DUBUQUE, Iowa - The Augustana Vikings men's and women's track and field teams delivered a strong showing Friday night at the Solomon Butler Classic, highlighted by four event victories and numerous top-five finishes across both track and field events.
On the women's side, Augustana earned two event wins and several additional podium finishes in the sprint and distance events.
Cora Deemer led the way with a first-place finish in the 60-meter dash, crossing the line in 8.00 seconds, while
Khaliah Knox followed with a third-place time of 8.06 and
Leila Sifford added a fifth-place finish in 8.23. Knox also placed fourth in the 60-meter hurdles in 9.88 seconds. In the 200-meter invitational,
Bridget Hecker secured first place in 26.00 seconds, with Deemer finishing second in 26.55, Sifford placing fourth in 26.66, and VanSanten taking sixth in 26.75.
Athena Ghiotto added a third-place finish in the open 200-meter dash in 27.85 seconds, followed by
Paige Stevens in fifth at 28.06.
Frida Martinez recorded a third-place finish in the mile with a time of 5:27.36, while
Luniah Gilford placed third in the 400-meter dash invitational in 1:01.79. In the 800-meter run,
Norah Wright finished second in 2:23.47 and
Marie Weber placed fourth in 2:25.60.
Allison Price added a fourth-place finish in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 11:46.40, followed by
Elizabeth Lawton in fifth at 11:50.63.
Augustana also delivered strong performances in the women's relay events. The Vikings' "A" team of Jordyn VanSanten, Hecker, Weber, and Deemer finished second in the 4x400-meter relay with a time of 4:02.93, while the "B" team of Gilford, Ghiotto, Martinez, and
Emma Kuo placed third in 4:24.30.
In the field events, Sifford placed second in the long jump with a mark of 5.11 meters and added a fifth-place finish in the triple jump at 10.70 meters, while Knox finished fourth in the long jump at 4.90 meters.
Charlotte Frere recorded a third-place finish in the shot put with a throw of 13.05 meters, and
Laina Nelson placed fourth in the weight throw at 15.11 meters. In the high jump,
Rhiannon Marshall finished fourth by clearing 1.44 meters. Augustana also placed three athletes in the top six of the pole vault, led by Ghiotto's third-place clearance of 3.35 meters, followed by
Cora Heller in fourth and
Presley Winters in sixth, both clearing 3.20 meters.
On the men's side, Augustana secured two event victories and multiple podium finishes in the sprint and middle-distance events.
Tyreke Fortney claimed first place in the 60-meter dash with a time of 6.87 seconds, while
Luke Smith finished fourth in 7.12 seconds.
Brayden Veil added another victory in the 60-meter hurdles, winning the event in 8.32 seconds, while
Elijah Lara finished fourth in 8.69 and
Bayley Pierce placed fifth in 8.77. In the 200-meter dash,
Bryce Jackson placed second in 23.03 seconds and
Prestin Stabler followed in third at 23.36.
Daniel Prochaska earned a first-place finish in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:56.82. Augustana also saw strong performances in the 400-meter dash, where
Conner Calhoun placed third in 53.10 seconds,
Jad Massouh finished fourth in 53.45, and
Ryan Schmidgall placed sixth in 53.72.
The Vikings added another top-five finish in the men's relay events, as the 4x400-meter relay team of
Mohamed Benbrahim, Jackson, Prochaska, and Stabler placed fifth with a time of 3:32.22.
Augustana also turned in several strong finishes in the men's field events.
Magnus Wells led the way with a first-place finish in the weight throw, posting a mark of 19.33 meters. In the long jump, Smith finished second with a jump of 6.71 meters and
Caden Eller placed third at 6.60 meters. Eller also added a fourth-place finish in the high jump, clearing 1.80 meters, while
Ben Kama placed fifth at 1.75 meters.
Gerard Cabrera Espinach rounded out the top-five finishers with a fifth-place mark of 12.34 meters in the triple jump.
The Vikings continue their season on Feb. 27-28 at the CCIW Indoor Track and Field Championships, hosted by Illinois Wesleyan.
