Track & Field heads to Grand Forks, N.D., for UND Tune-Up on Saturday

The Bemidji State University track and field team travels to Grand Forks, N.D., on Saturday, Feb. 22 to compete at the UND Tune-Up. Field events will begin at 10 a.m. followed by running events at 11:30 a.m. at the UND Indoor High Performance Center.

Bemidji State saw four new entries to its top 10 indoor records after completing the NSIC Indoor Challenge on Saturday, Feb. 15 in Mankato, Minn. Sophomore thrower Zoe Christensen set two top 10 program marks, taking a first-place finish in the shot put with a throw of 47-feet-10.75-inches and an eighth-place finish in the weight throw with a toss of 55-02.50. Christensen’s shot put ranks seventh all-time at BSU while her weight throw ranks fifth in program history.

Senior Kristen Petron finished third in the 1,000-meter run with a personal record time of 3:07.50, which ranks ninth all-time at BSU indoors. Junior Cheri’A Adams took eighth in the long jump with a mark of 17-07, which ranks eighth all-time at BSU.

Sophomore Faith Beck tied a personal record in the pole vault after a fourth-place leap of 10-06.00. Freshman Tierra Doss also took a fourth-place finish after setting a personal record in the shot put with a throw of 44-06.75.

In total, Bemidji State finished with 10 personal records and 12 top-10 finishes.

The Beavers rank among the top 25 in four events as the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) released its weekly #EventSquad rankings. BSU ranks 12th in the shot put with an average throw of 41-07.25, 13th in the 200m dash with an average time of 25.29, 15th in the weight throw with an average toss of 51-03.75 and 17th in the 60m dash with an average time of 7.83.

Individually, Bemidji State features two student-athletes who rank among the top 25 nationally in three separate events. Junior sprinter Venice Stewart ranks 19th in the nation, sixth in the central region and fourth in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference with a BSU program-record 7.60 60m dash set at the UND Indoor Open on Jan. 30. Christensen ranks eighth nationally, fourth in the region and first in the NSIC in the shot put with a personal record heave of 48- 9 set the Lake Superior Challenge last weekend. Christensen also ranks 24th nationally, 13th in the region and ninth in the NSIC with a BSU program record toss of 58-5.75 in the weight throw.

BSU also has five other marks that rank among the top 25 in the NCAA DII Central Region. Stewart ranks 11th in the region and sixth in the conference and senior sprinter Jada Barker ranks 22nd in the region and 14th in the NSIC in the 200m dash. Sophomore mid-distance runner Ryne Prigge ranks 12th in the region and seventh in the conference in the 800m run, Beck ranks 20th in the region and eighth in the league in the 60m hurdles and Doss ranks 16th in the region and eighth in the NSIC in the shot put.