Summit League Indoor Championships on Deck for Track & Field

Friday, February 27

Fargo, N.D.

10:30 a.m.

Purdue Fort Wayne

Summit League Championships (Day One)

Summit League Indoor Championships on Deck for Track & Field

2/26/2015 1:06:00 PM | Women's Track and Field

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The IPFW track and field team will head to Fargo, N.D. this weekend for the Summit League Indoor Track and Field Championships on Friday, February 27 and Saturday, February 28. The meet, hosted by the Summit League and North Dakota State University, will begin at 9:30 a.m. CT both mornings.

Meet: Summit League Indoor Track and Field Championships
When: Friday, February 27 | 9:30 a.m. CT ; Saturday, February 28 | 9:30 a.m.
Where: Fargo, N.D. | Shelly Ellig Indoor Track & Field Facility

LAST TIME OUT
The Mastodons have continued to re-write the record books this year, setting new program marks in every meet they've participated in, with the exception of one. Two more records were set on Friday at the Ball State Open, one on the field events side and the other on the track.

Kyley Marano had a big day in the high jump, recording a personal-best and new school record mark of 1.65 meters (5-5.00). The sophomore had previously set the program-best mark a year ago as a freshmen with a jump of 1.63 meters (5-4.25).

Brittany Beard had a big day on the track on Friday after making a comeback from an illness that had sidelined her a few times during the indoor season. The sophomore posted a career-best time of 2:14.65 in the 800 meter run to win the event. The mark shattered her own school record of 2:17.20 in the event, which she had set at the first meet of the year back in December. The performance earned Beard her second-career Summit League Track and Field Athlete of the Week honor and her first for this season. The time was also in the top-five in the league during the indoor season.

Freshmen Emily Roman and Kayla McGurk also set personal-bests times in the 800 meter run as they recorded a 2:25.11 and 2:26.66, respectively.

In the 400-meter dash, sophomore Tori Nida recorded a season-best time of 1:02.84 and was just over a second off her career-best mark. It was also the best time on the team in the event this season. Freshman Brittany Fensler and sophomore Rachel Kacer both ran the mile for the first time this season, with Fensler earning a fourth-place finish with a time of 5:29.07 and Kacer recording a career-best time of 5:40.47 in the event.

Freshman standout Kiawna Cottrell did not compete at the Ball State Open in hopes of staying fresh for the league championships this weekend. The first-year athlete has alternated competing in the field and track events each meet this year, but is expected to compete in both sides at the championships.

WHO TO WATCH FOR
Despite being a young squad with 24 underclassmen on a 27-person roster, a strong group of sophomores will lead the way this season.

Tori Nida, Kyley Marano and fellow sophomore Brittany Beard are all key returnees for the Blue and White as the trio were a part of last year's 4x400m relay that just missed on setting the program record a season ago. Nida also recorded team season-bests a year ago in the 400-meter dash with a time of 1:01.06, while Marano turned in team-bests in the 200-meter dash (26.95) and high jump (5-4.25/1.63m).

Wygant was a stud in her first year for IPFW with indoor season-bests in the long jump (14-7/1.63m), triple jump (31-3/9.52m) and pentathlon (2274).

Junior Andrea Bell, a veteran on this year's team, will be in the forefront for distance running as she recorded a team-best time of 18:24.24 in the 5,000-meter event during the 2013-14 indoor season.

~ Feel the Rumble ~