen Rypkema would also yet again raise her highest lifetime vault to 2.85m or 9'4.25". This would finish her in 10th, just behind fellow teammate Erin Hulberg who would finish in 6th, jumping 3.15m, fighting the wind on each vault.
Though the field events were impressive, the track maintained the hold on the competition the way the throws and jumps did. Freshman distance specialist Emily Haverdink would come down to race the 1500m and ultimately PR as well. Sitting in pack through most of the race she would slowly work her way into 3rd with only a couple laps to go. Down to the final sprint finish she would finish in 2nd place by mere seconds to finish in 4:57.43. Caitlin Alberts hanging on through that same sprint finish just barely outpaced on her final steps to finish through in 4th. But not without joy, Alberts would still PR in the event, just off of the coveted sub-5 minute mark, finishing in 5:00.49. Continuing on with the theme of the day, Emma Haley taking a break from the steeplechase, would also come down to the 1500 and run a PR 5:12.97 to finish in 7th. Freshman Lauren Derscheid would round out the Raider top-10 for the event finishing just off her PR, coming in 9th at 5:22.22, her PR being 5:20. Although outside of the top-10, Lauren Jurrens would be pulled by her teammates to a PR of 5:27.70, as would Mikayla Johnson PR in 5:34.61, as would Morgan Ritz in 5:41.08.
Both the distance events longer and shorter than the 1500m saw success. Down to the 800m run, Abby Ervin would have one of her highest place finishes in the event, and well earned with a PR run of 2:27.70 on her way to her 8th place finish. Ellie Zeutenhorst would be the final runner in the distance events, contesting the 5000m run one last time before the conference championship next weekend. Feeling not great before the race started, she still laced up the shoes and stepped on the line. But showing the true guts of a distance runner, would buckle down and keep on running, truly earning her 7th place finish, in a time of 20:53.71.
Coming down to the sprint events, this, the last regular meet of the season led to some athletes having fun trying new events. Emma Wilson, in a bid for a conference qualifying mark, would try her hand in the 400m hurdles, a race she hasn't attempted since high school. Finishing 12th, she said she had fun and can at least say she did it. With a similar attitude was Anika Snow in trying out the 400m dash. She gave her best in a 14th place finish, and although it hurt in the moment, also enjoyed the challenge. Challenges were on the table through the sprint events as many where trying to hit other qualifying marks like the women's 4x100m relay. Grace Hendrickson, Addison Wierda, Aleah Rees, and Shaylee Yates would run a season best for the team to a 5th place finish in 52.13, just barely edging their way into the fast heat of the conference championship. Earlier in the meet, Rees and Wierda would run wind-legal PRs in the 100m dash, finishing in 13.62 and 13.63 respectively. The final fast race was the 100H where Emma Zoet would finish in 3rd place, and freshman Charlee Olson would finish in 6th. Zoet would run a season best of 15.48 seconds. Olson would meet her goal of running sub-16 seconds, and finish in 15.99.
Raider Top - 10
800m Run
- Abby Ervin 2:27.70 – 8th
1500m Run
- Emily Haverdink 4:57.43 – 2nd
- Caitlin Alberts 5:00.49 – 4th
- Emma Haley 5:12.97 – 7th
- Lauren Derscheid 5:22.22 – 9th
5000m
- Ellie Zeutenhorst 20:53.71 – 7th
100m Hurdles
- Emma Zoet 15.48 – 3rd
- Charlee Olson 15.99 – 6th
4x100m Relay
- Grace Hendrickson, Addison Wierda, Aleah Rees, Shaylee Yates 52.13 – 5th
Pole Vault
- Erin Hulberg 3.215m – 6th
- Colleen Rypkema 2.85m – 10th
Shot Put
- Emily Kraft 11.65m – 8th
Javelin
- Jordan Bjork 35.70 – 1st
Raider Rankings in the NAIA:
- High Jump: 9th - 1.65m
Up Next: The Men's and Women's track and field teams will be competing at Drake Relays, Friday April 28th, and Saturday, April 29th. The Mens 4x100m relay, as well as Men's and Women's 4x400m relays will be contested on Friday, with Men's Long Jump, Women's High Jump, and Men's Javelin on Saturday.
Original source can be found here.