SIOUX CENTER, Iowa – The Great Plains Athletic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships kicked off Friday afternoon despite several weather delays.

The Flames competed in two events Friday – the javelin and the 4x800 relay – and sit in ninth place in team competition.

Madalynn Rhodes led CSM with a fourth-place finish in the javelin. Her best throw Friday was 36.63m (120-02.25). She scored five points for the Flames and earned all-conference honors for the second straight year.

"Madalynn had a solid day today and competed very well," CSM Coach Jerrid Johansen said. "Fourth place is a nice result in a championship meet, but I know she had her sights set on winning the event. She might have been a little too keyed up and pressed just a bit.

"She didn't have her best day, but she's one of the best in the conference – even on her off days."

The relay team of Autumn Simons, Brooke Wigdahl, Abby Ridout and Corinne Mead placed eighth in the 4x800 in a time of 10:30.10. They earned one point for their finish.

"Our relay team got caught out alone early in the race," Johansen said. "With inexperienced runners it can be tough to keep pushing in that situation. The effort was there and we're happy with how Autumn, Brooke, Abby and Corinne represented our team tonight."

The meet will resume Saturday at Open Space Park, hosted by Dordt University.