HILLSDALE, Mich. – For the second week in a row, the Michigan Tech men’s and women’s track & field teams generated impressive performances Saturday, this time at the Hillsdale Invitational hosted by Hillsdale University. The Huskies earned their second first place team finish of the season on the men’s side, tying Hillsdale with 161 points. The women finished second in the final team standings with 93 points at the meet.
“We had some cold and windy conditions, but our athletes did a great job of embracing the discomfort of the elements,” Michigan Tech Head Coach Jake Isaacson said. “For our men to go toe-to-toe with a good Hillsdale team is very encouraging moving forward. Liz [Bloch] continues to impress us and resetting her own school record is a great sign for her as we move toward bigger meets.”
Liz Bloch highlighted Saturday’s meet for the Tech women by finishing first in the 800 meter run and in the process broke her own school record. Bloch covered the distance in 2:12.90 to edge out Abbie Porter of Hillsdale. Bloch’s previous record was 2:12.97 which she set during the 2016 season. Madisyn Estkowski landed in the top three of the 800 for the Huskies thanks to a time of 2:17.20.
In the 200 meter dash, Gabrielle Hummel crossed the line in 28.18 seconds to guide the Huskies with a second place finish. Ashley Veale broke into the top three for the Huskies in the 400 meter hurdles on Saturday with a time of 1:07.35 and was just over a second out of second place.
Carly Huggins and Robyn Holmes powered Michigan Tech in the 3000 Meter Steeplechase, finishing in second and third place respectively. Huggins produced a time of 11:47.60 while Holmes hit the line in 11:48.30. The Huskies had second and third place performances in the 4×400 meter relay as well. The team of Jesse Jacobusse, Estkowski, Bloch, and Veale took second with a time of 4:05.06. Aimee Allen, Audra Thurston, Ellaina Cook, and Fatima Shahine logged third with a time of 4:24.39.
In the field events for the Huskies, Kayla Brei was third in the triple jump with a mark of 9.67 meter and in the Shot Put Jenna Burns covered a distance of 12.25 meter with her throw which put her in third place.
The Michigan Tech men had multiple top three finishers leading to the overall first place finish in the standings on Saturday. Korson Mundinger crossed the line in second place of the 100 meter dash and nearly grabbed first. Mundinger’s time of 11.13 seconds was just off the pace of Nathan Pando of Hillsdale who placed first with a time of 10.99 seconds.
Mundinger’s success continued in the 200 meter dash where he claimed second place as well, turning in a time of 22.93 seconds. John Bailey guided the Huskies in the 400 meter dash behind a time of 51.81 seconds on his way to third place in the event.
In the 800 meter run, Michael Tuski was third for Tech after covering the distance in 2:00.50 with teammate Josh Rzeppa close behind in fourth with a time of 2:01.08. Grant Brown produced a third place finish in the 1500 meter run by crossing the line in 4:03.13 while Gage Armstrong was third in the 110 meter hurdles by virtue of a 16.14 second time. He was also third in the 400 meter hurdles by covering the distance in 1:00.29.
Hanbyul Johnson had an impressive Saturday for the Huskies by outrunning the field in the 3000 meter steeplechase for first place. Johnson’s time of 10:01.33 was nearly 32 seconds faster than the second place runner in the event. Tech’s 4×400 meter relay team of John Bailey, Rzeppa, Tuski, and Jacob Namyst rounded out the track events for Tech by finishing second with a time of 3:29.87.
Keith Lemley got things rolling for the Huskies in field events when he cleared the bar in the pole vault with a mark of 4.65 meter for second place. James Huey place second in the Long Jump (5.84 meter) followed by Hunter Worden in third place with a leap of 5.73 meter. The Huskies then took all three of the top spots in the triple jump, led by Huey in first with a jump of 12.73 meter. Ben Mahonen (12.29 meter) and Worden (11.66 meter) were second and third respectively.
Michael Frahm took home first place in the Shot Put with a toss of 14.60 meter and then claimed second in the discus throw with a mark of 42.20 meter. Frahm also competed in the hammer throw where he placed fourth on Saturday with a toss of 42.12 meter.
The Huskies will be back in action next weekend when they compete at the Benedictine University Relays in Lisle, Illinois.
