Women's Track & Field | 2/28/2015 8:32:00 PM
UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Wayne State University women's indoor track and field squad is in fifth place out of 15 schools after the first day of the 2015 GLIAC Championship being held at Saginaw Valley State University.
The Warriors totaled 22 points to trail leader Grand Valley State (60.5 points), Ashland (46), Findlay (27) and Hillsdale (24). WSU leads Tiffin (14.5), Saginaw Valley State (13), Walsh (9), Malone (6), Ferris State (5), Northern Michigan (4) and Lake Erie (3). Lake Superior, Northwood and Ohio Dominican did not score on the opening day.
Last year, WSU had 11 points after opening day and finished with 26 total points to place eighth in year two of the program.
A trio of upperclassmen led the Warriors in the 5000m race as they placed second, third, and fourth. Junior
Chelsea Johnson (Oxford, Mich.) finished in 17:01.55 and was followed by senior
Lauren Gagnon (Waterford, Mich. / Waterford Mott) in a time of 17:05.58, and junior
Kayla Balfour (St. Clair, Mich.), who crossed the finish line in 17:10.77. Both Johnson and Gagnon eclipsed the previous school record mark of 17:08.91 set by Gagnon back in December at UIndy.
Sophomore
Christina Kollien (Alpena, Mich.) qualified for Sunday's final in the 60m hurdles after finishing seventh in the prelims in a school record time of 8.90. Freshman
Karrington Seals (Farmington Hills, Mich. / North Farmington) was 14th (9.05), while sophomore
Payton Julian (Streetsboro, Ohio) was 17
th (9.20).
Both Warriors competing in the 400m qualified for Sunday's final. Sophomore
Dazmonique Carr (Lawnside, N.J. / Haddon Heights) had the fifth fastest time in the prelims and a school record at 57.22, while classmate
Leah Ellis (Battle Creek, Mich. / Central) was eighth at 58.24.
Sophomore
Imani Bush (Canton, Ohio / South) placed 19th in the 60m dash (8.00) and 20th in the 200m (26.12).
Junior
Erika Perry (Romeo, Mich.) was WSU's top finisher in the weight throw at 18th at an NCAA Provisional distance of 16.34m (53-07.50). Freshman
Lauren Bohn (Windsor, Ont. / E. J. Lajeunesse Catholic H.S.) was 23rd (14.93m / 48-11.75), while redshirt freshman
Elizabeth Herriman (Adrian, Mich. / Sand Creek) was 25th (14.67m / 48-01.75).
In the women's pentathlon, freshman
Sydney Vaughn (Canton, Ohio / South) finished 10th (2,945 points), while classmate
Rachel Kloski (Warren, Mich. / Fraser) placed 11th (2.871 points). Junior
Abbey Filip (Jackson, Mich. / Addison) was 15th with 2,738 points.
Freshman
Han Dinh (Sterling Hts., Mich. / Stevenson) did not place in the pole vault.
The distance medley relay quartet of sophomore
Leah Coonrod (Kalamazoo, Mich. / Gull Lake), Julian, Johnson and Balfour placed sixth in a time of 12:14.21, which broke the previous school record.
In addition to the finals of the 60m hurdles and 400m race, WSU will have participants in the shot put (Bohn and both Herrimans), high jump (
Jessie Kluz), triple jump (
Jewel Wilson), mile (Coonrod,
Kayla Smade and
Anne Okonowski), 800m (
Alyssa Auth, Smade, Coonrod), 3000m (Balfour, Gagnon and Johnson) and the 4x400 relay (Carr, Ellis, Seals and Bush).
