MANKATO, Minn. – The Winona State track and field team had an outstanding evening at the MSU Twilight Wednesday night, as the 4x400-meter relay team broke the Winona State school record and the Warriors won every throwing event at the meet.
The relay team of
Megan Seidl,
Kelsey Bethke, Brittney Schyvinck, and
Catherine Whitcomb finished second with a time of 3:47.67, less than a second behind first place finisher Augustana.
However, the Warriors broke the previous school record of 3:47.88 set by the 4x400-meter relay team in 2013 that had Brittney Rynda and
Katie Bagley, as well as current squad members Seidl and Whitcomb. The mark also provisionally qualified them for the NCAA Division II Outdoor National Championship and set the 23rd best mark in Division II so far this season.
The relay team wasn't the only set of Warrior athletes to find success at the open as Winona State athletes won all four of the throwing events at the meet.
Winona State swept the top three spots in the discus event.
Alissa Rausch won the event with a throw of 50.90-meters (167'), winning the event by more than 22 feet and hitting another automatic qualifying mark. Freshman
Ashley Thooft took second with a throw of 44.04-meters (144' 6"), also setting a provisional qualifying mark and senior
Caitie Zepczyk took third place with a 41.10-meter (139' 1") throw.
Rausch also took first place in the shot put, throwing a season-best 14.85-meters (48' 8 3/4"). The mark set at the event ranked her eighth in Division II in that event. Thooft followed in her footsteps with a third place finish, throwing a career-best 13.25-meters (43' 5 3/4"), climbing up to eighth in WSU's all-time record book. Zepczyk also set a career-best 12.98-meters (42' 7"), which improved her already 10th best mark in program history to finish fifth in the event.
The Warriors took first and second in the hammer throw. Freshman
Kaitlyn Long won the event with a toss of 54.89-meters (180' 1"), throwing yet another provisional qualifying mark. Junior
Abbey Ristow placed second, with a 54.14-meter (177' 7") throw, also setting a provisional qualifying mark.
Winona State also took the top two spots in the javelin throw. Freshman
Lindsay Rutz won the event with a 34.60-meter (113' 6") throw and junior
Natalie Busher took second with a 34.14-meter (112') toss.
On the whole, the Warriors set six qualifying marks in just the five events they competed in.
The Warriors will now look forward to their own home event, as Winona State will host the Warrior Open on Saturday at Paul Giel Field.
