Central Michigan University Athletics
Saturday, May 11
DeKalb, Ill.
All Day
Central Michigan University
at
Mid-American Conference
Photo by: Lauren Verellen '26 - @laurenverellen_photography
Sabourin Medals on Final Day of MAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships
5/11/2024 9:10:00 PM | Track & Field
Final Results (PDF)Thursday Photo GalleryFriday Photo GalleryDay 3 Video Interview (Jenny Swieton)Photo Gallery
CMU brings home two silver medals and one bronze, from Sabourin, Turner and Daniel, respectively.
DeKALB, Ill. — Central Michigan Track and Field looks to bring three medals home to Mount Pleasant as Payton Sabourin placed 2nd in the 400-meter hurdles on Saturday to wrap up the 2024 Mid-American Conference Outdoor Championships at Northern Illinois.
Sabourin, a senior transfer from Oakland, collected hardware alongside her teammates Anya Turner and Sarah Daniel, who both medaled in the 3000m steeplechase and long jump, respectively, on Friday.
"Payton's awesome," said Director of Cross Country/Track and Field Jenny Swieton of the Chatham, Ontario native. "She transferred here from Oakland and I feel like she just fit in right away. It's really hard to be a graduate transfer, because you don't come in with a class, you just come in on your own, and she's done such a good job.
"She gets along with everyone on the team, she's a super tough competitor and gives everything she has every time, both in practice and at meets, we're so lucky to have her and we're so grateful she came to us."
Sabourin ran 1:00.20, followed by sophomore Libby Munderloh, who ran in 1:04.07 to finish 7th.
Seniors Natalie Newcombe and Turner finished 6th and 7th, respectively, in the 1500m finals after qualifying on Thursday.
Jelena Prescott, also a senior, finished 17th in the 5000m, crossing the finish line in 17:54.58.
Gracie Merrick capped her freshman season in the discus throw, where she finished 11th with a mark of 42.95m.
Both of the Chippewa relay teams, fully comprised of graduating student-athletes, ran season bests. The 4x400 relay team of Sabourin, Emma Fountain, Ericka Bigham and Peyton Korytkowski finished 7th. The 4x100 relay squad, headed up by Kaitlynn Rush, Sabourin, Korytkowski and Sarah Daniel, placed 9th.
"Everybody came in with a really good attitude and were willing to give everything they had and see what happened," Swieton said of this season's outdoor conference meet. "They didn't need to put unnecessary pressure on it, but just enough pressure to get the job done. I'm really proud of everybody and how they competed."
While Turner and Sabourin have completed their final MAC outings in the maroon and gold, the two remain in the hunt for NCAA Regional qualification as other conferences wrap up the season.
After setting the CMU steeplechase record on Friday, Turner is currently ranked 24th nationally in the event with a time of 10:13.78.
Sabourin, who ran 59.23 in the 400h at the Clark Wood Open in Louisville on April 26, is ranked 46th.
The NCAA Regional in Lexington, Ky. is scheduled for Wednesday, May 22 through Saturday, May 25. Event details will be released in the coming weeks.
CMU graduates many seniors alongside Sabourin, Turner and Daniel, including Newcombe, Rush, Prescott, Korytkowski, Bigham, Fountain, Emma Francis, Jaci Rife, Annie Laurenz, Lauren MacDonald, Ashlyn Nagel and Maija Rettelle.
"I think this class of seniors has been through a lot," said Swieton pridefully of the graduating class. "I think they did a really good job at embracing all the positives, everything that they could, and giving everything they have.
They've done the best that they absolutely could given the circumstances, whether it was their freshman year or this year, because they're the (pandemic graduates). They've been through a lot in their time here, and I'm really proud of them."
Central Michigan Track & Field finished the 2024 Mid-American Conference Championships in 10th overall.
Sabourin, a senior transfer from Oakland, collected hardware alongside her teammates Anya Turner and Sarah Daniel, who both medaled in the 3000m steeplechase and long jump, respectively, on Friday.
"Payton's awesome," said Director of Cross Country/Track and Field Jenny Swieton of the Chatham, Ontario native. "She transferred here from Oakland and I feel like she just fit in right away. It's really hard to be a graduate transfer, because you don't come in with a class, you just come in on your own, and she's done such a good job.
"She gets along with everyone on the team, she's a super tough competitor and gives everything she has every time, both in practice and at meets, we're so lucky to have her and we're so grateful she came to us."
Sabourin ran 1:00.20, followed by sophomore Libby Munderloh, who ran in 1:04.07 to finish 7th.
Seniors Natalie Newcombe and Turner finished 6th and 7th, respectively, in the 1500m finals after qualifying on Thursday.
Jelena Prescott, also a senior, finished 17th in the 5000m, crossing the finish line in 17:54.58.
Gracie Merrick capped her freshman season in the discus throw, where she finished 11th with a mark of 42.95m.
Both of the Chippewa relay teams, fully comprised of graduating student-athletes, ran season bests. The 4x400 relay team of Sabourin, Emma Fountain, Ericka Bigham and Peyton Korytkowski finished 7th. The 4x100 relay squad, headed up by Kaitlynn Rush, Sabourin, Korytkowski and Sarah Daniel, placed 9th.
"Everybody came in with a really good attitude and were willing to give everything they had and see what happened," Swieton said of this season's outdoor conference meet. "They didn't need to put unnecessary pressure on it, but just enough pressure to get the job done. I'm really proud of everybody and how they competed."
While Turner and Sabourin have completed their final MAC outings in the maroon and gold, the two remain in the hunt for NCAA Regional qualification as other conferences wrap up the season.
After setting the CMU steeplechase record on Friday, Turner is currently ranked 24th nationally in the event with a time of 10:13.78.
Sabourin, who ran 59.23 in the 400h at the Clark Wood Open in Louisville on April 26, is ranked 46th.
The NCAA Regional in Lexington, Ky. is scheduled for Wednesday, May 22 through Saturday, May 25. Event details will be released in the coming weeks.
CMU graduates many seniors alongside Sabourin, Turner and Daniel, including Newcombe, Rush, Prescott, Korytkowski, Bigham, Fountain, Emma Francis, Jaci Rife, Annie Laurenz, Lauren MacDonald, Ashlyn Nagel and Maija Rettelle.
"I think this class of seniors has been through a lot," said Swieton pridefully of the graduating class. "I think they did a really good job at embracing all the positives, everything that they could, and giving everything they have.
They've done the best that they absolutely could given the circumstances, whether it was their freshman year or this year, because they're the (pandemic graduates). They've been through a lot in their time here, and I'm really proud of them."
Central Michigan Track & Field finished the 2024 Mid-American Conference Championships in 10th overall.
Players Mentioned
Mid-Distance
/ Track & Field
Jumps
/ Track & Field
Mid-Distance
/ Track & Field
/ Track & Field
Sprints/Hurdles
/ Track & Field
Hurdles
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & Field
Mid-Distance
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & Field
Jumps
/ Track & Field
Sprints
/ Track & Field
Sprints
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & FieldFeature Interview with CMU XC/TF's Emily Paupore
Tuesday, June 11
MAC Outdoor Championships Day 3: Jenny Swieton (Interview)
Saturday, May 11
2024 Outdoor MAC Championships Day 2 - Jenny Swieton (Interview)
Friday, May 10
2024 Outdoor MAC Championships Day 1 - Jenny Swieton Interview
Thursday, May 09