Records Fall in Season-Opening Meet

WAYNE, Neb. – The Red Raider women's track and field team delivered a standout performance in Friday's season opener, highlighted by event wins, facility records, and a deep list of top-10 finishes across the board.

Freshman Kenzie Harder stole the spotlight in the sprints and jumps, opening the day by breaking the school record in the 60 meters with a blistering 7.70 in the prelims before securing a strong runner-up finish in the final at 7.71. Harder's dominance continued in the long jump, where she soared to 5.85m (19-02.50) leap. With her jump, Harder hit the NAIA auto mark and set a new program record.

Emma Blum added experience and consistency to the sprint crew, qualifying for the 60m final and finishing 8th, while junior Lauren Waypa contributed a 9th-place prelim performance to round out a solid showing from the short sprints group.

In the hurdles, freshman Carly Dunn made an immediate impact in her collegiate debut. Dunn placed 4th in the 60m hurdles prelims with a sharp 9.27, then returned to finish 6th in the final.

Freshman Mya Van Donge led the way in the 200 meters, racing to a 5th-place finish in 26.43, continuing a trend of strong freshman contributions throughout the meet.

The mid-distance group also impressed, with freshman Emma Nath claiming 10th in the 400 meters and fellow freshmen Maci Schmalbeck and Haylie Tripp finishing 7th and 9th, respectively, in the 800 meters.

The field events provided some of the day's biggest highlights, particularly in the high jump, where freshman Addison Smith won the event with a 1.61m (5-03.25) clearance. Junior Karli Swart tied for 5th, and freshman Avery Kallies placed 9th, giving the squad three top-10 finishes in the event.

In the throws, junior Mia Skippings delivered a personal best in the weight throw, earning 9th with a mark of 13.04m (42-09.50).

The day concluded with a first-place performance from the women's 4x400m relay team. The quartet of Kenzie Harder, Mya Van Donge, Kyndra Gramstad, and Emma Blum stormed to victory in 4:00.61.

RAIDERS IN THE TOP-10
Kenzie Harder – 1st; Long Jump (5.85m)
Addison Smith – 1st; High Jump (1.61m)
Women's 4x400m Relay – 1st; (4:00.61)
Kenzie Harder – 2nd; 60m (7.71)
Karli Swart – 5th; High Jump (1.56m)
Mya Van Donge – 5th; 200m (26.43)
Carly Dunn – 6th; 60m Hurdles (9.36)
Maci Schmalbeck – 7th; 800m (2:29.99)
Emma Blum – 8th; 60m (8.17)
Haylie Tripp – 9th; 800m (2:57.93)
Avery Kallies – 9th; High Jump (1.51m)
Mia Skippings – 9th; Weight Throw (13.04m)
Emma Nath – 10th; 400m (1:05.78)

Up Next: Northwestern will ring in the new semester at the Dordt Indoor Open on Saturday, January 10.

Don't forget to follow Northwestern College Athletics on Facebook @nwcraiders, Twitter @nwcraiders, and Instagram @nwcraiders! #RaidersStandOut

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Players Mentioned

Emma Blum: 5' 9"; Senior

Mia Skippings: 5' 7"; Junior

Karli Swart: 5' 11"; Junior

Lauren Waypa: 5' 6"; Junior

Carly Dunn: 5' 4"; Freshman

Kyndra Gramstad: 5' 6"; Freshman

Kenzie Harder: 5' 4"; Freshman

Avery Kallies: 5' 4"; Freshman

Emma Nath: 5' 9"; Freshman

Maci Schmalbeck: 5' 7"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

Emma Blum
: 5' 9"; Senior

Mia Skippings
: 5' 7"; Junior

Karli Swart
: 5' 11"; Junior

Lauren Waypa
: 5' 6"; Junior

Carly Dunn
: 5' 4"; Freshman

Kyndra Gramstad
: 5' 6"; Freshman

Kenzie Harder
: 5' 4"; Freshman

Avery Kallies
: 5' 4"; Freshman

Emma Nath
: 5' 9"; Freshman

Maci Schmalbeck
: 5' 7"; Freshman