Skow-Anderson & Forness Top 5 In MIAC Pentathlon

MOORHEAD, Minn. (3/05/15)—Anna Skow-Anderson and Mikayla Forness posted top 5 finishes in the pentathlon at the MIAC Indoor Track & Field Championship Meet which kicked off on Thursday in Moorhead.

Both Skow-Anderson and Forness posted career high point totals in the event. Skow-Anderson was second with a final total of 2,800 points while Forness was fifth with 2,701 points. Skow-Anderson's second-place finish earns her MIAC All-Conference honors in the event. Last year Skow-Anderson finished 10th in the indoor pentathlon with 2,629 points. 

Concordia freshman Marissa Andersen, competing in her first collegiate conference multi-event, also scored a career high with 2,503 points and came home in 11th place.

Skow-Anderson earned her second-place finish on the strength of her marks in the high jump and 800 meters. After starting in 13th place after the 60-meter hurdles, Skow-Anderson climbed all the way to fourth place after she cleared 5-02.25 in the high jump and placed second in the event.  She wound up scoring 712 points in the high jump which was her highest single-event point total of the competition.

Skow-Anderson nearly tumbled down the leaderboard after the long jump. She didn't put up a distance in her first two jumps and then played it safe in her third to come away with only 303 points. Skow-Anderson then ran a 2:37.04 in the 800 meters to hold on for her second-place finish. She scored 607 points in the 800 meters which was her second highest point total of the competition.

Forness just recently joined the team after starting for the Cobber women's basketball team which made the MIAC playoffs. Forness was competing in her first multi-even of the year as well as competing in some of the events for the first time all year.

Forness' top events were the two running competitions. She scored 589 points in the 60-meter hurdles and 679 points in the 800 meters. One of her biggest improvements came in the high jump where she switched from going over frontwards to using the backward Fosbury Flop midway through the event and wound up clearing 4-06.00.

Andersen's best events were also the two track races. She clocked a 10.02 in the 60-meter hurdles and scored 708 points. Her time was the fifth fastest among all competitors. Andersen then ran a 2:41.49 in the 800 meters and scored 559 points.

The rest of the Concordia team will get into action in the MIAC Indoor Meet on Thursday, Mar. 6 beginning at 2 p.m.     

Final MIAC Pentathlon Results
1. Dani Larson - St. Olaf – 3370
2. Anna Skow-Anderson - Concordia Moorhead – 2800
3. Gabby Koel - Hamline – 2717
4. Emma Grisanzio - Carleton – 2705
5. Mikayla Forness - Concordia Moorhead – 2701
6. Brooke Hunter - Macalester – 2657
7. Megan Sundstrom - St. Benedict – 2652
8. Laura Eischens - St. Thomas – 2650
9. Zoe Peterson - Carleton – 2609
10. Maria Kiminski - St. Benedict – 2545
11. Marissa Andersen - Concordia Moorhead – 2503
12. Sarah Silbert - Macalester – 2475
13. Libby Lange - St. Thomas – 2425
14. Hanna Gribble - St. Thomas – 2369
15. Josi Hendrickson - Hamline - 2114