By Harrison LaLone, Sports Information student assistant
East Lansing, Mich. - The Alma College track and field team braced the bitter cold at Michigan State University for the Spartan Invitational on Saturday, April 7.
The invitational featured schools from across all three divisions of NCAA competition including the host Spartans, Central Michigan University, Eastern Michigan University, five members of the NCAA II Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC), and Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAA) foe Olivet College.
What Happened
- Sophomore John Mitrzyk (Standish, Mich./Standish-Sterling) led the day for the Scots, posting a runner-up finish in the long jump, landing in the pit at 6.85 meters.
- Two Scots claimed third-place finishes on the day. Freshmen Timothy Minier (Battle Creek, Mich./St. Philip Catholic Central) and Stephanie Davis (Elmira, Mich./Gaylord) finished third in the men's 100-meter dash and women's 100-meter hurdles respectively.
- The men's 4x100-meter relay team also claimed third at the Spartan Invitational. The team of Dion Holloway, Minier, Jacob Wildenhaus, and Payton Hirschenberger finished in a time of 45.31 seconds.
- Freshman Grace Hearth (Freeland, Mich./Valley Lutheran) snagged a fourth-place finish in the 200-meter dash with a time of 27.58 seconds. Hearth also claimed sixth in the 100-meter dash at 13.14 seconds.
- The women's 4x100-meter relay team of Erin Goggins, Hearth, Lauren Kucharcyk, and Audrey Padilla claimed fourth with a time of 53.91 seconds.
- Hirschenberger claimed fifth in the triple jump on Friday afternoon, along with his performance with the 4x100-meter relay squad on Saturday. His final result in the event was 12.97 meters.
They Said It
"We had tough competition and tough weather conditions out there today, but we met the challenges and learned that we can compete no matter the weather. Altogether, today was a positive performance." - Head Coach Matt Chovanec
Notables
- Due to the conditions in East Lansing over the weekend, all jumping events were held indoors. Per NCAA rules, none of the results taken in the jumping events will be counted toward national qualification.
- Davis' 100-meter hurdles, Hearth's 100-meter dash, Minier's 100-meter dash, and Mitrzyk's long jump all set new personal-bests. Hirschenberger's 12.97-meter triple jump perforance tied a personal-best from the Aquinas College Quad Meet on Jan. 19.
Up Next
The Scots resume action on Friday, April 13, with a double dual at Olivet College. Alma will take on the host Comets and Albion College beginning at 3 p.m.
