Posted: May 14, 2022

Another school record falls to Sayen at Carius Gregory Invitational

NAPERVILLE, Ill. - Select Michigan Tech student-athletes participated in the Carius Gregory Invitational at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium, hosted by North Central College Friday. Junior Clayton Sayen (Houghton, Michigan) topped another school record, this time in the 800 meters. Having already locked up a qualifier spot to the NCAA Division II Championships in the 1500 meters, Sayen showed his versatility with the new provisional mark.

"Clayton is a fantastic talent, showing once again that he will excel at just about any distance event," said head coach Kristina Owen. "He already had a Nationals spot in the 1500 meters locked up, so we entered him in the 800 to polish his closing speed. We knew he'd do well, but he absolutely crushed it. His time placed 13th on the National list and safely qualified him for the Championships. This week we'll have some strategic conversations on where we want to focus."

The Michigan Tech 800 meter school record stood for 10 years, set previously by Dylan Anderson in 2012 (1:51.02).

"Breaking our school record was a relief," Sayen said. "Going as far as I did under the 1:50 barrier was a pleasant surprise, but surprising myself has been a trend this season. I am looking forward to a week of prep before nationals where I will decide which event(s) to race."

Improving her provisional mark in the 800 meters, Jesse Jacobusse (Chelsea, Michigan) narrowly outran Carolin Bothe (Wisconsin Parkside) for first place (2:10.54). It was a new personal record for Jacobusse, but she still sits 31st in the country for the event.

"Jesse ran a heck of a race," Owen said. "She put in a final surge to drop her time decisively in the final 50 meters. Most years that would get her to the championships, but this is a super-fast year."

"I have to be proud of the progress I've made this season, but I'm not satisfied yet," Jacobusse said. "I'm looking forward to next season and a full year of focused training."

Senior Michelle Bollini (Charlevoix, Michigan) also took first place in the 5000 meters in a 22-runner field with a time of 18:11.58.

"Michelle was there to chase a nice endpoint to her season," said Owen. "She ran two 10k's in the last two weeks, so we knew it would be a tall task to set a personal best time. Even so, she was able to easily take the win and put an exclamation point on the year."

Junior Kyle Samluk (Okemos, Michigan) crossed fifth in the 3000 meters steeplechase with a time of 9:38.62, bookending a strong season in the event for the Huskies.

UP NEXT: The NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships begin on May 26, hosted by Grand Valley State University. Should Sayen officially qualify, he would become the 12th student-athlete in Michigan Tech men's track and field to make an NCAA appearance. Last week, Sayen became the seventh Husky to top the podium at the GLIAC Championships and was the first to do so in the 1500 meters.