Olson leads UWS with first-place finish in pole vault

The UW-Superior track and field team kicked off its outdoor season in Collegeville, Minn. at a combined meet hosted by the College of St. Benedict (women) and St. John’s University (men). It was cool and overcast start to the season, but that didn’t slow the Yellowjackets down and they came out of the meet with a number of top-10 finishes and personal bests.

Men’s meet

The hosts from St. John’s won the men’s title with 280.5 points. The Yellowjackets placed sixth with 51 points.

First place honors went to former Superior Spartans Kevin Olson in the pole vault, who cleared the bar at a height of 4.30 meters (14 feet, 1 inch). Olson also took seventh in the long jump with a leap of 5.89 meters (19-4) and right behind was Alex Pearson (South Shore) with a jump of 5.57 meters (18-3.25. His jump, which placed him ninth, was a personal best.

Pearson added a second personal record (PR) on the day when he placed third in the triple jump with a jump of 12.69 meters (41-7.75).

Mike Sorenson took sixth in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.57 seconds, a personal best time. Derek Solarz placed eighth in the 200, crossing the line in a time of 23.69 seconds and Zakayo Magomolla finished eighth in the 400 with a time 52.57 seconds.

In the distances, Scott Behling took sixth place in the 1,500 with a time of 4:09.45 and Brandon Haling took eighth in the 5,000 meters in 17:54.89.

Matt Reijo (South Shore) got his season off to a strong start with a near personal best in the 400-meter hurdles. He took second with a time of 56.64 seconds.

In the relays the 4-x-100-meter team took third, finishing with a time of 44.14 seconds. Solarz, Magomolla, Olson and Sorensen made up the team. The 4-x-400-meter relay team, consisting of Magomolla, Solarz, Reijo and Kevin Griepentrog finished eighth with a time of 3:32.76.

Throwers Nils Hansen and Tony Willette finished third and fourth, respectively, in the discus. Results were being retabulated at the time of this post.

In total, the men’s team had 14 top-10 finishes and 11 personal records.

Both UWS track teams return to action on Friday at the Hamline Invitational.

Women’s meet

St. Benedict won the women’s meet with 251.5 points, with the Yellowjackets placing fifth with 60 points.

Traelynn Lewis had three top-10 finishes on the day. She had a strong race in the 200, placing third with a time of 26.55 seconds, .23 seconds off the pace of the winner. Lewis took fourth in the long jump with a distance of 4.99 meters (16-4.5). And in her best effort of the day, Lewis picked up where she left off in the indoor season by winning the triple jump. Lewis had a leap of 11.02 meters (36-2), which was .15 meters ahead of the second place finisher.

Former Northwestern Tiger Nicole Yadon also cracked the top 10 and set a personal best in the process with a jump of 8.95 meters (29-4.25).

In other field events, Katie Capriglione took second in the hammer throw with a toss of 44.75 meters (146-10. Right behind her in fifth place was Victoria Vinokur with a throw of 40.70 meters (133-6). The pair also placed in the top 10 in the shot put. Vinokur was sixth with a throw of 11.21 meters (36-9.5) while Capriglione was 10th with a throw of 10.90 meters (35-9.25).

In the discus, Capriglione was eighth with a throw of 32.86 meters (107-10) while Vinokur was ninth, coming in with a toss of 31.97 meters (104-10). Vinokur’s marks in the discus and hammer throws were personal bests.

Jennifer Kromrey placed fifth in the high jump, clearing the bar at a height of 1.33 meters (4-4.25). Kromrey also had a top-10 finish in the 100-meter hurdles, coming in with a time of 18.65 seconds, which was good for sixth place. The time was a personal best for Kromrey.

Two runners, Christina Micheletti and Samantha Anderson set personal-best marks in the 1,500. Micheletti placed ninth with a time of 5:17.32, while Anderson was 10th, coming in at 5:18.44. Danielle Anderson placed ninth in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:12.00.

The 4-x-100-meter relay team, consisting of Kelsey Johnson, Darian Bushey, former Spartan Jenna Martin and Lewis came in second with a time of 52.91 seconds. Meanwhile the 4-x-400-meter team placed sixth with a time of 4:22.82. The team was made up of Lewis, Samantha Anderson, Micheletti and Danielle Anderson.

In total, the Yellowjacket women’s team enjoyed 18 top-10 finishes and set 19 personal records.

Tags: sports, uws, yellowjackets, running, updates