4×400-Meter Relay Team Resets School Record at SBU Bearcat Invitational

The Westminster women’s 4×400-meter relay team reset the 4×400-meter relay school record at the Southwest Baptist University Bearcat Two-Day Invitational. The women’s team finished 4th out of 7 teams, while the men placed 5th out of 6 teams. The Westminster Blue Jays were the lone Division III team out of the seven teams.

The 4×400-meter relay team, consisting of senior Sarah Ogar, juniors Nyima Njie and Danielle Smulczenski, and freshman Rachel Bade, shaved .35 seconds off the previously held school record, placing 4th with a time of 4:15.25.

Ogar and Bade also competed in the 800-meter run and the 400-meter dash. Ogar finished the 800-meter run in 2:24.49, placing 2nd. Bade crossed shortly after, placing 8th with a 2:34.63 time. Ogar placed 4th in the 400-meter dash with a 1:01.38 time; Bade placed 7th with a 1:04.12 time.

Junior Tanisha Terrell and Njie both ran the 100 and 200-meter dash. Terrell and Njie finished .29 seconds apart with Terrell placing 6th (13.34) and Njie placing 7th (13.63) in the 100-meter dash. In the 200-meter dash, Njie placed 4th with a 27.94 time and Terrell crossed the finish line in 28.58 seconds, placing 6th.

Sophomore Brier Skogsberg rounded out the women’s track portion of the Invitational with a 6th place finish (11:33.31) in the 3000-meter run.

Senior Matt Borst and junior Daniel Lindaman raced in the 1500-meter run and the 3000-meter run. Borst finished first for the Blue Jays in both, placing 10th (4:11.91) in the 1500-meter run and 7th in the 3000-meter run with a 9:22.66 time. Lindaman placed 13th (4:16.50) in the 1500-meter run and 9th (9:34.16) in the 3000-meter run.

Senior Jake Burch placed 8th in the 5000-meter run with a time of 18:39.34, and freshman TJ Tijkuzu placed 9th in the men’s 400-meter dash, finishing with a time of 53.97.

Sophomore Jen Herndon and Smulczenski competed in the field portion of the SBU Bearcat Invitational for the women’s team. Herndon took two 4th place finishes, throwing the shot put 10.18 meters and the discus 25.56 meters. She also placed 6th in the javelin with a 27.8 meter throw. Smulczenski finished with two 5th place finishes in the javelin throw (28.01m) and the discus (25.5m).

Senior Gus Lyles, juniors Dan Breihan and Mike Lutz, and sophomore Christian Houston competed in the field portion of the Invitational for the men’s team.

Breihan placed 4th in the triple jump with a 11.63 meter jump and 5th in the long jump with a 6.02 meter jump.

Lyles placed 6th in the javelin throw with a 42.72 meter finish. He placed 9th in the shot put (10.89m) and 11th in the discus throw (28.18m)

Lutz placed 9th (27.59m) in the hammer throw. He finished with two 10th place finishes in the discus (28.9m) and the shot put (10.79m). He also had a 12th place finish in the javelin throw with a 28.97m finish.

Houston had one 10th place finish in the hammer throw (24.39m) and two 12th place finishes in the shot put (9.87m) and discus (21.81m).

The men’s and women’s track and field team will compete next in the William Jewell Darrel Gourley Open on Saturday, April 12.