RIPON, Wisconsin – The Ripon track and field programs started strong at the Midwest Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships inside the Willmore Center on Friday, setting a pair of school records on the men's side and setting themselves up for a shot at two three-peats on Saturday.
 
Two school records – Jacoby Cefalu in the 60-meter dash (6.88) and Cefalu, Jacob Davies, Finley Manning and Dameco Walker in the 4x200 relay (1:28.77) – highlighted the opening day for Ripon. Cefalu broke his own 60-dash record, setting a new standard for the fifth time this season, with a 6.88 showing in the prelims. He will race in the finals on Saturday.
 
Ripon's quartet not only set a school record and took first in the 4x200 with a 1:28.77 time but also produced the ninth-fastest 4x200 relay time in Division III track and field history.
 
Ripon claimed two of the three spots on the podium in the women's 5,000-meter run – Mikayla Flyte won the MWC championship with a 17:51.69 time, while Alison Denamur was third in 17:56.30. In a thrilling women's mile, Jenny Cortes edged out Lawrence's Cristyn Oliver, the defending MWC champion, with a 5:12.91 performance to claim first in that event. Two more Red Hawks won field events on Friday – Walker successfully defended his MWC long jump title in 7.28m and Kalyn Otzelberger won the shot put after finishing as runner-up last season, doing so in 12.68m.
 
The women's sprint medley relay team of Devin Ibarra, Kynaeda Gray, Madylyn Woyak and Minnie Hoffman came in second with a time of 4:23.93 to earn all-conference honors in that event. In the women's high jump, Bridget Finn earned All-MWC laurels with a third-place finish, doing so in 1.55m, while Sidney Hoffa was named an all-conference long jumper (5.21m) for taking third. Finn also qualified for Saturday's 60-meter hurdles finals by taking third in the prelims (9.91), as did Dorian Phillips in the men's 60-meter hurdles (9.02). In another short-distance sprint, Logan Vander Galien qualified for Saturday's 60-meter dash finals in 7.07 seconds.
 
Team scores through day one are below.

Men

1. Cornell, 45 points
2. Ripon, 43 points
3. Monmouth, 40.5 points
4. Grinnell, 30 points
5. Illinois College, 25.5 points
6. Lawrence, 24 points
7. Knox, 11 points
8. Lake Forest, 8 points
9. Beloit, 7 points

Women

1. Ripon, 72.5 points
2. Monmouth, 60.5 points
3. Illinois College, 40 points
4. Grinnell, 37 points
5. Cornell, 33 points
6. Beloit, 26.5 points
7. Lawrence, 26 points
8. Knox, 13.5 points
9. Lake Forest, 2 points

UP NEXT
Ripon continues the MWC Championships on Saturday (February 24) beginning at 10:30 a.m. with field events.
 
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