Track team takes on Musco Twilight

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Courtesy Photo

Maddie Bell, sophomore sprinter/mid-distance runner.

ZACH HUNTLEY, Sports Columnist

The Northern Iowa track and field team performed exceptionally well this weekend at the Musco Twilight Invitational, with both the men and women teams returning with second place finishes. Also competing at the Francis X. Cretzmeyer track (athletic field in Iowa City) were close rivals Iowa, UNI, Drake, Iowa State, Creighton, Loyola and Western Illinois.

Senior Brandon Carnes clinched two top place finishes this weekend, taking both by storm. His 100-meter dash time of 10.06 was a full .32 seconds ahead of his closest competitor. Gaining more separation in the 200-meter, Carnes’ 20.50 time was .45 seconds away from the competition.

In the 400-meter dash, teammates Madisen Irmen and Maddie Bell stayed close again this weekend, taking third and fourth place, recording 56.82 and 57.17 second finishes, respectively.

Moving up to the 800-meter run, the Panthers swept the top three ranks with unattached Brett Corey clinching the quickest finish of the weekend at 2:08.01. Taking top-team points was junior Lindsey Kite at second with 2:09.77 and sophomore Lyndsie Schinkel in third with 2:10.18.

Keeping up their momentum this season, the women’s 4×400 meter team of Jasmine Blue, Maddie Bell, Madisen Irmen and Lindsey Kite who notched first as well, anchoring in at 3 minutes and 44.95 seconds.

In the field events, freshman Jacob Smith made another appearance in the 400-meter hurdles,  taking second in an extremely tight race — finishing only a hundredth of a second behind the victor, who recorded a time of 51.68 seconds.

Another up-and-coming Panther, freshman CJ May, came home with a first place finish in the 3000-meter steeplechase — recording a time of 9:22.84.

Both David Jensen and Kassidy Sharp earned third place finishes in the high jump with heights of 1.95- and 1.7-meters, respectively.

Clinching third in the pole vault was senior Anna Loken, who was only .15-meters short of the leader with her 3.50-meter finish.

Charles Brown continued his reign this year in the field, notching second in the triple jump with a distance of 14.83-meters.

A number of UNI field athletes performed extremely well in the throws this weekend.

Junior Sarah Pate out-performed her competition with great strides, notching a 62.04-meter hammer throw toss for first — followed by a 55.43-meter finish in second place. UNI also took sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth in women’s hammer throw this weekend. Sarah notched third in the discus throw as well, with her 45.95-meter toss. Hope Koerperich wasn’t far behind, as a toss of 45.81-meters earned her a fourth place finish in the event.

On the men’s side of the shot put, Isaac Holtz, Brad Walski and Jake Humpal took third, fourth, and fifth with their 16.96-, 16.81- and 16.76- meter tosses. Again, in the discus throw, Holtz, Walski and Tom Yezek took third, fourth and fifth place with their 52.03-, 51.46- and 51.20-meter throws. Walski returned in the hammer throw to notch second with a distance of 61.48-meters.