Multiple Personal Bests Set during the First Day of Don Kirby Invite and Iowa State Classic

Don Kirby Invitational
FloTrack Stream | Live Stats | Day One Results | Meet Page |
 
Iowa State Classic
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Albuquerque, N.M. & Ames, Iowa (February 8, 2019) – Northern Arizona University's track & field program participated in two separate meets today in Ames, Iowa for the Iowa State Classic and Albuquerque, N.M., for the Don Kirby Invitational. This was the second time the Lumberjacks were on the road for the 2019 indoor season.
 
The Iowa State Classic hosted by Iowa State would see men's and women's distance teams compete against some of the top competition in the country.
 
Freshman distance runner Jenna McCaffrey placed 24^th overall in the women's 5000m run with a time of 17:12.99; this was the first time this season she ran the 5000m. In the women's 5000m invite senior Miranda Myers placed 16^th after crossing the finish line at 16:35.70.Myers was about 10 seconds short of her personal best of 16:25.21 in that event set at the NCAA West Preliminary Round last year.
 
In the men's 3000m race freshman Brodey Hasty led the way for the Lumberjacks finishing third with a time of 8:09.40. Hasty shattered his personal best of 8:41.00 set at the Mountain T's Invite last week. Teammate and fellow freshman Ryan Raff would finish sixth (8:10.56) and also set a personal record in this event (prior time: 8:41.41 @ the Lumberjack Team Challenge).
 
Junior Cade Burks placed 25^th overall in the men's 5000m run (14:16.15).Burks set a personal best in the 5000m at Iowa State improving from his previous time of 14:31.59 set at the Bryan Clay Invitational last season.
 
Sophomore Jack Shea (14:17.62) was right behind Burks in 27^th-place to come in second for the 'Jacks. Seniors Harvey Nelson (38^th, 14:24.71) and Kyle Havriliak (41^st, 14:29.99) also raced in the 5000m. Nelson set a personal record in the event beating his previous time of 14:29.86 set at the Bryan Clay Invitational last year. Havriliak had a noticeable improvement from his previous personal best (15:08.71, @ Big Sky Championships).

The men's 3000m invite saw freshman Luis Grijalva place second (7:55.26) just behind Wisconsin junior Olin Hacker (7:53.88). Junior Geordie Beamish also placed in the top five coming in at third with a time of 7:56.84. Beamish beat his time of 8:10.06 set at the 2017 Iowa State Classic to set a new personal best. Senior Tyler Day would also place 11^th in the 3000m invite (8:01.15).

Meanwhile in Albuquerque a handful of both track and field athletes would compete for the 'Jacks at the Don Kirby Invitational hosted by New Mexico.

The men's long jump competition at Don Kirby saw junior Cameron Rayford take 10^th-place with a mark of 7.23m. Senior Obang Odol also placed 10^th in the men's high jump (2.02m).

Junior Helena McLeod placed 12^th in the women's long jump with a mark of 5.74m.

Senior Clarissa Maxey placed 26^th in the women's 400m dash (57.87 sec.).

The men's 3000m run saw Paradise Valley transfer Aldo Marquez and freshman Collin Ullrich both placing in the top-15 of that race. Marquez finished in eighth (8:39.24), while Ullrich placed 13^th (8:50.81). Marquez beat his previous time of 8:52.27 set at the Mountain T's Invite last week to set a new personal record. Ullrich also set a new personal best (8:57.212, @ 2019 Mountain T's Invite).

Mikayala Malaspina, a redshirt-junior, and senior Shannon Molvin both cracked the top-10 in the women's 3000m run at Don Kirby. Malaspina placed fifth (10:05.84) and Molvin placed eighth (10:17.73). Malaspina's time was seconds short of her current personal record of 10:04.24 set at the 2017 Big Sky Championships. Junior Zoe Wall (16^th, 10:38.85) and freshman Abby Riordan (10:54.13) also raced in the 3000m. Riordan would break her previous personal best of 10:58.96 set at the Lumberjack Team Challenge earlier this past January.

Sophomore Alex Alton took fifth-place in the men's 600m run. Alton's time of 1:25.30 was milliseconds ahead of teammate freshman Michael Marchica's sixth-place time of 1:25.34.

Sophomore Rita Sakharov (1:41.31) and junior Dana Padget (1:41.51) both ran in the women's 600m race taking 17^th and 18^th-place.

In the women's 200m dash at Don Kirby senior Jasmine Malone placed 10^th with a time of 23.89 seconds. Fellow Lumberjack sophomore Jada Jackson would place 60^th after posting a 25.14 second race.

Tyren Wolfe was the top finisher for the Lumberjacks in the men's 200m dash. The junior placed 20^th overall (21.87 sec.). Reigning Big Sky Male Track Athlete of the Week true freshman Christopher Grant would place 26^th (22.13 sec.) in the same event.  

Kevin Cooney took third in the men's weight throw competition with a new personal best of 19.92m; he would shatter his previous best of 17.95m set at Friday Night Duals in January. Senior thrower Brady Williams also set a new personal record in the weight throw with his eighth-place mark of 18.49m; his previous best was a 18.01m mark at the 2019 Lumberjack Team Challenge. Junior Jacob Kaufman would place 15^th in the men's weight throw competition at the Don Kirby Invite. His final mark of 16.98m beat his personal record of 16.86m set last week at Mounatin T's.

The Lumberjacks will compete in day two of both the Don Kirby Invitational and Iowa State Classic tomorrow. Both meets will have coverage provided by FloTrack.