PITTSBURG, Kan. – Senior thrower
Alissa Rausch paced the Winona State track and field team at the Gorilla Classic on Saturday.
Rausch set a personal best in the hammer throw. Her toss of 57.51-meters (188' 8") netted her a second place finish in the event and set the third-best mark in the WSU record book as well as provisionally qualified her for the NCAA Division II Outdoor National Championships.
Rausch didn't stop there, as she ended her day on a high note. She won the discus event with a 52.22-meter (171' 4") throw, recording yet another automatic qualifying mark in that event. Her teammate
Erin Bramble also scored a provisional qualifying mark. Her throw of 45.21-meters (148' 4") netted her the 10th spot on WSU's all-time list in that event.
The Warriors scored a plethora of personal bests on the day.
Natalie Busher set a new personal best in the javelin. Her throw of 38.56-meters (126' 6") set the fourth-best mark in WSU history.
Winona State's 4x400-meter relay team also put together a strong showing. The team of
Kelsey Bethke, Brittney Schyvinck, Haley Deschaine, and
Megan Seidl set the fourth-best mark in program history, crossing the finish line in 48.17.
Olivia Fixsen came away with a personal best in the 100-meter hurdles, as her time of 14.81 moved her to fourth on WSU's all-time list in that event.
In the high jump,
Amanda Schaefer climbed up the WSU record book, setting a personal best mark 1.60-meters (5' 3") and moving her into a tie for seventh on WSU's all-time list.
Andrea Bartz came away with a strong showing in the triple jump. She finished second with an 11.54-meters (37' 10 1/2") mark. Schaefer followed up her strong high jump with a good finish in the long jump, finishing third with a 5.11-meter (16' 9 1/4") mark. Bethke finished third in the 400-meter dash, crossing the finish line in 58.77 and
Katie Bagley rounded out a top three finish in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:15.48.
The next events for the Winona State track and field team will be at the Esten Challenge in La Crosse next Friday, while the WSU distance runners will travel to the Mt. SAC Relays from Thursday to Saturday in Walnut, Cal.
