UNK Finishes Up Regular Season at Home; MIAA's at Washburn

Men's Track and Field 2/19/2021 6:04:00 PM

UNK Finishes Up Regular Season at Home; MIAA's at Washburn

Kearney, Neb. – The Nebraska-Kearney track and field team finished up the regular season in style by winning 16 events (seven women and nine men) at the Loper Tune Up Friday afternoon in Cushing Coliseum.

The meet was actually a non-scored dual with Fort Hays State. The MIAA Indoor Championships is slated for next weekend in Topeka, Kan.

UNK was strong across the board, going one through four in the men's mile, one through three in both the women's shot put and women's weight throw, finishing one through sixth in the men's weight throw and placing one-two in four other events.

Improving her standing on the national list was Grand Island senior Mackenzie Puckett who cleared 39-4.50 in the triple jump. The winning leap moves up to 12th in Division II and she also goes up a spot to third on the UNK all-time top 10.

Next, Hastings junior Seth Simonson won the 800-meter with a career-best 1:52.92 (track conversion to 1:50.47). The effort ranks him fifth nationally at the moment and moves him into seventh place in the Loper record books. Also improving his national standings was Kearney sophomore Brayden Sorensen who cleared a career-best 6-11 to win the high jump. That's the third best height in D2 this winter and ties him for third all-time in school history.

In the men's weight throw Central City redshirt junior Andrew Schuller got off a big 60-5 toss to win with Giltner redshirt sophomore Alex Goracke (60-3) the runner up. They are the sixth and seventh Lopers, respectively, to reach 60 feet with Both now in the nation's top 21. Goracke was first in the shot put (53-11) as well.

Also finding the winner's circle for the men was Ravenna true freshman Jack Drahota (22.91/200 meters; 8.53/60 hurdles), Fremont redshirt freshman Wes Ferguson (2:29.63/1,000), Axtell redshirt freshman Jarett Bertrand (1:15.58/600 yards), and Juniata junior Justin Vrooman (4:24.76/mile). Finally, Ferguson (4th) and McCool Junction junior Luke Stuckey (6th/1,000; 2:30.16) improved their standing on the all-time top 10 list.

Funk junior Baylee Barnett won the women's 1,000-meter run with the fourth-best time (3:02.16) in Loper lore. Iowa senior Maddie Bach (5:11.68) and Imperial senior Destiny Reinke (5:14.53) went one-two in the mile as did Ulysses junior Sinclare Fiala (10:52.56) and Surprise redshirt freshman Allie Frasher (11:18.59) in the 3,000.

In women's field events, McCook senior Tiara Schmidt was a double winner (shot; 45-10.75; weight throw; 60-6) with Kearney junior Haley Schall leading the way in the long jump (17-9.50) and Holdrege senior Baylie Bryant first in the pole vault (12-0).

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Players Mentioned

Jarett Bertrand: Sophomore; So.

Alex Goracke: Redshirt Freshman; Fr-R

Andrew Schuller: Redshirt Sophomore; R-So.

Seth Simonson: Sophomore; So.

Luke Stuckey: Sophomore; So.

Justin Vrooman: Sophomore; So. (I)/Fr-R (O)

Maddie Bach: Redshirt Junior; R-Jr.

Baylee Alstrom: Sophomore; So. (I)/Fr-R (O)

Baylie Bryant: Junior; Jr.

Sinclare Fiala: Sophomore; So.

Players Mentioned

Jarett Bertrand
: Sophomore; So.

Alex Goracke
: Redshirt Freshman; Fr-R

Andrew Schuller
: Redshirt Sophomore; R-So.

Seth Simonson
: Sophomore; So.

Luke Stuckey
: Sophomore; So.

Justin Vrooman
: Sophomore; So. (I)/Fr-R (O)

Maddie Bach
: Redshirt Junior; R-Jr.

Baylee Alstrom
: Sophomore; So. (I)/Fr-R (O)

Baylie Bryant
: Junior; Jr.

Sinclare Fiala
: Sophomore; So.