DeKALB — The Track and Field team competed in a four-day competition in Des Moines, Iowa, last weekend at the Drake Relays. 

The Huskies had multiple runners set personal records and Mid-American Conference qualifying times. 

 

Senior jumper Jehvania Whyte placed second in the triple jump with a mark of 12.73 meters, just under senior jumper Marie-Josee Ebwea-Bile Excel from the University of Kentucky with a distance of 13.38 meters.

 

Head Coach Connie Teaberry said she admired sophomore distance runner Mackenzie Callahan’s dedication to pick up a new event.

 

“[Callahan] is a warrior,” Teaberry said. “She has already qualified for the MAC Championships with an auto-qualifying time in the 1,500 meters. To assist the team, she has agreed to take up a new event, the [3,000-meter] steeplechase.”

 

Callahan fell during the event but finished just outside the top-10, running a time of 10:51.90 and finishing  11th.

 

Head Coach Connie Teaberry said she was incredibly proud of Callahan and what she accomplished.

 

“She was racing like a pro and toward the end her foot clipped the steeple barrier and she fell,” Teaberry said. “This is where others would have quit, [but] not [Callahan]. She got up and finished the race with a time well below the MAC Championships Auto qualifying standard.”

 

Junior multi-event runner Remy Amarteifio earned fifth place in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 14.20 seconds and reached the finals. 

 

In the 4×100-meter relay, sophomore sprinter Syanne Johnston, junior sprinter Britney Hew, first-year sprinter Kaitlyn Lewis and junior Amarteifio placed 10th with a time of 46.84 seconds.

Teaberry said she was impressed with the distance group this weekend.

 

“We had several impressive [personal-record] runs by our distance group this weekend,” Teaberry said. “[Junior distance runner] Vivian Overbeck, [sophomore distance runner] Sara Atkins and [junior distance runner] Melissa Ricci  dropped time from their events.  These ladies are putting it together at the right time.”

 

Ricci ran a time of 4:33.49 to take 12th in the 1,500-meter. 

 

Sophomore distance runner Nora Finegan ran a season-best time of 2:12.91 in the 800-meter run, while Overbeck finished sixth in the 5,000 meters. 

 

In the high jump, first-year multi-event runner Taylor Ramsey placed 13th with a jump of 1.61 meters. 

 

The Huskies return home to compete Friday in the annual Huskie Classic at the Track and Field complex.