Wichita State’s track and field team traveled to Lincoln, Nebraska to compete in the Prairie Wolf Invitational on Friday and the Mark Colligan Memorial on Saturday, as juniors Jaleel Montgomery and Brady Palen had NCAA top-25 performances.
The Shockers had a strong outing in both meets, with eight events being won by Wichita State competitors.
Friday
Wichita State’s runners had a strong showing at the Prairie Wolf Invitational on Friday. In the 1000-meter women’s race, sophomore Lea Jerkovic won with a 2:57.29 time. Junior Peyton Pogge came in second at 2:59.88.
The 3000-meter and 600-meter runs also saw the Shocker women come out victorious. Junior Audrey Parson won the 600-meter with a 1:37.89 time, while freshman Amanda Treptow paced the field in the 3000-meter by nearly 40 seconds, running it in 11:06.47.
The men’s side saw positive results as well. In the mile, Wichita State placed three of the top five finishers. Freshman Ian Schram and junior Zander Cobb came in first and second in 4:19.08 and 4:19.48, respectively.
In the pole vault, Wichita State had the top three finishers. Sophomores Caden Carlson and Weston Hulse had the same height, 4.45m/14’7.25″.
Saturday
Wichita State’s top track and field athletes competed at the Mark Colligan Memorial meet on Saturday.
Three meet wins went to Shockers: Montgomery in the 60-meter hurdles, Palen in the high jump and junior Adam Rzentkowski in the mile.
As a team, they placed second on the men’s side with 108 points and third on the women’s with 74.5 points. Nebraska won both competitions, scoring 170 with the men and 177.5 with the women.
Montgomery was the standout performer in the men’s events. He won the 60-meter hurdles with a 7:79, the 22nd best time in the NCAA, and placed second in the 200-meter sprint at 21.68.
Palen also put himself 21st in the NCAA rankings with a 2.15m/7’0.5″ high jump. Rzentkowski won the mile race with a 4:08.16 time.
The women’s best performers were junior Farrah Miller, who finished second in the 800-meter in 2:11.78, and freshman newcomer Kate Campos, who also was the second across the finish line in the 60-meter hurdle in 8.45.
Wichita State teams placed second in both relay events. Sophomore Trace Spires, junior RJ Hutchison, senior JD Prinsloo and junior Joakim Genereux ran the 400-meter in 3:16.79. Miller, junior Sydney Brown, sophomore Elontae Hackney-Cooper and sophomore Sadie Millard ran it in 3:47.66.
Next up, the track and field team will return to the Heskett Center for the Wilson Invitational, which will take place from Thursday, Jan. 25 to Saturday, Jan. 27. More information about the individual events can be found on GoShockers.com.
