DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) -Â The Loras Track & Field team enjoyed the luxuries of home on Saturday as they hosted the Dr. Tucker Loras Open. Inclement weather was a concern entering the weekend, but the rain held off, allowing for a full day of great competition.
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On the day, the Duhawks earned 12 top-three performances on the men's side, including wins in the 400m, 5k, and Discus.Â
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Just days after competing at the Drake Relays, senior
Josh Goerdt returned to the Rock Bowl where he posted a season best in the 400m, finishing in 48.72. His previous best this season was 48.88. Junior
Stedman Foster finished third in the 400m with his time of 50.23.
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In the 5k, freshmen
Timothy Sevcik and
Mason Tope dominated the field, finishing first and second respectively. While neither time was a personal best for either runner, they were two of three runners to finish sub-16:00 in the race.
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Loras' third individual winner was senior
Jordan Burkholder in the Discus. His throw of 44.04m edged out the competition by .44m.
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Freshman
Andrew O'Neill posted a personal best in the 100m Hurdles, finishing second in the process. O'Neill's time of 16.08 was nearly two seconds faster than his previous best of 17.94.
Senior
Zac Gassman shed .2 seconds off his previous personal record, finishing in second in the 200m Dash with a time of 22.24. Gassman, like Goerdt, competed at the Drake Relays on Thursday as a member of the 4x400 Relay team.
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In the 400m Hurdles, it was junior
Jake Brock scoring a second place finish with his time of 59.89. Junior
Sam Whan ran to a third place finish in the 800m with a time of 1:58.05, a season best.Â
Junior
Evan Rossing earned a second place finish in the javelin and
Keontae Neely took second in the long jump with his mark of 6.68m.
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In the 3000m Steeplechase, the Duhawks were dominant, finishing 1-2-3. Senior
Ryan Sheeran lead the way with his time of 10:04.75. Just behind him was senior
Adam Varnas who posted a time of 10:14.46, while sophomore
Ben Hedges took third with his time of 10:20.44.
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Junior
Greg Cox rounded out the top performances for the men with his third place finish in the high jump with a mark of 1.77m.
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In the women's competition, sophomore
Alexis Hanson had a successful day, winning the 400 and placing in the 200 and 4x100. Her time of 59.63 in the 400 was just behind her season best, which she set in Loras' first outdoor meet of the year, the Knox Outdoor Open.
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In the 200, Hanson took third with a time of 26.42, less than one second behind the winner.Â
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Senior
Emily Sotelo put forth a solid effort in the 400m Hurdles, finishing third with a time of 69.73.
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In the relay events, Loras finished second in the 4x100 and third in the 4x400. With a time of 50.33, the Duhawks just missed out on a season best and are currently on the outside looking in the top-50 in the nation.
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Sophomore
Elizabeth Brandenburg continued her dominate sophomore campaign with another win in the pole vault, this time setting a personal best with a mark of 3.68m. This height moves her into 14th in the country.
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Finishing in a tie for second in the pole vault was sophomore
Amy Gladis, who posted a height of 3.23m, tying with Caitlin Hare of UW-Platteville.
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Sophomore
Amelia Acompanado and senior
Chalea Coleman leapt their way to two top-three finishes in the triple jump on Saturday. For Acompanado, her mark of 10.67m was a personal record, edging out a 10.40m distance from the UW-Platteville Invitiational in 2014. Coleman's jump of 10.64m didn't quite set a personal best, but was enough for a third place finish.
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Senior
Morgan Steere made the most of her final meet in the Rock Bowl, winning the shot put with her mark of 13.05m and taking third in the discus with a personal record of 36.74m.
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Loras will compete at the UD Invitational next Friday in their final competition before the 2015 Iowa Conference Championships which are set to be held on the campus of Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa.
