Track and Field takes third in Michigan

By Jayce Eustice

DeKALB — Junior jumper Jehvania Whyte continued to impress, as the Huskies took third place at the Grand Valley State University Big Meet Saturday in Allendale, Michigan.

Whyte won the long jump with a final jump of 5.80 meters and took second in the triple jump with a jump of 12.21 meters.

Head Coach Connie Teaberry said the decision to pull Whyte out of the triple jump early was just precautionary.

“Jehvania’s a tough competitor, and she’s competed in every indoor meet that we’ve had so far,” Teaberry said. “She had a little tendinitis in her knee, so after the long jump, we decided that it wasn’t worth jeopardizing where she’s at and what she’s been doing. So, we scratched the rest of the jumps.”

Sophomore sprinter Remy Amarteifio had a busy day, placing second in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.55 seconds and coming in seventh in the 200-meter dash with a time of 25.01 seconds.

Teaberry said Amarteifio has put in a lot of hard work, and the results have begun to show this season.

“Remy is just a little go-getter. She’s relentless in academics and athletics, and it shows on the track.” Teaberry said. “She’s put a lot in mentally and physically.”

Several other Huskies played well Friday, including junior distance runner Ericka Hibser, who placed seventh in the 3000-meter run with a time of 9:46.65. Senior distance runner Lorena Martin ran the 800-meter with a time of 2:10.98, earning her sixth place and a new personal record.

The NIU “A” team of Martin, senior sprinter Doshawn Franks, sophomore sprinter Neshay Curtis and sophomore sprinter Grace Harris took home fifth in the 1600-meter relay with a time of 3:50.14.

Ashley Tutt, freshman distance runner and team USA representative, ran an impressive 17:01.52 in the 5,000-meter run, which was good enough to secure a tenth place finish.

Senior jumper Chennel Palmer and Franks each earned themselves second-place finishes. Palmer jumped 1.72 meters in the high jump, and Franks ran a personal record 1:33.68 in the 600-meter.

The Huskies will look to prepare for the challenge ahead, as they have one meet that separates the team from the indoor track and field Mid-American Conference Championships. Teaberry talked about the preparation that goes into the championships.

“We’ll pull back a little bit to freshen up their legs a bit, [but] reps will become more specific and not as long,” Teaberry said. “We’ll make sure that everyone is ready for conference.”

The Huskies will turn their attention to the Orange and Blue Open Saturday at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois.