MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – The Alma College track and field teams returned to action for the first time in the new year as they took a quick trip up 127 to the campus of Central Michigan University for the Jack Skoog Open on Friday, January 17th. Another school record was set as well as personal bests and stepping stones for the rest of the indoor season ahead.
On the men's side of the competition, Trace Laskey recorded a fifth-place24.52 finish in the 200-meter run with a time of 24.52, as Alma's highest finisher in the event. Phillip Banner recorded a third-place finish in the 400-meter run with a finishing time of 53.98, leading the Scots. Aiden Aldrich took the crown in the 600-meter race along with breaking the previous school record of 1:24.69 set by Matt Deja in 2011. Aldrich ran a time of 1:24.46 to narrowly edge the record in the first time he has competed in the event. Aldrich also set the 200-meter record earlier this season in his first collegiate meet at Saginaw Valley State University. Laskey also collected another top five finish, this time in the 60-meter hurdles, with a personal best time of 8.93, finishing fifth overall. The 4x400 meter relay team of Aldrich, Banner, Will Maginity, and Leland Edelyn also secured a second-place finish overall with a time of 3:36.54. in the field events, Edelyn finished sixth overall in the pole vault with a personal best mark of 3.5 meters. Ed Markarian finished second in the triple jump competition with his mark of 11.99 meters. Ryan McGuire was Alma's best finisher in the weight throw with his personal best mark of 13.10 meters, finishing in sixth-place.
Turning towards the women's side of action, Lauren Brawt came away as the top spot in the 400-meter run as she posted a time of 1:02.79, besting the field by over three seconds. Tori Hatton came away fifth in the same race with a time of 1:13.46. In the 600-meter run, Jordan Fox collected a sixth-place finish with a time of 1:49.39, for a new personal record. Sophia Dech also collected a sixth-place finish, with hers coming in the 3000-meter run, as she posted a final time of 11:34.31, just five hundredths of a second off from her personal best. Helena Snyder and Kaitelyn Walker recorded fourth and fifth-place finishes, respectively, in the 60-meter hurdles with times of 10.21 and 10.84, with the latter being a personal best for Walker. The 4x400 team of Brawt, Snyder Sophia Sanford and Madelyn Strauss finished fifth overall, behind two Division I CMU teams with a time of 4:27.22. Snyder also recorded a second-place finish in the high jump as she cleared the mark of 1.60 meters, tying for second in the field. Reagan Keyser also competed in the high jump and placed sixth overall with a mark of 1.50 meters. Brawt would round out the top five finishes with a fourth-place final in the long jump competition. Brawt jumped to a mark of 483 meters finishing behind Division I and Division II competitors.
Alma will return to competition next Friday, January 24th, as they will travel back to Saginaw Valley to compete in the SVSU Doug Hansen Open. The meet is slated for a start time of 2:30 PM.
