Taft breaks school record, Milmine hits ‘A’ Standard at Dordt Invite

SIOUX CENTER, Iowa – It was a day filled with impressive marks for the Dakota Wesleyan University men's and women's track and field teams as they kicked off the outdoor season. Morgan Taft (Norris, S.D.) broke a school record, while Caden Milmine (Buffalo, Wyo.) qualified for the NAIA National Outdoor Championships in their respective events on Thursday at the Dordt Invite in Sioux Center, Iowa.

 Taft competed in the hammer throw and placed fourth after a toss of 150-11 feet (46.00m). Her best mark broke the program record in the event as she now holds a pair of program records after breaking the weight throw record during the indoor season.

 Meanwhile, Milmine wasted no time qualifying for the NAIA National Outdoor Championships as he won the shot-put event with a throw of 53-3.75 feet (16.25m). His mark was an NAIA National 'A' Standard mark, ranking him seventh in the country in the event.

 In the hammer throw, Chris Zanotto (Blair, Neb.) took fourth place after a best throw of 154-8 feet (47.15m). His throw also shot him up to fourth on the program all-time record board. Also in the hammer throw, Ryan Kienzle (Gillette, Wyo.) finished with a ninth-place finish after a throw of 131 feet (39.93m).

 Kienzle also competed in the discus and shot put. He ended his day with a third-place finish in the discus after a toss of 136-8 feet (41.65m), while taking sixth in the shot put with a mark of 42-1.5 feet (12.84m).

 Nate Rupprecht (Bennington, Neb.) was a member of the javelin throw in the first outdoor meet of the season. He finished the day in eighth place thanks to a throw of 126-10 feet (38.65m).

 On the runway, Austin Moen (Webster, S.D.) and Cale Strong (Norfolk, Neb.) took third and fourth place in the triple jump, respectively. Moen's best mark of 43-2.25 feet (13.16m) solidified his third-place finish, while Strong followed up just behind him with a leap of 41-10.75 feet (12.77m).

 On the track, sophomore Wyatt Baldauf (Seneca, Ill.) finished with an impressive fourth-place finish after a time of 10:59.75 minutes. In the 4x100-meter relay, the crew of Austin Hughes (Box Elder, S.D.) Moen, Travis Spell (Milford, Maine) and Jacob Becker (Sioux Falls, S.D.) came in third after clocking a time of 44.53 seconds.

 Lydia Gerber (Canton, S.D.) picked up right where she left off during the indoor season as she claimed ninth place in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.82 seconds, and took second place in the long jump after a leap of 17-3.5 feet (5.27m). Her time in the 100-meter dash put her eighth all-time in the program record books, while her mark in the long jump is good for fifth all-time.

 Competing in her first outdoor meet, freshman Tessa Kilber (Ipswich, S.D.) took ninth in the 800-meter run after a time of 2:31.92 minutes. She now sits 10^th in the program all-time list. Avany Long (Oacoma, S.D.) is now fifth all-time in program history in the 100-meter hurdles after taking seventh place with a time of 16.44 seconds.

 Lila Gronseth (Sargeant, Minn.) competed in the shot put and discus for her first collegiate outdoor meet. She finished in sixth place in the discus after a throw of 121 feet (36.89m), good for 10^th all-time in program history. She also took eighth in the shot put thanks to a toss of 37-3.75 feet (11.37m).

 Lia Guigui (Rapid City, S.D.) claimed ninth place in the long jump after her best mark of 15-10.25 feet (4.83m), while Katlyn Briggs (Plankinton, S.D.) and Jocelyn Krouse (Montrose, S.D.) each claimed top-10 marks in program history in the hammer throw. Briggs finished with a throw of 128-11 feet (39.29m), placing her sixth in the DWU record books, as Krouse notched a toss of 118 feet (35.96m), putting her 10^th all-time.

 The Tigers will compete at the USD Invite beginning at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow from Vermillion, S.D.