Track & Field ready for Husker Invitational, Lake Superior Challenge
The Bemidji State University track and field team will send two student-athletes to the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational while the remainder of the team travels to the Lake Superior Challenge Feb. 7-8. The Husker Invitational begins Friday at 6 p.m. in Lincoln, Neb., while the Lake Superior Challenge starts Saturday at 11 a.m. in Duluth, Minn.
The Beavers enter the weekend ranked sixth in the nation in the 200-meter dash with an average event time of 25.29 and 13th in the 60m dash with an average time of 7.84. In the field, BSU ranks 11th nationally in the shot put with an average throw of 12.48m/40-11.50 and ranks 12th in the weight throw with an average throw of 15.58m/51-01.75.
For the second consecutive meet, Bemidji State saw multiple program records fall en route to a third-place finish at the UND Open & Multi in Grand Forks, N.D.
Junior sprinter Venice Stewart and sophomore thrower Zoe Christensen each set a BSU indoor record with an NCAA provisional qualifying mark. Stewart broke her own record in the 60-meter dash set last weekend with a first-place time of 7.60, which currently ranks fourth in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference this season. Stewart also took second in the 200m dash with a time of 25.05, which ranks sixth all-time at BSU.
Christensen finished third in the weight throw with her BSU indoor record throw of 58-feet-08.50-inches, which is also an NCAA provisional qualifying mark. She broke the previous weight throw record by over one foot, set by Sheena Devine in 2008. Christensen also took second in the shot put with an NCAA provisional qualifying mark of 45-08.75. Her shot put mark ranks ninth all-time at BSU.
Seniors Gena Baklund and Kristen Petron also set program records during the meet. Baklund now owns the top two throws in discus in indoor program history after taking sixth at the UND Open with a toss of 132-11. Petron broke a three-year record in the mile run (on a 300m track) with a time of 5:17.65. Her mark ranks best at BSU indoors between both 300m and 200m tracks.
In total, 10 top-10 marks and 27 personal records were set by the Beavers at the UND Open. In addition, the Beavers concluded the meet with 14 top-five finishes.