The Braves, led by junior Mary Goldkamp, had a strong showing at the inaugural Gateway Classic at Southern Illinois- Edwardsville.
The women’s track and field team took home 11 top-10 finishes, including seven top-five finishes at Southern Illinois University this past weekend.
Goldkamp won the 1,500-meter run, posting a time of 4:31 and earned third place in the 400 meter dash with a time of 59:34.
The Braves earned four more top-10 finishes in the 400-meter run. Senior Katie Nowak placed fifth in the 400 meter, less than half a second behind Goldkamp. Nowak also placed second in the 1,500-meter run, two seconds behind Goldkamp.
Sophomore Michelle Hartman earned sixth in the 400-meter with a time of 1:00, junior Leann Murphy took ninth with a time of 1:02 and junior Lynsi Hermann rounded out the top 10 with a time of 1:13.
Freshman Nicole Benson earned two top-10 finishes at the event, in the 800 meter and 1,500 meter run. In the 800 meter, she placed third with a time of 2:15 and fifth in the 1,500 meter with 4:39.
Senior Rachel Brubaker also picked up a top-10 finish in the 1,500 meter, taking ninth place with a time of 4:52.
The performances of both Goldkamp and Nowak currently rank No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, on the Missouri Valley Conference outdoor season-best list for the 1,500-meter run.
The final top-10 finishes came when sophomore Lyndsey Cleghorn cleared a height of 1.55 meters in the high jump, good for fourth in the event.
There are four weeks left until the MVC outdoor meet and coach Dave Beauchem said things are looking good for the Braves.
“Benson, Goldkamp and Nowak are all looking for performances that will be All-MVC and also have the opportunity to make it to the NCAA post-season,” Beauchem said.
The Braves will compete in the Stan Lyons Invitational at Butler University in Indianapolis tomorrow.
