Track makes strides at St. Norbert

The Lawrence Men’s and Women’s Track and Field team competed this Saturday, April 18, in the St. Norbert’s Invitational at St. Norbert College. The men placed seventh and the women sixth out of 10 teams, including conference rivals Ripon, Carroll and St. Norbert.

Despite a strong headwind on the home stretch, the women’s team, in particular, shone in this intra-conference throw-down. The team saw veteran senior sprinter Anna Bolgrien returning to the 400-meter hurdles for the first time this year to take second place with a time of 1:07.93.

The Lawrence women then moved on to dominate the 5K with freshman Erin Schrobilgen taking second place with a time of 19:28, closely followed by junior Clare Bruning for third, freshman Margaret Huck in fourth and sophomore Kristen Bischel for fifth.

The team also had top finishers in the 1500-meter run with sophomore Kate Kilgus finishing in 5:19 for third place, followed by freshman Noelle Hele in 5:21 for fourth.

Junior thrower Genna Matt continued her illustrious Lawrence career by breaking her own school record in the hammer throw with a toss of 140 feet and 10 inches to take fourth place. Matt improved upon her previous record by over five feet. Overall, the women’s team finished with 61.5 points.

The men’s side was highlighted by junior distance runner Cameron Davies whose 9:53 time in the steeplechase was good enough for second place. Sophomore Max Edwards was the next top finisher for the Vikings as he finished third in the 5K with a time of 16:08. The men’s 4×400- meter relay topped off the meet with a fourth place finish at 3:38.

Next week, members of the team will be competing at the Gina Relays in Hillsdale, Mich. Edwards and Schrobilgen will both be running the 5K and Davies will be competing in the steeplechase on Friday, April 24 in this three day competition. The meet features over 1,000 athletes and is a great opportunity for Viking runners to see how they stack up against elite track athletes from across the country. Due to its long distance from Appleton, only these members of the team will be competing at Hillsdale.

The rest of the team will be competing on Sunday, April 26, at the UW-Whitewater Invitational. In addition to a very strong Whitewater team, the Vikings will be challenged by their own bodies as they approach the peak of their training. This means the highest mileage, the heaviest weightlifting and the most intense workouts. All of the work will pay off at the end of the season, however; so expect the Vikings to be at their best physical condition for the Midwest Conference Championships.