ROCK ISLAND – The Augie men's and women's track and field teams hosted 27 programs for the Augustana Meet of Champions at the Austin E. Knowlton Outdoor Athletic Complex on Friday and Saturday. The men's team placed seventh out of 25 teams, while the women's team finished 10th out of 22 teams.
The men's field events were highlighted by a pair of third-place results. Derek Butts finished third in the pole vault with a launch of 4.63m, while Carson Eipers finished third in the hammer throw with a throw of 53.33m.
Against steep competition, the Vikings found success in running events. Finbar Martin finished fifth in the 5000m with a time of 16:06.81, while teammate Joe Langridge finished sixth in the 1500m with a time of 4:04.09. In short distance, Seth Sottos finished the 100m sprint and 200m dash in seventh and eighth place to earn points for the team.
In the 10,000m, Augie had three runners place in the top 10. Jon Hutton finished sixth with a 32:37.78 time, Jack Bathje finished seventh with a 32:39.53 time, and Grant Ackard finished eighth with a 32:40.85 time.
The men's 4x100m relay team of Jason Smith, Connor McBride, Sean Abracia-Wendel, and Seth Sottos earned a top placement with a time of 42.56.
Augustana finished with 57 points as a team on the men's side, the highest of any CCIW school in attendance.
Heather Michalski and Gabriela Loiz earned top placements in their respective events on the women's side. Michalski secured first place in the javelin throw with a hurl of 38.99m, while Loiz tallied the first meet reps of her collegiate career, debuting with a top placement in the high jump with her 1.62m extension. Rounding out field events for the Vikings was Charlotte Frere in the discus throw. Frere placed second overall in the event with a launch of 44.99m.
In running events, Lina Maatouk finished the 800m dash in fifth place, clocking a time of 2:20.28. With a time of 12.38, teammate McKenzie Reser placed ninth in the 100m. Out of 11 teams, Maatouk, Alexa Perrow, Jordyn Van Santen, and Michalski finished fourth in the women's 4x400m relay.
Augustana finished with 41 points as a team on the women's side.
For their next competition, the Vikings will travel for the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa from April 27-29.
