The Wartburg track and field teams brought home second- and seventh-place finishes as they hosted the Wartburg Outdoor Select. The women brought home second place while the men finished in seventh.

“We wanted to put our athletes in a position where they can be successful as they work towards their outdoor goals,” head coach Marcus Newsom said.

Three women’s races provisionally qualified for the national meet. Hannah Baker won the 400-meter dash and provisionally qualified in her 4x400-meter relay and the 4x100-meter relay teams.

Her 4x400 team, made up of Jenny Kordick, Jen Ganshirt and Kelsey Steffens raced to a tight finish and came out in second place.

Her 4x100 team was one of two teams that finished at the top. The team of Kordick, Baker, KeAnna Martin and Steffens also provisionally qualified.

The second Wartburg 4x100 team made up of Shatrece Burt, Brittany Thomas, Ganshirt and Akeya Aimable finished second.

Jennifer Kuiken finished first in the 1,500-meter run and second in the 800-meter run. She also finished second in the 800.

Wartburg had top finishes in the 100 and the 5,000. In the 100-meter dash Aimable won while teammate Brittany Thomas finished in third.

In the 5,000-meter run, Anna Kraayenbrink finished second and Lori Tlach finished just behind her.

“Anna and Lori had great performances, and I think our whole team had great performances across the board,” Newsom said.

KeAnna Martin brought home second place in the 200-meter dash, and Brittany Melloy won the Heptathlon with 3,523 points.

The women finished second with 133 points, while Western Illinois won the meet with 145.5.

“It talks about the caliber of our program, in regards to having a Div. I program competing at our institution,” Newsom said, referring to Western Illinois.

Men finish seventh

Western Illinois prevailed on the women’s side of things, but St. Thomas came out on top on the men’s side of things. Wartburg came in seventh with 57 points.

The men were lead by Andy Hodge’s first place finish in the 1,500-meter run. Damoan Lott finished second in the triple jump.

After the competitive meet, the Knights have been looking toward the rest of the outdoor season.

“I feel really good about the upcoming season, I would have to say that we have always been a better outdoor team, so I would say that we are pretty excited for the outdoor season,” Newsom said.