RIPON, Wis. -- The Ripon College track and field teams turned in a strong all-around performance Saturday while hosting the Dick Hendricks Invite and celebrating their seniors on Senior Day. The Invite was highlighted by multiple relay victories, an individual event title, and continued momentum across the roster.
Senior Jenny Cortes (Round Lake, Ill., Round Lake HS) led the way on the track, capturing the women's 800 meters in a season-best 2:16.51 to score 10 team points. Freshman Leah Page (Ripon, Wis., Ripon HS) added a personal record in the same event (2:30.99), while junior Mya Garcia (Chino Hills, Calif., Brea Olinda HS) earned a runner-up finish in the women's 5,000 meters (20:15.76).
Senior Dorian Phillips (Clinton, Wis., Clinton HS) continued his standout indoor campaign in the 60-meter hurdles. He posted a personal-best 8.88 in prelims before finishing third in the finals with a time of 8.95. In the 200 meters, freshman Erik Woodward (Juda, Wis., Broadhead-Juda HS) placed fourth with a season-best 22.95, and freshman Craige Johnson (Evans, Ga., Greenbrier HS) followed with a personal-best 23.69.
Ripon's relay squads delivered some of the biggest highlights of the afternoon. The men's 1,600-meter sprint medley relay team raced to a first-place finish in 3:40.93. The women's sprint medley relay team matched that effort with a victory in 4:25.35.
The men's 4x200-meter relay team of sophomore Kaden Taddey (Eden, Wis., Campbellsport HS), Johnson, senior Finley Manning (St. Johns, Newfoundland, Canada, Holy Heart of Mary HS), and junior Elijah Barajas (Racine, Wis., Racine Horlick HS) added another first-place finish with a season-best 1:33.76, while the men's distance medley relay placed second in 11:09.47.
In the field events, junior Chloe Studinski (Oshkosh, Wis., Lourdes Academy) and freshman Ren Fritz (Bozeman, Mont., Gallatin HS) tied for third in the high jump (1.45m). Freshman Napolean Doster (Miami, Fla., Rockmart HS) placed fifth in the long jump (6.36m). Junior Braedy Picard (Neenah, Wis., Xavier HS) led the throwers with a fifth-place finish in the shot put (13.34m), and sophomore Hannah Michaels (Waukesha, Wis., Waukesha North HS) placed fifth in the women's weight throw (13.63m).
Midwest Elite
A select group of Red Hawks competed Friday at the Midwest Elite meet hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where sophomore Joley Berger (Dunbar, Wis., Pembine HS) delivered a historic performance.
Berger placed sixth in a highly competitive women's 5,000 meters field, clocking 17:29.11 to break the Ripon school record in the event. The mark adds to her already impressive indoor campaign and stands as one of the top distance performances in program history.
On the men's side, freshman Finn Lettau (Neenah, Wis., Neenah HS) ran a personal-best 16:01.41 in the 5,000 meters, while sophomore Jaxon Hornby (Marshall, Wis., Marshall HS) also posted a PR in 16:12.48. Senior Jeremy Saloun (Portage, Wis., Portage HS) crossed the line in 16:04.11 to round out a strong night for the distance crew.
The combination of record-breaking performances at Whitewater and a balanced team effort at home positions Ripon well as the indoor season continues.
Ripon will now turn its attention to the UW-Oshkosh Titan Challenge on Saturday, Feb 21 at 10:30am.
