GRINNELL, Iowa -- The Red Hawks delivered a strong showing this weekend at the Midwest Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships at Grinnell College, highlighted by a fourth-place finish from the women and a historic performance in the distance medley relay. The Ripon women placed fourth out of nine teams, while the men finished eighth in the conference field.
Ripon's women were once again dominant in the distance medley relay, as junior Ximena Juarez Martinez (Addison, Ill., Addison Trail HS), junior Sidney Hoffa (Coloma, Wis., Westfield Area HS), freshman Leah Page (Ripon, Wis., Ripon HS) and junior Gabby Allard (Appleton, Wis., Kimberly HS) teamed up to capture the program's fourth straight conference title in the event. The quartet combined consistent performances across all four legs to continue its impressive championship streak and secure another gold medal for the Red Hawks. The victory played a major role in the team's fourth-place overall finish and continued a tradition of excellence in the DMR on the conference stage.
Individually, sophomore Joley Berger (Dunbar, Wis., Pembine HS) led the way with a conference championship in the 5,000 meters, crossing the line in 17:44.85 to score 10 points for the Red Hawks. Berger set the tone for a strong distance performance overall, as Allard also contributed with a seventh-place finish in the same event.
Ripon saw scoring efforts across multiple event groups throughout the meet. In the mile, senior Jenny Cortes (Round Lake, Ill., Round Lake HS) placed fourth in 5:07.98, while junior Minnie Hoffman (Oostburg, Wis., Oostburg HS) added an eighth-place finish. The 4x200 relay team of freshman Ren Fritz (Bozeman, Mont., Gallatin HS), sophomore Tatum Trudell (Albany, Ore., South Albany HS), Hoffa and junior Madylyn Woyak (Wautoma, Wis., Wautoma HS) earned a third-place finish, and the sprint medley relay team of Fritz, Trudell, Woyak and sophomore Gracie Steffes (Mazon, Ill., Seneca HS) also placed third, adding valuable team points.
In the field events, junior Chloe Studinski (Oshkosh, Wis., Lourdes Academy) cleared 1.60 meters to take third in the high jump, while Hoffa finished fifth in the long jump. Ripon also scored key points in the pole vault, with freshman Shelby Buddenhagen (Reedsburg, Wis., Reedsburg Area HS) placing fourth and freshman Meredith Clark (Green Lake, Wis., Green Lake HS) finishing fifth. Freshman Carlie Priesgen (Lomira, Wis., Lomira HS) added a sixth-place finish in the shot put to round out the scoring performances for the women.
On the men's side, Braedy Picard (Neenah, Wis., Xavier HS) turned in one of the top performances of the meet for Ripon, placing fourth in the shot put with a throw of 15.15 meters to score five points. Junior Zak Ladage (Chatham, Ill., Lutheran High School) advanced to the finals in the 60-meter hurdles after a strong preliminary race, ultimately taking second place in the event. Freshman Erik Woodward (Juda, Wis., Broadhead-Juda HS) qualified for the finals in the 60-meter dash. In the mile, sophomore Jaxon Hornby (Marshall, Wis., Marshall HS) led the Red Hawks with a ninth-place finish as Ripon competed hard across the distance events.
With a fourth straight DMR title, an individual conference champion in Berger, and scoring performances across sprints, distance and field events, the Red Hawks wrapped up the indoor conference meet with momentum as they prepare to compete in the Ripon NCAA Final Qualifier + Multi at home Friday, March 6, and Saturday, March 7.
