Pride look to outdoor championships after GV Viking Classic

DES MOINES, Iowa – One day after a handful of Pride track athletes competed in the UD Relays, the Clarke University men's and women's track and field teams traveled to Des Moines for the Grand View Viking Classic.

Allena Rowland picked up where she left off yesterday, winning both the 400m and the 400m hurdles competition. In the 400m she hit a time of 56.96 and in the 400m hurdles she scored 1:04.31.

Also winning on the women's side was the freshman from Billings, Mont. Jaycie Franco, who ran the 5000m race in 21:08.13. Finishing right behind Franco for second and third were Lydia Radeke (21:30.94) and Rory Bickler (21:31.06).

Bickler did get the best of Franco in the 1500m race achieving second place with a time 5:07.39. Franco earned fifth place in 5:23.22.

Freshman Anyah Ranson and Isabelle Matthews each competed in two solo events, sharing the long jump event Ranson hit a mark of 4.77m earning ninth. Matthews jumped 4.63m for 13th place.

Running the 200m, Ranson finished with a time of 27.85 seconds, earning herself 12th. Throwing the Javelin was Matthews, achieving fifth place with a mark of 29.11m.

On the men's side, Josh Musonda and Noah Church would be the highest individual finishers, each earning second place. Musonda, competing in the 400m earned a time of 50.45 seconds, and Church in the 5000m racewalk finished in 28:26.59.

After placing fifth in the 200m yesterday at the UD Relays, Kain Sourbeer earned himself third with a time of 22.31 seconds.

A few of the men's distance runners earned top-five finishes as Emmett Schwartzhoff ran the 1500m in 4:14.21, earning himself fourth. Kole Haverly finished just behind Schwarzhoff for fifth place with a time of 4:14.64. Finishing in fourth in the 5000m was Drew Pate with a time of 17:31.98. In the same event, Benjamin Vasquez crossed the finish line at 17:55.20, earning fifth.

Just outside the top five in his race was Carson Sansenbach, who earned sixth in the 800m hitting a time of 2:00.47.

The men's 4x400 relay team consisting of Musonda, Sansenbach, Haverly, and Sourbeer earned first place by beating the second-place team by over seven seconds with a time of 3:31.25.

The only field event competitor on the men's side was freshman Elijah Douglas who earned fifth in the triple jump competition by hitting a mark of 12.58m.

The Clarke University men's and women's track and field teams will look to the Heart of America Conference Outdoor Championships starting on Friday, May 5th in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.