Kelsey Ackerman | Sports Co-Editor
At this past weekend’s Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) meet, the Beaver track and field team had an extremely successful run.
“The biggest expectations were to go out and compete to the best of our ability. I really didn’t care what place we finished as long as the athletes were competing hard that’s all we can ask for as coaches,” head coach Ryan Schroeder said.
The women’s side started off with two all-conference performances. The first came from Morganne Haer with a runner-up finish in the javelin throw. The second came from the 4×100 meter relay team consisting of Casey James, Mallory Spear, Katie Larsen, and Maggie Marker. The relay team placed third with a season best time.
The men’s side had three all-conference performances. The first came from Kyle Wessling earning recognition in the javelin throw. Austin Groth, who captured the win in the 400-meter hurdles, was the next all-conference honoree. Lastly, senior Seth Woodson took runner up in the 800-meter race.
“Everyone was not necessarily competing for a conference title, but everyone was competing for their own personal records,” Woodson said.
On both sides of the team, several other athletes helped score team points for the Beavers.
On the women’s side, James took sixth in the 100-meter dash. Laura Eberly had her fastest time of the year and took eighth in the 200-meter dash. Mallory Spear finished seventh in the 400-meter dash with her personal best time. Martina Smith took eighth in the 800-meter run. Madison Spear took sixth in the 100-meter race and fourth in the 400-meter race.
Overall, the women finished seventh with 41 points.
On the men’s side, Nolan Sampson and Cole Darrow both captured fifth-place finishes in high jump and long jump respectively. The Beaver relays also ran well, with the 4×100 team taking sixth and the 4×400 team taking fourth.
Overall, the men’s team finished eighth with 44 points.
“I think the athletes competed unbelievably. I thought during indoor conference we were a little shaky and too nervous. At the outdoor conference meet, the athletes were competing their tails off. We had over 30 personal records and/or season bests out of the 40 athletes that competed. That’s really impressive,” Schroeder said.
The coach staff is putting an emphasis on the weight room this off-season in order to keep making strides in the right direction. While the team loses many valuable seniors, they also have an extremely strong returning class.
Senior and All-American, Seth Woodson, still has nationals left on his slate this season.
“I want to get back up on that podium no matter what it takes for me. I know I can if I put myself into the right position,” Woodson said.
The NCAA Outdoor Championships takes place in Canton, New York on May 21-23.
