APPLETON, Wis. -- The Ripon College track and field teams turned in a strong showing Friday at the Fox River Showdown hosted by Lawrence University, highlighted by multiple event victories and several top-three finishes across the meet.
On the women's side, the Red Hawks dominated the 1500 meters, led by senior Jenny Cortes (Round Lake, Ill., Round Lake HS), who captured first place with a time of 4:43.37. Sophomore Joley Berger (Dunbar, Wis., Pembine HS) followed closely behind in second at 4:45.08, while junior Minnie Hoffman (Oostburg, Wis., Oostburg HS) added a fourth-place finish. Junior Gabby Allard (Appleton, Wis., Kimberly HS), freshman Leah Page (Ripon, Wis., Ripon HS), and junior Mya Garcia (Chino Hills, Calif., Brea Olinda HS) also scored for Ripon in the event.
Ripon also swept the top two spots in the women's 100 meters as sophomore Tatum Trudell (Albany, Ore., South Albany HS) crossed first in 12.82 seconds and junior Sidney Hoffa (Coloma, Wis., Westfield Area HS) finished second in 12.98. Hoffa later added another event title in the long jump with a mark of 5.14 meters.
In the field events, junior Chloe Studinski (Oshkosh, Wis., Lourdes Academy) claimed the high jump title after clearing 1.55 meters, while freshman Carlie Priesgen (Lomira, Wis., Lomira HS) won the shot put with a throw of 11.73 meters and added a third-place finish in discus. Sophomore Hannah Michaels (Waukesha, Wis., Waukesha North HS) contributed second-place points in the javelin and third in shot put for the Red Hawks.
The men's team also collected several first-place finishes throughout the meet. Junior Zak Ladage (Chatham, Ill., Lutheran High School) won the 110-meter hurdles in 15.73 seconds, while sophomore Nick Trzebiatowski (Rosholt, Wis., Rosholt HS) captured the triple jump title with a leap of 11.83 meters. Sophomore Brady Immel (Winneconne, Wis., Winneconne HS) earned first in the discus with a throw of 41.01 meters.
Junior Braedy Picard (Neenah, Wis., Xavier HS) led a strong performance in the throws, winning the shot put at 14.50 meters and finishing second in the hammer throw. Junior Noah Hanson (Ripon, Wis., Ripon HS) added runner-up honors in shot put and fourth in discus.
On the track, Ripon's men posted strong performances in the middle-distance events. Junior Adisun Romprey (Pearson, Wis. Wabeno HS) and freshman Nate Johnson (Neenah, Wis., Neenah HS) finished second and third, respectively, in the 800 meters with both runners breaking the two-minute mark. Freshman Drew Kaufmann (Watertown, Wis., Watertown HS) led the Red Hawks in the 1500 meters with a fifth-place finish in 4:11.19.
Ripon also found success in the relays, as the men's 4x100 relay team of freshman Gus Josephson (Mellen, Wis., Mellen HS), senior Finley Manning (St. Johns, Newfoundland, Canada, Holy Heart of Mary HS), sophomore Kaden Taddey (Eden, Wis., Campbellsport HS), and Trzebiatowski placed second with a time of 45.47 seconds. The women's 4x400 relay team of Cortes, sophomore Gracie Steffes (Mazon, Ill., Seneca HS), Hoffman, and junior Madylyn Woyak (Wautoma, Wis., Wautoma HS) added a third-place finish.
The Red Hawks will next travel to Mount Vernon, Iowa, for the Midwest Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Friday and Saturday, May 8-9.
