CSM gains valuable experience at highly competitive Jim Duncan Invitational
DES MOINES, Iowa -- Madalynn Rhodes and Claire Caspersen led a contingent of 11 for the College of Saint Mary track and field team at the Jim Duncan Invitational, held at Drake Stadium.
Rhodes placed third in the javelin with a throw of 37.36m and was the top NAIA finisher. Caspersen finished sixth in the shot put with a mark of 13.94m, second among NAIA competitors.
Coach Jerrid Johansen said, "Madalynn had a solid day in the Javelin but was a little off her game today. She's very consistent so even on her off days she's still going to compete at a very high level, and third place today is a good result. And Claire had her best day of the outdoor season so far with two marks approaching 14 meters. The most positive thing for Claire was her best throw today came in the finals rather than the preliminary round. That was nice to see."
The Jim Duncan Invite host schools from across all divisions (NCAA I, II, III, NAIA, NJCAA) and limits entries for each event.
On the track, Brooke Wigdahl had the highest finish for the Flames, placing seventh in the 3000m steeplechase with a time of 12:14.27. Mira Fosmer placed 14th in the 800m with a time of 2:24.51. Lorena Ramirez ran the 1,500m in 5:17.70, good for 17th place and Chloe Inhelder ran a season-best time of 5:21.84 to finish in 21st place.
"I thought our four distance athletes competed very well today against tough competition in breezy conditions. They all got out hard and were aggressive early, which was good to see. They all ran out of a little bit of steam at the end of their races, but that wasn't too surprising after a hard week of training. I think good things are on the horizon for the distance squad," opined an optimistic Johansen.
Rounding out the competitors for the Flames were Tavia Williams and Marie Bias in the shot put, Chainey Thompson and Olivia Joyce in the triple jump, and Allison Isaacson in the pole vault.
"Even though we didn't see any personal bests today, this was a positive experience for our athletes. It was a high-quality meet that our athletes needed to qualify for, and it was held at one of the iconic track facilities in the country. It had the feel of a championship-level meet, and hopefully it will help prepare us for the GPAC meet in three weeks," stated Johansen, looking ahead to the postseason.
The Flames next compete at Doane University's Jim Dutcher Invitational on Friday-Saturday, Apr. 19-20.