Cobbers Flex Their Outdoor Muscles

FARGO, N.D. (4/12/14)—Concordia flexed their outdoor MIAC muscles at the NDSU Bison Open as they recorded six conference-best marks this season and came away with nine different MIAC Top 3 distances or times.

The Cobbers, who are traditionally a stronger outdoor team, were led by senior Hilary Thompson carried who won the triple jump and finished fourth in the long jump at the Division I-laden meet.

Thompson, junior Cherae Reeves and freshman Mikayla Forness recorded the only top 5 finishes for the Cobbers on the day. Thompson's winning mark in the triple was 37-05.00. That distance is just shy of her season-best mark of 37-07.75 which is currently the 10th best in Division III this season. Thompson had a final distance of 18-00.25 in the long jump and was six inches away from claiming her second event win of the day. Her 18-foot jump is a season best and tops in the MIAC. It is also No.20 on the list of best jumps in DIII this year.                             

Reeves placed second in the shot put with a mark of 45-03.50. It marks the third straight outdoor meet that she has thrown the shot over 45 feet. She currently leads the MIAC in the event with a distance of 46-0.50. That mark is also the fourth farthest in the nation this year.

Forness came up with the best performance of her short collegiate career in the javelin. She had a career-best mark of 129-03.00 and claimed fifth place. That distance is tops in the MIAC this season and in the top 25 of the nation. Forness was also the top competitor for the Cobbers in the heptathlon at the meet. She placed third in the event with a final total of 3,869 points. That total is the best in the MIAC this year and in the top 20 of the nation.

Concordia had a pair of field athletes and two more track athletes finish just out of the top 5 on the day. Hillary Birchem placed sixth in the discus and Olivia Johnson was eighth in the shot put. Birchem had a meet-best distance of 135-06 in the discus. That mark came in her fourth attempt and is a season best. It is also the top distance in the conference this season. Johnson's finishing distance in the shot put of 40-06.00 is the first time she has gone past the 40-foot mark this season and she becomes the third CC athlete to surpass that distance.

Morgan Christian and Ruth Peterson had the top finishes for the track crew. Christian was sixth in the 800-meter run while Peterson was sixth in the 100-meter dash and seventh in the 200 meters. Christian came home in a time of 2:18.52 which is a season best and second fastest time in the MIAC this year. Peterson clocked a 12.76 in the 100 meters and a 27.10 in the 200 meters. Both finishing times are season bests for the freshman sprinter. Her time in the 100-meter dash is the third fastest in the conference this season while her mark in the 200 meters is second best.

Concordia's next outdoor competition will come at the Manitou Relays hosted by St. Olaf on Wednesday, Apr. 16.               


COBBER NOTABLES:
ALL-TIME LISTS:
100 Meters – Ruth Peterson – 12.76 – All-Time #11
Shot Put – Mandy Mercil – 40-3.25 (12.27m) – All-Time #9
Javelin Thrown – Mikayla Forness – 132-3 (40.33m) (during Heptathlon) – All-Time #4

PERSONAL RECORDS:
100- Ruth Peterson, Madeline Phillips, Sarah Grafstrom;
200- Ruth Peterson;
800- Katie Rosenfeldt, Ingrid Floersheim, Kaitlin Preusser, Mikayla Forness (Hept);
1500- Melissa Uhrich, Anja Smith, Kristin Westermeier;
long jump- Sam Risan, Mikayla Forness (Hept);
high jump- Emma Peterson (Hept), Anna Skow-Anderson (Hept), Mikayla Forness (Hept);
pole vault- Solvei Stenslie; shot put- Mandy Mercil, Mikayla Forness (Hept);
discus throw- Ashley Thompson;  
javelin throw- Mikayla Forness (Hept), Abby Grove, Kayle Johnson.