LANSING, Mich. - The Lake Superior State men's and women's track and field teams participated in Central Michigan University's Jack Skoog Open on Saturday, Jan. 29 in Lansing, Mich. at the Central Michigan Indoor Athletic Complex. The Lakers competed against Central Michigan, Detroit Mercy and Alma at the indoor meet.
The Lakers had a number of strong performances at the Jack Skoog Open, highlighted by first place finishes by freshman Jayda Williams in the women's long jump and sophomore Ryan Reiniche in the men's shot put competition.
"Our squad is back in full force minus a few injuries and illnesses," said head coach Tony Filipek, who joined the Lakers in the role earlier this month. "Jayda and Ryan picking up wins in the long jump and shot put proves they are ready to step up to any competition. Our men's distance medley relay team ran a competitive race down to the wire along with David Mitter leading most of the 3000 meter race in his first meet back since Cross Country Nationals. We will continue to grow as a team over the next four weeks as we keep our goals close in mind each step of the way."
Williams, a freshman from Claxton Bay, Trinidad, won the long jump competition with a distance of 5.36 meters. Williams set a new personal record in the event as she moved into fourth place in the GLIAC Performance List rankings this season. In addition to her long jump win, Williams also finished fourth in the women's 60 meter dash with a time of 8.01.
The women's team also had solid performances from freshman Sofia Salazar, who placed third in the 400 meter race with a season-best time of 1:05.99, and senior Brittney Ryan, who finished sixth in the shot put event with a mark of 10.47 meters.
Reiniche, a sophomore from Hillsdale, Mich., won the shot put event with a throw of 13.79 meters. After setting a personal record in the event at the team's last meet (SVSU Classic, 1/14/22), Reiniche placed first in the event among the 10 competitors at the Jack Skoog Open.
In the weight throw, junior Timothy Howes placed fifth in the event with a distance of 12.42 meters. Freshman Kamuran Ramadanov recorded a personal-best distance of 8.49 meters in the event.
The Lakers distance medley relay team of Roy Bowman, Michael Sherman, Ryan O'Neill, and David Mitter combined for a second place finish with a time of 10:37.43. Mitter also had a strong showing in the men's 3000 meter race as he posted a time of 8:37.77 to cross the finish line second among all participants.
The Lakers also saw a strong showing from freshman Judson Fargo, who finished third in the men's 60 meter hurdles with a time of 9.09 and in the top eight finishers in the 200 meter race as he was just shy of setting a new personal record with a time of 24.20.
In the men's 60 meter dash, Dwayne Thompson was the top Laker finisher with a time of 7.32 as he placed fifth among the runners.
The Lakers had a number of players set personal records in the men's 800 meter race with Ryan O'Neill finishing third overall with a time of 2:05.24 for a new PR. Michael Rand (2:12.80) and Riley Sponseller (2:13.38) also recorded personal-best times in the distance. Roy Bowman had a strong performance in the event as well with a time of 2:08.73 for a sixth place finish.
Full results can be found here.
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