Gustavus hosted the 12th annual Drake Alternative last weekend despite temperatures in the mid-40s, harsh winds and predictions of snow.
Senior Steve Groskreutz won the 400 meter hurdles thanks to a strong finishing kick and took second in the 110 meter hurdles. Senior Emily Klatt was a top performer for the women’s team, as she won the triple jump and recorded a pair of second place finishes in the long jump and the 200 meter dash.
“I was pretty excited when it all ended,” Klatt said. “It was a lot of fun to go out there and, despite the forty degree weather, record [personal records].”
Junior Ryan Ness won javelin for the men, Junior Ally Voss set the school record for women’s pole vaulting en route to a first place finish and Senior Danielle Burgmeier took the win in the 400 meter hurdles.
The athletes also battled against low temperatures on Saturday.
“You can’t make an excuse with the weather, because everyone is affected by it. It could have been worse; there was snow on the ground at this meet last year,” Klatt said. “A lot of the team stepped up. There were a few [Personal Records] despite the weather and the relay teams did really well too.”
Sophomore Tanner Davenport was one of those who set a personal record as he dropped nearly seven seconds from his time in the men’s 1500.
“We’ve had a solid six months of training and our whole mid-distance group has been challenged to work hard day-in and day-out,” Davenport said after the meet.
“I felt good about our team’s performance as a whole, too,” Davenport said. “I can really see progress both individually and as a team. It’s encouraging to see that and makes me very excited for the upcoming conference championships when we’ll see what our team can do against the rest of the MIAC.”
There are plenty of reasons to be excited about the Gusties’ chances at the MIAC championships.
For the women, Voss is ranked at the top of the conference in pole vault. Burgmeier is second in the conference in the 400 meter hurdles, Junior Beth Hauer in 10k, First-year Rachel Colter in javelin and First-year Sara Lundgren in the 400 meter dash.
The Gustie men lead the conference in the following events: Groskreutz, Senior Josh Owens, and Sophomore Blair Riegel lead the conference in the 110 and 400 meter hurdles, pole vault, the 100 meter dash and the triple jump respectively. The men’s 4×100 meter relay team currently holds the fastest time in the conference, as well.
Sophomore Cameron Clause and Senior Erica Roelofs are nationally ranked in the decathlon and heptathlon.
They will compete this weekend, May 4-5, at the Multis Conference Championship. This year’s MIAC Championships will be held in Moorhead, Minn., from May 11-12.