On the first day of competition, sophomore Sarah Helm of Seneca, KS, broke two of the records that she established a season ago in the 55m hurdles and the 55m dash.  Her 1st place finish of 8.68 in the hurdles improved her qualifying “B” Standard, while her 2nd place finish of 7.38 in the dash gave her the “B” Standard for the first time.

Breaking her record once again in the shot put, junior Jessica Becker of Capitan, NM, improved her qualifying “A” Standard by nearly four inches with her winning toss of 45-08.00.  Placing 3rd in the event with a throw of 41-07.25, freshman Amber Dunham of Independence, KS, improved her qualifying “B’ Standard to a qualifying “A” Standard.

Other highlights for the women included:  junior Anna Miller of Blue Rapids, KS, who placed 1st in the weight throw with 48-06.00; freshman Michelle Baltimore of Yuma, AZ., who placed 2nd in the weight throw with a personal record 46-04.75; and sophomore Tatianne Amundson of Byers, CO, who placed 1st in the triple jump with 32-01.50.

Highlights for the men included senior Nathan Whitcomb of Cottonwood Falls, KS, who placed 2nd in the weight throw with 51-01.50 and sophomore Brian Chapman of Lincoln, NE, who placed 2nd in the 55m hurdles with 8.22.  Chapman’s time was .07 shy of qualifying for the national meet.
Both teams have Saturday, March 3, off in preparation for the national meet.