By Grace Malec, Sports Editor
Lexi Furgason competes in high jump – Photo by Casey Burke/Aquinas Track and Field
After sending 15 athletes to NAIA Nationals in Gainesville, Fla. the Aquinas Track and Field team is proving that they are a force to be reckoned with.
To open day one of Nationals, Lindsey Strutz would set the tone; earning All-American honors for her performance in the pentathlon, accumulating a total of 3,591 points through five events, breaking her school record and taking sixth place overall.
Zander Masten, Alex Dumont, Jaben Bakker and Jack Phillips also competed on day one of competition in the men’s 4×800 race, beating their pre-meet performance and finishing 17th overall and earning a post-season best of 7:47.78.
Also competing on day one of competition was Lexi Hurst, Cadence Schultz, Amber Koole and Lauren Wooer taking on the women’s 4×800 relay, placing 17th overall with a time of 9:26.25.
The Saints returned for day two of competition in Florida with big things in store. Maelie Hope started the day of competition on the right foot; earning All-American honors and securing a spot in finals with her toss of 58 ’10 ¾.
“I think us girls did pretty well, with four of us getting medals in completely separate events,” Hope said. “I did not have my best throw in weight but I still placed third, which is still good coming out of a hamstring injury.”
Masten would return to also highlight day two for Aquinas, breaking the school record in the men’s 1,000 meter race, with a time of 2:27.97 and a 14th place finish.
Madison Rempalski earned a spot in finals for her performance in the women’s mile with a time of 4:57.51.
Rempalski competes in the mile race – Photo by Jake Rottier/Aquinas Track and Field
To close out Nationals, Rempalski returned to earn All-American honors for her performance in the mile race. She broke school records with her time of 4:51.17 and finished in fourth place.
Alexis Furgason ended the Saints’ time in the Sunshine state on a high note, also taking home All-American honors for her performance in the high jump, tying her personal best with a height of 5 ‘6 ½ and finishing in fourth place.
The women’s team took 17th place overall at the National competition with an accumulative score of 18.5 points.
The Saints will take a short break before heading into their outdoor season to finish out the year.
The Saint 