TRACK AND FIELD HONORS SENIORS AT DWU EARLY BIRD INVITE, PAIR OF TIGERS EARN NAIA NATIONAL STANDARD
MITCHELL, S.D. – The Dakota Wesleyan University men's and women's track and field program circumvented the winter weather by heating up the track as both squads came away with several first-place finishes along with a pair of NAIA National 'A' standards at the DWU Early Bird Invite on Saturday from the DWU/Avera Sports and Wellness Complex in Mitchell, S.D. Morgan Taft, who claimed the women's weight throw title, hit an NAIA National Standard in the event while fellow Tiger senior Caden Milmine also earned a provisional mark in the men's shot put after a first-place finish.
MITCHELL, S.D. – The Dakota Wesleyan University men's and women's track and field program circumvented the winter weather by heating up the track as both squads came away with several first-place finishes along with a pair of NAIA National 'A' standards at the DWU Early Bird Invite on Saturday from the DWU/Avera Sports and Wellness Complex in Mitchell, S.D. Morgan Taft, who claimed the women's weight throw title, hit an NAIA National Standard in the event while fellow Tiger senior Caden Milmine also earned a provisional mark in the men's shot put after a first-place finish.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Dakota Wesleyan kicked off the day in the throwing ring as the Tigers swept the men's and women's weight throw event. Taft claimed the women's event with a mark of 53-10.5 feet while Chris Zanotto secured the men's title thanks to a distance of 53-00 feet. Zanotto, a senior from Blair, Neb., now moves into fourth all-time in the men's weight throw in program history.
Milmine, who qualified for and placed fifth at the 2021 NAIA National Indoor track and field championships in the shot put, sat atop the leaderboards with a throw of 50-7.5 feet while Ryan Kienzle and Zanotto finished second and fourth in the event, respectively. In the women's shot put, Lila Gronseth also had a strong performance as she moves into sixth all-time in program history in the event thanks to a second-place finish and a throw of 39-08 feet.
Rounding out the field events, the Dakota Wesleyan University jumpers also performed nicely beginning with the women's high jump event. Lia Guigui edged out fellow DWU jumps specialist Abbigail Ferris with a height of 5-01 feet while the duo also competed in the long jump. Guigui placed second in the long jump while Tiger freshman Taylor Pourier recorded a leap of 15-4.3 feet, good enough for third.
Austin Hughes, who also came away with a second-place performance, secured a leap of 19-2.8 feet in the men's long jump.
On the track, Avany Long and Annika Vermeulen paved the way for Dakota Wesleyan finishing back-to-back in the pentathlon as Long totaled 2,237 points while Cobey Carr placed sixth in the men's 60 meters. Pourier meanwhile earned a runner-up finish in the women's 60-meter dash with a time of 8.58 seconds and placed third in the 200-meter dash.
UP NEXT
Dakota Wesleyan returns to action next at the Dordt Indoor Opener scheduled for noon on Saturday, Jan. 15th in Sioux Center, Iowa.
For a complete listing of all Dakota Wesleyan results, check out the link below:
