OLIVET, Mich. -- The Alma College track & field squad opened up their outdoor season on Friday (Apr. 1) evening at Olivet College. The Scots competed against the host Comets and Albion College, with both the men and women finishing third in the team standings.
In the women's hammer throw, Bailey Hoffman took first place with a toss of 45.51 meters, while taking second in the shot put with a throw of 11.42 meters. The senior also finished fourth in the discus with a mark of 32.27 meters.
Ericka Bigham won the 400-meter dash with a time of 59.41 seconds, before taking second in the 200-meter dash with a time of 26.61.
The women's 4x100-meter relay team of Bigham, Andrea Taghon, Victoria Gotaas, and Jenna Belmas earned a third place finish in 53.56 seconds. In the 4x400-meter relay, Bigham, Taghon, Victoria Gotaas, and Cornelia Gotaas earned the victory with a time of 4:27.42.
Cornelia Gotaas also took home the victory in the 800-meter race with a time of 2:34.03. She also won the 1500-meter run in 5:20.59, while Caleigh Winters won the 3000-meter run with a time of 11:37.33.
On the men's side, senior Jacob Eck took second in the javelin throw with a toss of 35.52 meters.
Sean Pauley was second in the 3000-meter run with a time of 9:28.25. He was also fourth in the 1500-meter race in 4:24.80.
In the 400-meter dash, Ross McNeel was second in 52.78 seconds.
The 4x100-meter relay team of Landon Jennings, Kenneth Williams, Joey Gonzales, and Chandler Holloway took third with a time of 44.83 seconds. The 4x400-meter relay team of McNeel, Jacob Campbell, Cliff Maginity, and Andersen Strand took second with a time of 3:42.54.
From Head Coach Matt Chovanec:
"Some very good things happened today. I loved what we brought to this first outdoor meet as the weather was not ideal by any means. We competed and didn't worry about what we couldn't control. Like I told the team afterwards, if we continue to do that every single time out, the performances will come along. It's just great to see such a young team get after it. There's an upside with this entire group all of us coaches are excited about."
Up next:
Alma will travel to Oakland University for the Golden Grizzles Invite beginning next Friday (Apr. 8).
