Kearney, Neb. – The Nebraska Kearney track and field team won three events and had nine all-time top 10 efforts at the Bearcat Invitational this weekend in Maryville, Mo.

The large two-day meet began Friday afternoon with the multi-events and wrapped up Saturday night.

For a fourth straight meet redshirt junior Lily Novacek (Kearney H.S.) recorded a personal best in the weight throw. She broke her own school record set just last week (63-6.75) by going 63-8.75 to pace a field that saw three others reach at least 61-3.50. Novacek continues to lead the MIAA and remains fourth in Division II; sophomore Molly Winner of Ashland (Ohio) leads at 65-9.

Seniors Colby Spangler (Kearney H.S.) and Jackson Clausen (Norfolk) were UNK's other winners. Spangler went 47-0.25 to lead 20 triple jumpers with Clausen having a career-low 21.84 to win the 200. The field included 63 others, and he moves up a spot to third all-time. Clausen also had a career-best 6.88 in the 60-meter prelims; that moves him up to fifth on the all-time list.  

Next, freshman Will Kulhanek (Lexington) ran 22.01 to be fifth in the 200, the fifth best time in school history, and was the second leg for the third place DMR team (9:46.61). They now rank fifth all-time with seniors Zach Van Brocklin (Cortland) and Payton Davis (David City) and sophomore Reed Emsick (Omaha Burke) the other members. Their time currently ranks sixth in Division II and second in the MIAA. Finally on the men's side, Ravenna junior Jesse Drahota was third in the heptathlon (4,358 points), Van Brocklin was sixth in the 800 (1:52.38; eighth all-time) and Sidney junior Mitchell Deer was 10th in the 400 (48.98; sixth all-time).

Dannebrog sophomore Sydney Davis led a herd of Lopers in the women's high jump by going a season-best 5-6 to come in third. Three others went 5-2.25 to place four through six. In the vault, Holdrege senior Samantha Schemper and Kansas freshman Maddy Carpenter-Ross both cleared 11-0.25 to tie for third with four other Lopers in the top 10.

On the track, UNK had three in the mile top six led by York junior Brynn Hirschfeld (2nd/5:01.16; eighth all-time) with the DMR team managing a fourth-place finish (12:05.15; fourth all-time). That squad consisted of freshman Kassidy Stuckey (York H.S.) and Reece Ewoldt (Blair) and sophomore Charis Robinson (Olathe, Kan.) and junior Maeli Meier (Overton).  

UNK competes in the Ichabod Invite next weekend in Topeka.