ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Hamline University track and field program made the short trip across town to the University of St. Thomas on Wednesday to compete in the Joe Sweeney Invitational. Facing a competitive field, the Pipers delivered a strong collective effort highlighted by a silver-medal relay performance and a long list of career-best marks as the team prepares for the final stretch of the outdoor season.
The women's 4x100-meter relay team provided the top finish of the day for Hamline. The quartet of Mabel Badejo, Jaz Turnbaugh, Alexi Schneider, and Claire Siems clocked a season-best time of 49.22 seconds to secure second place overall. The momentum on the track continued with freshman Jaz Turnbaugh, who notched a personal best in the 200-meter dash with a time of 26.06 seconds to finish 11th. Junior Anabel Bradley also posted a season-best in a deep 800-meter field, finishing 12th in 2:19.19, while senior Adrienne Karpen added a season-best in the 400-meter dash.
On the men's side, Morris Suah led the sprinting and hurdle groups with two standout performances. Suah took fourth place in the 110-meter hurdles, crossing the line in 15.47 seconds, and later added a personal best in the 200-meter dash. Senior Andrei Pettis earned a sixth-place finish in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.70 seconds. The Pipers also saw significant progress in the 400-meter dash, where freshmen Edward Gregorin and Jackson Miller both recorded career-best times.
In the field events, freshman Mabel Badejo continued her consistent outdoor campaign by placing fourth in the long jump with a mark of 5.46 meters. The women's vertical jumps saw a strong showing as junior Frankie Witham, freshman Ali Simonson, and junior Marissa Albers all tied for eighth in the high jump. In the pole vault, senior Lizzie Green cleared a personal-best height of 3.02 meters to finish ninth, while junior Savannah Brown matched that height to take 11th.
The Piper men excelled in the jumps and throws as well. Sophomore Colten Eggleston cleared a personal-best 1.76 meters in the high jump to take seventh place, while freshman Alan Haglin also set a new career mark in the event. Sophomore Ian Cran led the vault crew with a sixth-place finish, clearing 3.76 meters. In the horizontal jumps, Miquel Pittman took seventh in the long jump with a leap of 6.31 meters. The throwing events were anchored by freshman Davian Vu, who placed ninth in the shot put (13.67m), and freshman Dillon Thurston, who secured ninth in the hammer throw with a toss of 48.92 meters.
The distance crew also utilized the mid-week meet to drop times across several events. Junior Deliah Neria headlined the group with a personal-best performance in the 3000-meter steeplechase, finishing in 14:03.06. In the 5000-meter run, senior Lucas LiaBraaten clocked a season-best 15:41.27, while sophomore Wade Tuggle followed with a career-best 16:37.90. Sophomore Aye Roh Htoo also added a personal best in the 1500-meter run to round out a productive day for the endurance squad.
With nearly 20 personal or season bests established at St. Thomas, the Pipers now turn their focus to the final qualifying opportunities ahead of the conference championships.
