The UMD men's and women's outdoor track and field teams competed in multiple meets this weekend (Friday/Saturday). Several Bulldogs traveled to La Crosse, Wis. for the Phil Esten Challenge hosted by the University of Wisconsin La Crosse to compete in the heptathlon, shot put, and discuss. The core of the Bulldog track and field squad headed down I-35 south for the Holst Invitational in St. Paul, Minn.
At the Phil Esten Challenge it was the heptathlon team of
Jacqi Rae (event debut) and
Bryn London (personal record) who led the top performances for the Bulldogs. Both Rae (4th) and London (9th) finished in the top ten.
The Holst Invitational saw a number of top performances across all field and running events. UMD's
Jack Van Kempen set a new meet record in the men's 3000m steeplechase in a time of 9:24.67 (1st place). Van Kempen's counterpart on the women's side,
Lauryn Renier, also landed atop of the podium in the women's 3000m with a time of 11:32.47.
Rachel Boelke continued her dominance in the women's 800m, earning another first place finish in a time of 2:21.54.
Eve Anderson also landed UMD with another first place finish in the women's 10000m race with a time of 38:35.63. In the field events,
Jaden Johnson earned the top marks in the high jump (1st - 1.95m) and
Colton Kostynick tossed a throw of 15.20m in the shot put to take home first place.
Other note worthy performances included the men's throws team in the shot put, hammer throw, and discuss ---- where the Bulldogs placed multiple student-athletes in the top five of each event. The distance crew for UMD also shined in the 1500m, 5000m, and the 100000m which included multiple top three podium finishes.
Holst Invitational (top ten finishes)
Phil Esten Challenge
Coach Brautigam's Thoughts:
"Our women's team started off the weekend with two great performances in the heptathlon from Bryn London and Jacqi Rae. London's personal best sets her up really well for NSIC competition, and Rae's heptathlon debut already puts her among the top group in the NSIC. We had some really solid competitive performances at the Holst Invitational as well. Our women's throws group took a major step in the right direction and everyone who stepped on the track handled the conditions well as we head into the last couple weeks of our season."
"In the men's action, Jack Van Kempen led the day with a meet record in the steeplechase with a really gutsy solo performance. Our men's throw's team took advantage of two days of competition and took a step in the right direction. Colton Kostynick sits in scoring position in three events after this weekend in terms of NSIC conference standings. On the track we competed well and learned about ways we can grow heading into the post-season. With a small group competing, it was great to see how our men continue to push and support each other and they handled the adverse conditions well."
Up Next
The Bulldog teams will head down the familiar I-35 south again to Minneapolis, Minn. for the Running on Hope Invite hosted by the University of Minnesota on Wednesday, April 26. The Bulldogs will also travel select participants to the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa on April 27-29. In between, UMD will host the Bulldog Open on campus on Friday, April 28.
