The Minnesota Duluth men's track and field team battled in the Jim Duncan Invitational on Friday in Des Moines, IA. UMD was originally scheduled to compete at Gustavus Adolphus College on Friday, but harsh weather canceled the event. 

"We had some great performance today," said Head Coach Karly Brautigam. "I think our greatest progress was made by learning what we need to fine tune in the next few weeks to be the team we want to be in May. Great team atmosphere and support among this group." 

Minnesota Duluth's best effort of the day came from Cole Fechner in the men's 800 meter run. Fechner rolled off a personal record mark of 1:52.23 to finish first place in the event. Additionally, senior Christian Leonard took home sixth place in the 800m after finishing with a time of 1:55.51. For the Bulldogs, another strong performance came from Jack VanKempen in the men's 3000m steeplechase. VanKempen posted a new personal best 9:28.87 to garner first place on the individual leader board. 

In the field, senior Avery Hunt's mark of 6.42 was good enough for a second place finish in the long jump. In the shot put, sophomore Colton Kostynick grabbed third place in the event after securing a distance of 15.94. Additionally, fellow sophomore Eli Bicek finished the event in sixth place after noting a mark of 14.25.

Up Next
Depending on weather next weekend, UMD will prepare to host the Bulldog Open on Thursday in Duluth, Minn.