MORRIS, Minn. - The Women's Track and Field Team represented the University of Northwestern in the two-day UMAC Championship Meet in Morris, Minnesota.
DAY 1:
The Eagles got off to a strong start as Grace Moravchik (Mason, Wis./Ashland) opened the day with a first-place finish in the long jump. Moravchik's first jump landed .12 meters farther than her season best leap, and this first mark qualified her for finals. With the first two jumps in finals, she danced around her first mark before jumping further than she ever has, with a distance of 5.23 meters (17'2"). After winning the event in February at the Indoor UMAC Championships, the sophomore's impressive resume now includes a first-place finish in the outdoor season as well. The talented Moravchik stayed busy on Friday as she raced in the preliminary 100-meter hurdles, 400-meter hurdles, and the 200-meter dash. In the 100-meter hurdles, Moravchik qualified 2nd with a time of 16.38 seconds. For her second win of the meet, she ran a 1:07.03 finish in the 400-meter hurdles to continue her two-year reign as the 400 hurdle champion. Moravchik rounded out her day with a 5th-place finish in the 200-meter with a time of 26.74
In the first track event of the afternoon, Caroline Ringsmuth (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove) ran her way to a 4th-place finish in the 3000 Steeplechase with a season-best time of 12.43.46. Also racing in the Steeplechase, Olivia Usselman (Stillwater, Minn./Math and Science Academy) finished 13th with a time of 14:10.87.
Alvine Njounang (Virginia, Minn./Grand Rapids) raced in the first heat of the 100-meter dash and placed third with her finish of 13.20 seconds. After the final heats were timed, Njounang landed 5th to qualify for the finals on day two. She also ran in the 200-meter dash and placed 9th with her time of 27.50.
Deanna Ammermann (Spirit Lake, Iowa/Spirit Lake) also raced in the 100-meter dash, notching a 1st place finish in her heat and a 3rd-place qualifying finish of 13.01 seconds. After winning the 200-meter dash at the UMAC Indoor Championships, Ammermann clinched a 3rd place finish in the outdoor 200 with her finish of 26.58 seconds.
Emery Maki (Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing) entered the 800-meter race with the fastest time in the UMAC. After a fast two laps, Maki crossed the finish line in 2nd with a time of 2:19.95. Meghan Corbett (Sartell, Minn./St. Cloud Cathedral) joined Maki in the 800. Corbett, with a strong performance, finished with a time of 2:28.20 in 7th place.
Naomi Wallace (Pipestone, Minn./Pipestone Area) represented UNW in the long jump alongside Moravchik and secured an 8th-place finish with a jump of 4.52 meters (14'10"). Jumping for the Eagles in the Pole Vault, Samary Acuna Arroliga (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley) cleared 2.45 meters (8'0.5") for a 6th-best height in the UMAC. Both Wallace and Acuna Arroliga raced in the 4x800-meter relay along with Kimberlyn Case (Sleepy Eye, Minn./Litchfield) and Faith Matvey (Meadowlands, Minn./Lakeview Christian Academy). They finished 5th in the UMAC with their time of 10:59.67.
Finally, Emily Ashton (Camas, Wash./St. Mary's Academy) threw the Javelin for Northwestern, winning the event. Once again, Ashton tossed a distance that is the 80th best in all of Division III. Her season-best throw of 37.11 meters (121'9") beat all other throws by nearly three feet. This is the junior's second time winning this event at the UMAC Championships in her career.
After the nine events on day one, the Eagles are 2nd in the meet with 63 points, just one point behind Crown in first place.
DAY 2:
The second day of the UMAC Track and Field Championships got off to a quick start this afternoon for the University of Northwestern Women's Track and Field team. The Eagles won the first jumping and track events of the day and finished 4th in team points.
Starting with the high jump, Lily Hubbard (Lindstrom, Minn./Chisago Lakes) and Wallace jumped for the Eagles. Wallace cleared a height of 1.47 meters (4'9.75") and finished fifth, earning four points for the Eagles. Hubbard battled through injury all season and only jumped once in the indoor season. The culmination of her comeback came as she cleared a new personal record of 1.52 meters (4'11.75"), which crowned her as the UMAC high jump champion.
The first event on the track was the 4 x 100 meter relay. Njounang, Ammermann, Matvey, and Moravchik rallied for a first-place finish. The team came into the meet with the second-best time, and shaved off almost a full second to win the event by .16 seconds.
In a talented field for the 1500-meter race, six Northwestern runners pushed through the 3.75 laps and all collected career best times. Maki's PR of 4:50.12 placed her on the podium in 3rd place. Corbett finished top 10 as she took over 5 seconds off her previous best time for a finish of 5:08.88. In 18th, 19th, 21st, and 22nd, Case, Usselman, Alicia Arredondo (Robbinsdale, Minn./Homeschool), and Acuna Arroliga finished within 10 seconds of each other.
Moravchik stayed busy on the second day of the meet as she raced in the 100-meter hurdles. She crossed the finish line in 16.46 seconds for a 3rd place finish. Moravchik also competed in the 400-meter dash along with teammates Njounang, Maki, and Ammermann. Moravchik and Njounang finished 9th and 11th with times of 1:03.83 and 1:03.99, respectively. Maki ran 1:01.67 for a personal best time and a 4th-place finish. Ammermann ran a season-best time of 1:01.05, finishing on the podium in 3rd place.
Ammermann then took her mark in the 100-meter final. She placed 4th with her time of 13.55. Njounang also competed in the finals and turned in a time of 13.86 seconds for an 8th-place finish. For the 5000-meter race, Ringsmuth took the track for UNW and clocked a time of 20:27.13 for a 9th-place finish.
Northwestern will conclude its outdoor season in Columbia, South Carolina, for the NCCAA National Championships on May 7th-9th.
