A fast track surface led to fast times for the Baker University track teams Saturday at the Highland Community College Quadrangular.
Coming off a challenging meet at Iowa State University, Baker athletes used this meet to develop both in their traditional events and ones they haven’t yet competed in, head coach Rob Mallinder said.
Perhaps the most noticeable Wildcat athlete at the meet was freshman Ashlee Miller, who placed fourth in the 55-meter hurdles, an event she had not competed in prior to this meet.
“We’re still putting athletes in events, and we’re still trying to find a good fit for them,” assistant coach Mackie Valentin said.
The women’s team finished in third place, and the men’s team took seventh place.
Junior Chelsey Ornburn tied for first place in the pole vault event with 3.00 meters. Sophomore Katey Wegemer and freshman Kelsey Heckathorne placed first and second, respectively, in the 400-meter dash with a difference of 0:01.03.
Junior Jessica Uhler and freshman Mikayla Medlock also added top-five finishes in the 600-meter run and 1000-meter run.
The track at Highland is not as extensive and spread out as the facility at Iowa State, and runners were forced to adjust technique when going into the turns.
“You have to run completely different,” senior Lori Seidl said. “The corners are a lot sharper so you had to change your running style. There are a lot of mental components that go into it.”
These mental components can include anything from the footing, energy reservations, passing chances or even the head tilts of the runners in the outside lanes.
Freshman Kome Okiomah earned third place in the 55-meter dash after initially placing fourth in the preliminaries.
Sophomore Donnie Gardner placed fourth in the 3000-meter run, sophomore Trevor Gleason took fifth place in the 200-meter dash, and freshman Aaron Hannon placed fifth in the 55-meter hurdles.
As of Tuesday, senior Brent Randle is second in national rankings for the triple jump and sixth in the long jump. Okiomah is ranked fourth nationally in the 60-meter dash, and junior transfer Richie Bryant is ranked 24th in the 60-meter dash.
These athletes have been fortunate enough to stay healthy during the season so far, but some other track athletes are working and waiting to compete again.
Junior Zach Atzeni, senior LaTasha Roberts and sophomore Regan Boyer are out this season because of injuries.
The teams will compete Saturday at the Cornell College Hilltop Invitational in Mt. Vernon, Iowa.