Bloch Breaks School Record at Hillsdale "GINA" Relays
HILLSDALE, Mich. – Michigan Tech distance runner Liz Bloch set a new school record with her run in the 800m as the track & field team competed well at the three-day 2019 Hillsdale "GINA" Relays. The Huskies men's team finished the three-day meet with 30.5 points, while the women's team secured 13 team points from Ken Herrick Track.
Bloch, who has already set a school record in the 1500m this season, blazed through the 800m and finished first with a time of 2:10.36, hitting an NCAA provisional mark along the way. Bloch beat her own previous record of 2:11.02 from the 2018 Long Beach Invitational, and her new time puts her 15th in the country among runners qualified for the 2019 NCAA Division II National Championships. Bloch also competed in the 1500m, where she clocked a time of 4:28.65 to finish seventh.
Matthew Pahl secured a second-place finish by logging a time of 14:30.58, an NCAA provisional mark. Logan Lukonic scored a third-place finish in the men's 1500m Open with a time of 4:02.39, as did Braden Reichl in the 3000m Steeplechase with a time of 9:20.69. Sam Fuhrman also recorded a third-place finish in the javelin, making a throw of 45.33 meters.
Clayton Sayen ran a 1:54.02 to cross the line fifth in the 800m open, Erin Lipp placed eighth in the 400m hurdles with a time of 1:07.88, Jesse Jacobusse finished ninth in the 800m Open in 2:18.87, and Carly Huggins and Chase Scheel both logged 10th-place finishes. Huggins finished with a time of 11:23.05 in the 3000m Steeplechase, while Scheel crossed the finish line at 15:05.70 in the 5000m. In the field events, Riley Roquet took eighth in the pole vault open with a vault of 4.42m.
"Windy condition races always come down to toughness, and our best athletes handled it well," head coach Jake Isaacson said of his track & field athletes. "However, we're going to need everyone to elevate their preparation and competitiveness next week at the GLIAC Championships if we want to achieve our best team results."
The Huskies will return downstate next week for the 2019 GLIAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships on May 1-3, hosted by Grand Valley State. The Michigan Tech women placed sixth at last year's GLIAC Championships at Ashland, while the men finished eighth.