Dustin Veurink

The Jackrabbit track and field teams split up to begin their outdoor season.

It was all about the distance runners for the Jacks who were in Columbia, Mo., for the windy Missouri Relays on March 26-27.

The women dominated the 3,000-meter run by three in the top four. Junior Ashley Storm won the event with a time of 10 minutes, 15.29 seconds. Joni Storm and Tera Potts placed third and fourth with times of 10:51.51 and 10:53.07 respectively.

Ashley and Joni Storm both also placed fourth and ninth in the 1,500-meter run in 4:49.70 and 5:11.80.

Senior Amanda Frohling took home the other first-place finish for the Jacks in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 11:36.58.

“It was fabulous for Ashley Storm and Amanda Frohling to get wins in the 3,000 meters and 3,000-meter steeplechase,” said head track and field coach Rod DeHaven.

The long distance dominance continued in the 5,000-meter run. Sophomore Kelsey Aune and senior Nicole Davis placed third and fifth with times of 17:54.49 and 18:07.12. “I was really pleased with our performances of our 5,000-meter runners,” DeHaven said.

Krista Creager and Potts placed fifth and eighth in the 800-meter run in times of 2:20.28 and 2:26.68.

On the men’s side, the Jacks placed three athletes in the 800-meter run and 5,000-meter run. Dominic Thielen, Jake Schneller and Jared Ailts placed third, fifth and seventh in the 800. Their times were 1:56.96, 1:58.27 and 1:59.64.

Marshall Kambestad led the way for the Jackrabbits in the 5,000-meter run, placing third with a time of 14:45.99. Michael Krsnak and Greg Beesley placed fourth and sixth with times of 14:47.02 and 14:53.72.

The field teams led the way at the also windy Razorback Spring Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., on March 27.

Despite the wind, sophomore Luke Leischner turned in the third-fastest 400-meter time in school history. Leischner placed third with a time of 47.71 seconds.

“Considering the wind and that it was our first outdoor meet, that was an exceptional effort,” said DeHaven.

In men’s field events, junior Sean Burns and senior Sam McInerney took the top two spots in the hammer throw, and sophomore Jared Vlastuin’s jump of 6 feet, 4.75 inches earned him third in high jump.

The women’s field team placed in the top three in three different throwing events. Senior Sara Ackman won the discus throw and placed third in shot put. Her throws were 157-1 and 44-2.5.

Fellow senior Christa Landmark placed second with a throw of 150-5 in the hammer throw. The 4 x 400 meter relay team placed third with a time of 4 minutes, 5.58 seconds.

The Jackrabbits will return home to compete in the South Dakota-North Dakota Double Dual on April 2.