Throwers Go Distance In Outdoor Opener

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. (3/25/17)--- Seniors Mandy Mercil and Mikayla Forness and junior Bailey Hovland all won throwing events at the St. Benedict Outdoor Invitational and helped Concordia to a runner-up finish in the outdoor season opener.

The Cobbers finished the day with five event wins and 14 Top 3 finishes as they accumulated 176.0 points. That total was 50 points shy of St. Benedict who won the meet with 226.0 points. CC was 137.0 points ahead of Minn.-Morris who placed third.

Mercil used the momentum from her title in the shot put at the MIAC Indoor Meet and won the first shot put competition of the outdoor season. She recorded a distance of 39-10 which won the event by over a foot.

Forness started her quest for a second straight NCAA Meet appearance in the javelin by winning the first event of the year. She came through with a mark of 118-07 in the javelin and won the event by almost 12 feet.

Forness also placed third in the 4000-meter hurdles with a time of 72.11.

Hovland completed the trifecta of throwing wins by claiming the title in the hammer throw. She recorded a career-best distance of 148-10 which won the event by over 12 feet and is the ninth best mark in school history.

Sophomore Tresa Reuter had a pair of second-place finishes in throwing events. She was second with a mark of 133-4 in the discus and had the runner-up distance of 137-02 in the hammer throw.

The other event win came in the two shortest races of the day. Junior Hannah Lundstrom won the 100 meters and freshman Mollie Francis won the 200 meters.

Lundstrom kicked off her outdoor season by clocking a time of 12.84 in the 100 meters. She was the only competitor in the race to break the 12-second mark.

Francis had a solid first year during the indoor season and carried that over to the outdoors where she won the 200 meters in a time of 28.41. Francis was also third in the 100 meters as she crossed the line in 13.42.  

Isabel Andriessen, Maria West and Miriah Forness had the other Top 3 finishes in track events for Concordia. Andriessen came home in a time of 62.79 in the 400 meters and placed third. West and the younger Forness went 2-3 in the 800 meters. West was second in a time of 2:27.42 and Forness was third at 2:33.24.           

WHAT'S NEXT: Concordia will continue with the outdoor season when they compete in the Hamline Invitational on Saturday, Apr. 1.         

COBBER NOTABLES
CSB/SJU Invitational
St. John's University, Collegeville, MN
March 25, 2017

Cobber All-Time:
Pole Vault – Erin Hillerud – 9-8 (2.95m) – All-Time #8 tie
Hammer Throw – Bailey Hovland – 148-10 (43.37m) – All-Time #9

Personal records:
100- Lauren Santl;
200- Lauren Santl;
400- Shelby Gelinske;
Shot Put- Tresa Reuter, Bailey Hovland; 
Discus Throw- Tresa Reuter;
Hammer Throw- Bailey Hovland, Tresa Reuter, Emily Albers;
Javelin Throw- Marissa Andersen.