Jim Wuske Invitational

In track and field, success can be the result of winning or setting a new personal record. On Saturday, the Gators did both. Lauren Butler had her furthest throw of the year to win the shot put. Fellow thrower Kristen Collins and heptathlete Emily Norton set new personal records in the event. Beth Muller is running faster than she ever has at this time of year. Her performances this weekend rank her 1st in the conference in the 55m and 2nd in the 200m. Hannah Smith and Holly Wilson both improved on their best triple jump performances this year.

The distance events were dominated by blue and gold. Zac Ross and Mia Symoniak won the 3k's and qualified for the conference championships. Ryan Sullivan (3rd place) and Pat McLaughlin (4th) also ran fast enough in the 3k to qualify for conferences. In the mile, Tony Dipre won by more than 4 seconds. Mike Vlah (3rd place), Ryan Hanson (4th), and Ben Eyer (5th) all improved on their season bests, with Ben adding his name to the others on the conference qualifiers list. In the women's race, Sam Zink ran a huge season best to finish 2nd and qualify for the conference meet. Andrew Mahone continued his steady improvement by cutting another 2.48 seconds off this season's 800m time. In the 5k, Katie Stancik and Emily Dunn went 1-2, while Matt Lacombe finished 3rd for the men. Also in the race, senior Mike Faix set a new PR.

If the weather cooperates, the Distance Medley Relays and Lauren Butler will compete at Boston on Friday and Saturday. The whole team returns to action at Kent State in 2 weeks.

Watch Beth Muller (lane 3) run the 55m trials at the Jim Wuske Invitational: