KEARNEY, Neb. - The Fort Hays State women's track and field team opened its season with a strong performance at the UNK Pre-Holiday Classic, winning the triangular meet against Nebraska-Kearney and Southwest Baptist. The Tigers racked up 101 team points on the day thanks to four provisional performances, while Nebraska-Kearney totaled 99 points and SBU picked up 79 points.
Lyric Holman took second in the 60m finals, posting an NCAA provisional mark with a personal-best 7.65. Holman later won the 400m run, crossing the line in 1:01.29.
Taylor Savolt placed second in the triple jump after clearing an NCAA provisional distance of 39-0.25 on her sixth jump of the day. It is the first recorded provisional mark in Division II in the triple jump so far this season. The sophomore competed in four events and finished in the top three in all four, winning the long jump with a mark of 18-4.25, placing second in the 60m hurdles in 9.44 and finishing third in the 600y run with a time of 1:35.25.
A pair of Tiger freshmen posted provisional marks in the high jump in their first collegiate meet. Alexandra Hart won the competition after clearing the 5-7.75 bar on her first attempt, just 1.5 inches off the program record. Maddy Amsink placed third after clearing the 5-5.75 bar on her third try.
The Tigers went 1-2-3 in the 60m hurdles, with Mattie Rossi taking first place in 9.11, Savolt placing second and Layne Needham finishing third in 9.54.
Emily Salmans captured first place in the 800m run, crossing the line in 2:20.26.
With the Tigers trailing the Lopers by one point in the team competition going into the final event, Mirena Goncalves and Abigail Stewart helped FHSU secure the win with strong finishes in the 3000m run. Goncalves placed second in 10:28.88 while Stewart crossed the line in fourth with a time of 10:38.48.
Maleigha Schmidt and Taylor Linn went 2-3 in the pole vault after they both cleared the 11-0.25 bar.
The Tigers are next scheduled to compete on January 30, 2020 when they send student-athletes to both the UNK Charlie Foster Classic and the Washburn Open.
Full FHSU Results
60m Hurdles
1st - Mattie Rossi - 9.11
2nd - Taylor Savolt - 9.44
3rd - Layne Needham - 9.54
5th - Chloe Stanley - 9.71
6th - Haley George - 10.04
7th - Elysia Kunkler - 10.52
8th - Ellie Dusselier - 10.71
60m Finals
2nd - Lyric Holman - 7.65 *
60m Prelims
Lyric Holman - 7.69
Tori Poe - 8.16
Chloe Stanley - 8.29
Layne Needham - 8.38
Kendra Clary - 8.47
Elysia Kunkler - 8.49
200m
3rd - Tori Poe - 27.47
400m
1st - Lyric Holman - 1:01.29
5th - Kendra Clary - 1:10.25
600y
3rd - Taylor Savolt - 1:35.25
5th - Layne Needham - 1:35.42
6th - Chloe Stanley - 1:35.78
7th - Zoie Shupe - 1:38.71
8th - Ellie Dusselier - 1:38.85
9th - Ella Benkendorf - 1:39.31
10th - Haley George - 1:46.88
800m
1st - Emily Salmans - 2:20.26
4th - Faith Little - 2:22.29
6th - Hannah Wiebe - 2:26.94
7th - Mattie Rossi - 2:36.35
Mile
4th - Carson Pierce - 5:29.25
7th - Hannah Burks - 5:30.76
8th - Hayley Burks - 5:40.05
10 - Celeste Zamarron - 6:16.54
3000m
2nd - Mirena Goncalves - 10:28.88
4th - Abigail Stewart - 10:38.48
7th - Brooke Navarro - 11:07.90
9th - Mya Navarro - 11:44.03
Pole Vault
2nd - Maleigha Schmidt - 11-0.25
3rd - Taylor Linn - 11-0.25
5th - Cheyenne Nickelson - 10-6.25
9th - Breanna Schmitz - 9-6.50
Long Jump
1st - Taylor Savolt - 18-4.25
5th - Mattie Rossi - 17-9.75
8th - Elysia Kunkler - 16-9.25
High Jump
1st - Alexandra Hart - 5-7.75 *
3rd - Maddy Amsink - 5-5.75 *
5th - Haley George - 5-1.75
7th - Ellie Dusselier - 4-11.75
Triple Jump
2nd - Taylor Savolt - 39-0.25 *
4th - Alexandra Hart - 37-8.00
FHSU Athletics