Track and field finishes strong at championship meet

After a season of running in snowy conditions, jumping in cramped quarters onto mats and practicing throwing in the Buchanan Kiewit Wellness Center gym, the Lawrence University Men’s and Women’s Track teams were ready to come out hard and finish their season with top performances and gritty competition.

On Feb. 26 and 27, the track teams finished their seasons at the Midwest Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships at Knox College in Galesburg, Ill., with general success for both teams. The men finished the competition eighth in the team standings and the women finished ninth.

Pacing the men’s team during day one of the conference championships was freshman Josh Janusiak, who finished second in the 5000-meter race with a time of 15:36. Junior Wes Hetcher was also a top finisher, as he vaulted a lifetime personal best of 13 feet, 0.25 inches for a fifth place finish in the men’s pole vault.

Rounding out the top five scoring for the men on day two of the conference meet was the distance medley relay. The relay, composed of senior Cam Davies, senior Tyler Herman, sophomore Ethan Gniot and freshman Mayan Essak, finished second after a thrilling race that came down to the final lap of the mile leg as the deciding factor forthe top three team finishes..

On the women’s team sophomores Sage Greenlee and Erin Schrobilgen were the top finishers at sixth in their respective events of high jump and the mile. The women also secured points in both the sprint medley relay and the distance medley relay, finishing seventh in both.

As indoor season comes to a close, the track teams look to outdoor to be able to train outside on the track for the first time in several months, as well as improve on the indoor season performances. The track team will open their outdoor season on Apr. 9, at Carroll University.