Taft breaks own school record as 10 Tigers place in top five

YANKTON, S.D. – Breaking her own school record, Morgan Taft (Norris, S.D.) was one of 10 Tigers that either won their event or placed in the top five of their respective events at the Mount Marty University Open on Friday and Saturday from the Ruth Donohoe First Dakota Fieldhouse in Yankton, S.D.

 Less than one month after breaking the school record in the weight throw, Taft improved on her mark. She swept the field after her best throw of 53-7.75 feet (16.35m). On top of breaking her school record and taking first, Taft now ranks seventh in the NAIA in the event.

 Taking a pair of first place finishes was Lydia Gerber (Canton, S.D.) as she won the triple jump and the 60-meter dash. Her leap of 37-7.75 feet (11.47m) was good to win the triple jump, as her time of 8 seconds won the 60-meter dash.

 Avany Long (Oacoma, S.D.) recorded a pair of second-place finishes in the long jump and 60-meter hurdles. Her time of 9.67 seconds also moved her into third all-time in program history. She also finished the long jump with a mark of 16-8 feet (5.08m) to secure second place. Lia Guigui (Rapid City, S.D.) tallied a third-place finish in the high jump after a leap of 5-1.75 feet (1.57m).

 On the men's side, Caden Milmine (Buffalo, Wyo.) took second place in the shot put with a toss of 54-3.75 feet (16.55m). His throw improved his mark on the all-time list in fourth place, while also moving him to sixth nationally in the event.

 On the runway, Cale Strong (Norfolk, Neb.) took third in the triple jump thanks to a leap of 40-11.5 feet (12.48m). Two spots behind him was Austin Moen (Webster, S.D.) who took fifth after a jump of 38-10.25 feet (11.84m).

 In the pole vault event, Nate Rupprecht (Bennington, S.D.) took third thanks to a vault of 11-3.75 feet (3.45m). His mark was good for 10^th in program history. Christopher Zanotto (Blair, Neb.) posted a fourth-place finish in the weight throw thanks to his toss of 48-10.75 feet (14.90m).

 On the track, Benjamin Heyd (LaMoure, N.D.) took sixth in the 60-meter dash after a time of 7.22 seconds. He also placed 13^th in the 200-meter dash and moved into sixth all-time after a time of 23.15 seconds.

 Hunter Shanks (Bennington, Neb.) and Wyatt Baldauf (Seneca, Ill.) took ninth and 11^th in the 1,000-meter run, respectively. Shanks finished with a time of 2:40.90 minutes to move him into seventh all-time, while Baldauf crossed the finish line in 2:43.22 minutes to move him to 10^th in program history.

 Rounding out the women's side was Tessa Kilber (Ipswich, S.D.) who took sixth in the 800-meter run after a time of 2:26.03 minutes, moving her to fourth in program history. Ashtyn Evans (Gillette, Wyo.) took sixth in the triple jump after her mark of 31-11.5 feet (9.74m).

 In the Distance Medley Relay in a group that consisted of Annika Vermeulen (Mitchell, S.D.), Samantha Shoutlz (Huron, S.D.), Macey Bohl (Garretson, S.D.) and Morgan Oedekoven (Pierre, S.D.), they solidified a third-place finish. Their time of 14:17.79 minutes moved them into fifth in program history.

 The Tigers compete next at the Great Plains Athletic Conference Championships on Friday and Saturday in Yankton, S.D.