UNK Athletics
Peter Yazvac, Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations
KEARNEY – The Nebraska-Kearney track and field team won 12 events (six men and six women) andMcCook senior Tiara Schmidt broke her own school record in the weight throw Saturday at the annual Charlie Foster Field Classic in Cushing Coliseum.
The non-team scoring meet also featured Fort Hays State and Nebraska Wesleyan. This was UNK’s third indoor meet of the season and second one at home. The Lopers return to Cushing on February 19.
Schmidt once again won both the shot put (46-10.75) and weight throw (63-1.50). Her effort in the weight throw currently is second best in NCAA Division II and bests the toss of 62-6 she had in early December. That heave broke a 20-year old school mark; Schmidt’s new record came on her third attempt.
Holdrege redshirt senior Blake Schroeder is now on the national list after a career-best 59-11.25 in the men’s weight throw. The first-place toss vaults him into sixth on UNK’s all-time top 10 and to 19th on the national list. Schroder was runner up in the shot (53-7.50) with a throw close to the provisional standard. UNK throws coach and 10-time All-American Dane Tobey came in first (56-3). Next, Holdrege junior Baylie Bryant cleared a career-best 12-0.50 to win the women’s vault. She is just the third Loper, following Brooke Frederick and Cali Cordes, to reach 12-0 indoors with her height good for 20th nationally.
Kearney junior Haley Schall had a strong day as she won the long jump (18-3.25) and was runner up at 60 meters (career-low 7.86). Her time in the 60 moves her into fifth place in Loper lore with her leap close to the provisional standard. Finally on the women’s side, Kearney freshman Nicole Messbargerwon at 600 yards with a time (1:27.06) that places her in the UNK all-time top 10 with Iowa seniorMaddie Bach (5:14.88) and Kearney freshman Grace Bonsall (5:19.16) going 1-2 in the mile.
Loper men to win their respective event besides Schroeder were Hastings junior Seth Simonson (800; 1:55.68), Ainsworth sophomore Ben Arens (mile; 4:20.36), Kearney sophomore Brayden Sorensen (high jump; 6-8) and Axtell sophomores Jarett Bertrand (600 yards; 1:15.99) and Lance Bertrand (60 hurdles; 8.43). Lance Bertrand also was third in the 200 with UNK going one through six in the mile, one through five in the weight throw and having three of the top six finishers in the vault.
UNK returns to Maryville, Mo., next weekend for the Bearcat Invitational.