New Faces Lead Second-Place Finish

MOORHEAD, Minn. (1/30/16)---Concordia raced into the 2016 season by hosting the annual Cobber Duals Meet.  The Cobbers finished second at the meet with a 11-1 record and were led by sophomore Vanessa Johnson who won the high jump competition.

The first meet of the season was a chance for fans to see new faces and new stars as Concordia competes for the first time without two-time national champion Cherae Reeves.

The Cobbers picked up right where they left off as several of the top finishes came from field event athletes and speedster Hannah Lundstrom continued the CC tradition of solid track athletes.

Johnson was a part of a group of four Concordia athletes who placed in the top six of the event. Johnson cleared the bar at 5-05.25 to claim the event win. Teammate Emma Peterson was second at 5-03.25 while Anna Skow-Anderson and freshman Jenna Stilwell both cleared 5-01.25 but Skow-Anderson placed fifth by missing fewer attempts at the lesser heights.

Mandy Mercil and Ashley Thompson will be next in line for the rich history of Cobber throwers. Mercil came away with a third-place finish in the shot put and Thompson was seventh in the weight throw. Mercil had a distance of 39-05.75 and was the top Division III athlete in the event. Thompson put up a mark of 43-05.00 in the first event of her senior season. Like Mercil, she had the top distance among DIII participants.

Lundstrom had a pair of top 10 finishes in the highly competitive spring events. She started her year by coming out of the blocks and racing to a 8.05 in the 60-meter dash. That time was good for seventh place and the top time from non-Division II athletes. It also ties for the fastest time in the MIAC this year. Lundstrom's top finish came in the 200-meter dash where she clocked a 26.41 and placed fourth. That time is also the fastest in the conference this year.

The other top 6 finishes for Concordia at the meet came from Mikayla Forness and Sarah Curran in the distance events. Forness crossed the line in 3:28.85 and finished sixth in the 1000 meters. Curran also posted a sixth-place finish. She ran a 20:10.71 in the 5000 meters.

WHAT'S NEXT
Concordia will stay at home to start the season. CC will host the Cobber Open on Saturday, Feb. 6 beginning at 12 p.m. in the Olson Forum.

COBBER NOTABLES
Cobber All-Time:
200 Meters – Hannah Lundstrom – 26.41 – All-Time #2
High Jump – Vanessa Johnson – 5-5.25 (1.66m) – All-Time #3 (tie)
High Jump – Jenna Stilwell – 5-1.25 (1.56m) – All-Time #14

Personal records:
60- Mara Jungles;
200- Hannah Lundstrom, Mara Jungels;
400- Shelby Gelinske; 800- Nicky Crane;
3000- Tarja Nelsen, Anja Smith;
60 Hurdles- Mikayla Forness;
Long Jump- Emma Peterson;
Triple Jump- Shelby Gelinske;
High Jump- Vanessa Johnson (tie), Mikayla Forness;  
Shot Put- Anna Skow-Anderson, Kendra Johnson, Emily Albers, Jenna Stilwell, Tresa Reuter,
Missy Smith;
Weight Throw- Ashley Thompson, Bailey Hovland, Tresa Reuter, Kendra Johnson, Missy Smith, Emma Gjesdahl.