DES MOINES — Running just off their season-best pace, the Central College women’s track & field team placed eighth in the 4×400-meter relay preliminaries, earning a spot in Saturday’s finals.

The quartet of Lizzy Van Utrecht (sophomore, Ottumwa, Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont HS), Alivia Roerdink (sophomore, Tiffin, Ohio, Hopewell-Loudon HS), Emily McMartin (junior, Pella) and Ava Parkins (sophomore, Monmouth, Ill., Burlington Notre Dame [Iowa] HS) clocked in at 3 minutes, 51.62 seconds.

“It was super exciting,” coach Brandon Sturman said. “It’s nice to see us step up in that environment, to not only qualify but win our heat. It’ll be a good experience to double back and try to PR on Saturday.

           

Gunner Meyer (junior, Fairbank, Wapsie Valley HS) ran a season-best time of 14.21 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles prelims, taking 15th place. He was second amongst four Division III athletes in a field of 29 total athletes.

           

“It’s a great opportunity to run at the Drake Relays in an open event when it’s a combined University and College Division,” Sturman said. “He was against good competition and ran a really clean race.”

           

Mary Gustason (junior, Marion, Linn-Mar HS), Parkins, Olivia Bohlen (junior, Belle Plaine) and McMartin finished .3 seconds slow of the school record in the 4×200-meter relay, placing 17th in 1:42.91.

           

“Our goal was to break the school record,” Sturman said. “IT’s not something we run often so we don’t practice it a lot. They ran well and they will all be back next year to try and get the school record.”

           

In addition to the women’s 4×400-meter relay team running in Saturday’s final, Central will also have the men’s distance medley relay and men’s shuttle hurdle relay in the morning.

 

Women’s results

4×100 relay (prelims) – 16. Mary Gustason/Ava Parkins/Danika Arnold/Emily McMartin, 48.25

4×200 relay – 17. Mary Gustason/Ava Parkins/Olivia Bohlen/Emily McMartin, 1:42.91

4×400 relay (prelims) – 7. Lizzy Van Utrecht/Alivia Roerdink/Emily McMartin/Ava Parkins, 3:51.62

Sprint medley relay – 8. Danika Arnold/Olivia Bohlen/Lizzy Van Utrecht/Alivia Roerdink, 4:12.35

 

Men’s results

400 meters – 18. Kaleb Brand, 48.71

4×100 relay (prelims) – DQ. Connor Miklos/Jackson Tavegia/Owen Tomko/Gunner Meyer

4×200 relay – 26. Connor Miklos/Brian art/Owen Tomko/Jackson Tavegia, 1:31.96

4×400 relay (prelims) – 21. Brian Hart/Alex Volden/Jrake Van Hemert/Kaleb Brand, 3:19.30

Sprint medley relay – DNF. Brian Hart/Connor Miklos/Kaleb Brand/Jack Every

110-meter hurdles (prelims) – 15. Gunner Meyer, 14.21

Triple jump – 9. Kale Purcell, 46-8.25

 

Mason Siebenhaar smoked the competition in the 5000-meter run. His time of 14:52.69 easily won the event by over 13 seconds, as he was the only runner to break 15 minutes. Bucknell took home the top four positions. 

Sophomore Michael Chernova won the pole vault with a clearance of 14-5.25. Teammate Lucas Williams finished second with the same clearance. 

The Bison head to the Red Flash Open hosted by Saint Francis tomorrow. 

The Bears were led by two goals each from Alexandra Love and Madeleine Poissonnier but a late goal by Bucknell doomed Brown. The Bears hit the pipe multiple times as well as having multiple shots saved.

Roxanne Hazuka kept the Bears in the game, making six saves in goal for Brown.

Bucknell took a 2-0 lead before Brown scored the next three goals to jump on top. Brown took a 4-3 lead into the halftime break.

The Bears were outscored 2-1 in the third quarter as the teams were tied 5-5 heading into the final eight minutes of play.

Bucknell took the lead in the fourth before Love scored a penalty shot with under a minute to play to tie the game. A goal by Bucknell with less than 30 seconds to go put the Bisons back on top.

Brown got the ball in front of the goal as time was winding down and had multiple chances but could not get the tying goal across as time expired.

