Bulldogs find success at Jim Dutcher Invite

Photo credit: Maximus Fritsche

By Kai Olbrich

Sports Editor

The Bulldog track and field team adapted well to an adjusted meet schedule at the Jim Dutcher Invite at Doane University, as they claimed 12 event titles over the three-day event.

Due to cold and windy weather over much of the weekend, the meet was broken up into two sections, with events occurring on April 15-16 and April 19.

Senior Adrianna Rodencal once again stole the show as she posted times in the women’s 100 and 400-meter hurdles that lead the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. Rodencal’s 100-meter hurdles time was a blistering 13.04, which is over half a second faster than the nation’s second-best time. She then ran 58.02 in the 400-meter hurdles, a personal best by nearly a second.

Rodencal did not compete in the finals of the 100-meter hurdles, which left the track open for senior Kayla Svoboda to claim the event title with a time of 14.51.

Also in the hurdles, junior Hayden Kluthe took the win in the men’s 110-meter. Kluthe ran a 14.74, followed closely by freshman Braxton Borer in 14.81.

The sophomores had a successful day in the mid-distance events as Adysen McCarter won the 400 with a 57.04, and Lucas Corwin put up a 1:54.06 in the men’s 800.

The Robertson siblings were back at it again, this week taking titles in the same event. Junior Trey Robertson ran the men’s 3k steeplechase in 9:47.31 while freshman Ashley Robertson ran the women’s race in 12:04.56.

The Bulldogs were also able to find favor in the field with multiple event wins. Junior Emry Gutz continued his javelin dominance with a throw of 57.02 meters. Freshman Makenna Starkey achieved the national B standard in the women’s high jump with a 1.67-meter mark.

The Bulldogs had three relays take first place. The women’s 4×100, composed of McCarter, Rodencal, junior Kiki Nyanok and senior Kayla Kirchner, ran the race in 47 seconds flat. The men’s 4×100 came down to a photo finish as the squad of freshman Jett Farwell, Tayven Genereux, Ben Sullivan and sophomore Xavier Marburger beat out Doane by one one-hundredth of a second to win with a 42.98.

Finally, the women’s 4×800 claimed first in 9:38.88. The team members were Robertson, juniors Landri Loos and Claire Beikmann, and freshman Izzi Brumbaugh.

The Bulldogs have two events next week as they are just a month away from nationals. The first is the Nebraska Prairie Wolf Invite at Nebraska Wesleyan on April 23. The second is the famous Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, on the campus of Drake University. The meet will take place from April 23 to 25.