Wells, Howard, Staley Lead Track & Field At Texas State

SAN MARCOS, Texas – Mohogany Wells won the hammer throw, Erin Howard captured the discus, and Kasey Staley tied for first in the pole vault to get the Central Michigan track & field team off to a good start at the Texas State Bobcat Invitational at the Texas State Track and Field Complex.

That trio led a solid showing for the Chippewas, who are also partaking in the Texas Relays in Austin in their outdoor season-opening weekend.

"I feel like we're getting better, and, in some areas, we've plateaued a little bit, but it's super early so there's a lot of time to get better in those areas," CMU coach Jenny Swieton said. "All in all, it's been a really good start to our outdoor season. There's obviously a lot more that we want, but I think we're starting on a high note.

"There's nothing wrong with the effort; I feel like everybody's putting everything they can out there."

Wells, a redshirt freshman, won the hammer throw with a 50.84-meter toss and CMU's Aliyah Boeve was sixth (47.38).

Howard, a junior and an All-America honorable mention in the shot put in 2019, won the discus at 49.64 meters as three Chippewas finished in the top five. CMU's Quiara Wheeler, an indoor All-American in the weight throw two weeks ago, was second (49.50), and Boeve was fifth (44.08).

Staley's best pole vault measured 4.00 meters, just shy of the program record. She tied with Sierra White of Harding for first place.

"Staley went 4.00 meters and had some really good attempts at our school record," Swieton said. "She's definitely going to go for our record this year."

Also for the Chippewas:

• Ana Garcia Arias and Anya Turner placed second and third, respectively, in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Garcia Arias finished in 11:31.85; Turner in 11:32.48.

• Hayley Manners (5.78 meters) finished fourth and freshman Sarah Daniel (5.72) was seventh in the long jump.

• Lauren Beckmann placed fifth in a personal-best 17:36.06 in the 5,000 meters.

• Freshman Anna Laurenz placed sixth in the 400 hurdles in 1:03.35. It was her first time running in the event.

• Madi Mandelke was eighth in the 400-meter dash in 1:01.89.

The highlight at the Texas Relays for the Chippewas came from freshman Kaitlynn Rush, who finished in 11.96 seconds in the 100-meter dash after waiting out a long delay prior to her heat.

"For Kaitlynn to run as well as she did, given those circumstances, was very impressive, especially for being a freshman," Swieton said. "It's good for our freshmen to get that opportunity and step up and perform well.

"I feel like it's starting to come together. So far, so good."

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Players Mentioned

Lauren Beckmann

Aliyah Boeve

Sarah Daniel

Ana Garcia Arias

Erin Howard

Annie Laurenz

Madi Mandelke

Hayley Manners

Kaitlynn Rush

Kasey Staley

Anya Turner

Mohogany Wells

Quiara Wheeler