Preparation for the Mid-American Conference Outdoor Championships couldn’t be going any better with the NIU track and field team dominating at the Spartan Open.

The Huskies took first place in 10 of the 20 events Saturday in Dubuque, Iowa.

“Our times and marks need to be a little bit better, but for the sprinters and jumpers, we really trained hard this week so we knew their legs would be a little bit dead,” said NIU head coach

Connie Teaberry. “They went out there and gave it their heart.”

In the 4×100, 4×400 and 4×800-meter relays, NIU grabbed first. The Huskies edged out the competition by 1.19 seconds in the 100, by 4.27 seconds in the 400 and by 50.26 seconds in the 800.

Sophomore Rasheta Butler notched two first-place finishes of her own in the 100- and 200-meter dashes. In the 200, Butler finished with a personal best run of 25.51 seconds. Sophomore Sunsea Shaw won the 800-meter run for NIU with a time of 2:20.89.

When the action moved off the track, the Huskies did not let up.

Junior Nicole Williams and freshman Kelly Moser took the top two spots in the high jump with Williams’ mark of 5-1.75 and Moser’s mark of 4-11.75.

In the long jump, NIU finished with six of the top seven spots. Brittany Houghton grabbed first with a mark of 18-1 followed by freshman Deidra McIntosh at 17-3.25, Rochelle Muskeyvalley at 17-2.75 and freshman Jenner Sio at 17-1.5.

With the new track complex in place, the Huskies are preparing for this weekend when some will travel to Des Moines, Iowa for the Drake Relays and some will travel to Milwaukee for the Marquette Twilight.

“We really haven’t gotten a whole lot of practice on it yet but it helps the mind-set knowing that we have our own track now,” Teaberry said. “Family and friends will get to see them compete. I think it’s a different tone for training. I think they are more eager to get out there and do what we need to do.”