UP NEXT

Brown will play Mercyhurst on at 11 a.m. on Saturday as the CWPA Tournament continues.

 

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Results

Pole vaulter Elizabeth Bryant moved into second all-time in Bison history in the event last weekend and the junior continued her hot stretch, winning easily today. She cleared 12-5.50, more than five inches better than the second place competition. 

Bradley Weldon picked up her third win of the outdoor season, easily winning the 5000-meter run. She ran 17:56.26, nearly more than half a minute faster than second place Lauren Joyce. 

Senior Karly Renn generally competes in the pole vault but for the second straight week tried her hand at the long jump. Renn placed fifth, jumping 16-9.25. 

Bucknell heads to the Red Flash Classic hosted by Saint Francis tomorrow. 

NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State track & field program will travel to Champaign, Ill., for the Fighting Illini Twilight hosted by Illinois on Saturday afternoon. Action is set to begin at 1 p.m. 

The Redbirds will make the in-state road trip for the fourth consecutive year and return following an impressive showing in Champaign last year. Last April, Junior Charles Cruse (pole vault),  Senior Devin Turner (long jump), and Senior Madison Saunders (triple jump) each entered the top-10 list for their events.

following a strong showing in California and Texas last weekend. On the west coast, the distance squad competed at the Bryan Clay Invitational hosted by Azusa Pacific. Across the three-day meet, Illinois State saw three student-athletes enter the top list for their respective events.

On Wednesday, Freshman Astrid Van Breedam ran the 10th fastest mark in program history with a time of 10:34.76 in the 3000m steeplechase. Van Breedam’s time also qualified her for the U20 European Athletics Championships in Finland this August.

Just a day later, Junior Maggie Reed moved to eighth in program history for the 5000m with a time of 16:49.83. On the men’s side, Junior Yusuf Baig also entered the top-10 list and to seventh all-time with a time of 14:02.20.

On Friday and the last day of the meet, in the women’s heats of the 1500m, Sophomore Grace Erb (4:30.40), Van Breedam (4:32.95), Sophomore Colleen Zeibert (4:33.19), and Reed (4:33.37) ran new personal best marks. Sophomore Kane Shields also recorded a career best in the men’s 1500m with a time of 3:48.49. 

In Waco, Texas, at the Michael Johnson Invitational hosted by Baylor, Senior Windsor Roberts recorded a season-best mark after clearing the bar at 3.87m (12-8.25) in pole vault. On the men’s side, Cruse tallied an eighth-place finish, clearing the bar at 5.07m (16-7.50).

Philadelphia, Pa. – (April 25, 2025) – The Fordham track & field team has been busy, as the Rams are at the 2025 Penn Relays this week.
 
Competition started on Thursday night, as Katarina Birimac took part in the College Women’s 10,000m Championship, placing third overall in a season-best time of 33:48.47.
 
Friday’s races for the Rams started with the College Distance Medley Relay.  Fordham’s women’s team of Megan McCann, Alexandra Williams, Brenna Sears, and Meredith Gotzman placed 19^th overall in 11:53.27, while the men’s group of Nathan Bezuneh, Sam Freeman, Ben Borchers, and Rodolfo Sanchez took second in 9:51.06.
 
Next up were the heats of the College men’s 4×100 relay, where the Rams’ contingent of Dakota Strain, Matthew Nurse, Liam Volz, and Njam Abdul-Latif finished 11^th in 41.46 seconds.
 
The Championship of America for the 4×200 relay was next with the women’s team of Dillyn Green , Kylie Ritz, Sara Labor, and Ileana Chlorou placing 19^th in 1:42.84.  In the men’s race, Fordham’s team of Strain, Volz, Nelson Lindsay, and Abdul-Latif broke the school record, running 1:26.23 to finish 12^th overall.  The previous mark was 1:26.7 set by Steve Sharpe, Ricky Jones, Michael Scott, and Wayne Seaton in 1989.
 
The final track event for the Rams was the College men’s 4×400 relay, where Fordham’s team of Kevin Callaghan, Lindsay, Nurse, and Freeman placed 11^th in 3:13.76.
 
The lone individual competing on Friday was James Alati in the men’s College Javelin Throw, placing 25^th with a mark of 159′ 9″.
 
The Rams conclude their stay at the Penn Relays on Saturday.