Track & Field Handles the Heat in Tucson

TUCSON, Ariz. (April 30, 2022) – The Northern Arizona track and field program posts 29 conference scoring marks at the Desert Heat Classic. 

Jennifer Slater started the day for the Lumberjacks, throwing the women's hammer 53.95 meters to rank seventh in the Big Sky; NAU currently has three women in the top-eight of the event. Meanwhile, Will Beaudry (59.31m) and Jack Murphy (59.08m) threw conference scoring marks as well; three men also rank within the top-eight slots this season. 

The throws continued with Rudy Tapia recording a personal best mark of 51.46m in the men's discus to become eighth in the Big Sky, Jake Arnold (17.37m) posting what would be a third place mark in the men's shot put if he did not already own third this season, and Jade Kwinn throwing 45.02m to rank fourth in the conference. 

The jump squad also found success in the field, as Mitchell Effing triple jumped a lifetime best 15.45m for third on the Big Sky rankings list, and Jenna Figueroa's (12.03m) triple jump marked sixth-best in the conference this season. 

Meanwhile, the women's distance crew went to work on the track; Jenna McCaffrey (10:29.46) and Nikita Moore (10:29.91) tied for fifth on the steeplechase Big Sky list this season, while Elise Stearns (4:22.80), Annika Reiss (4:23.96), and Maggi Congdon (4:27.37) respectively posted second, fourth, and eighth place Big Sky 1500-meter performances; Bryn Morley (2:09.77) and Stearns (2:11.52) now rank fourth and seventh on the women's 800-meter conference rankings list. 

As for the hurdlers, Alex Alton ran the men's 400-meter hurdles in 52.41 to rank fifth in the Big Sky, as Trenton Givens (14.06) and Wil Peralta (14.48) ran the third and seventh 110-meter hurdle season-best Big Sky times. 

The sprinters produced eleven conference scoring marks, as Alyssa Colbert (11.58), and David Dunlap (20.85) both recorded third-place Big Sky finishes in the women's and men's 100-meter dash; Colbert (24.33) and Dunlap (20.85) also respectively posted performances second to only themselves on the conference leaderboard this season. Madeline Wilson (24.49) became seventh in the Big Sky as well. 

Four Lumberjack women rank within the top-eight of the Big Sky 400-meter list, as Miracle Onyemaobi, who currently holds the fastest time this season, ran 54.70 in Tucson tonight, which would tie for second place, Melanie Loff (55.05) ranks fourth, LiNay Perry (55.06) sits fifth, and Kyairra Reigh (55.77) ranks seventh. 

The men's (3:16.60) and women's (3:40.40) 4x400-meter relays also respectively tied their previous Big Sky rankings of fifth and first place this season.