DULUTH, Minn. – The Yellowjacket women's track and field team opened its indoor season Saturday, competing at the Early Bird, hosted by the College of St. Scholastica (CSS) at the Burns Wellness Commons on the CSS campus.
 
The event at CSS is a tradition for the Yellowjackets, giving them an early competition before diving into the teeth of their indoor season once the calendar flips to January.
 
For the Yellowjackets, it's often an event where newcomers get accustomed to college competition, while both new and returning competitors bring home a load of strong performances and personal records. This year's meet was no exception to that rule.
 
The Yellowjacket women had a good day across the bridge, finishing the meet with 14 finishes in the top ten, and a total of 24 personal records.
 
A trio of Yellowjackets finished in a tie for third place in the pole vault. Kenzy Kreuzer (Stoddard, Wis./De Soto), McKenna Nash (Rhinelander, Wis./Rhinelander) and Cora Schmitz (Luck, Wis./Unity) all cleared a height of 2.15 meters Saturday. The marks for both Nash and Schmitz served as personal records.
 
Staying with the field events, freshman Emma Johnson (Centuria, Wis./Unity) had a big day. Johnson placed fourth in the weight throw with a mark of 14.49 meters. Johnson's throw set a new record for freshman throwers at UW-Superior and has her ranked 11th in the region and 41st in NCAA Division III after Saturday. Among freshman throwers, Johnson's mark is second in the nation.
 
Johnson also had a sixth-place finish in the shot put with a mark of 10.60 meters.
 
Field event personal records also came for Catie McPherson (Ashland, Wis./Ashland), Isabel Molina (Solon Springs, Wis./Solon Springs) and Summer Hesseldahl (International Falls, Minn./Falls).
 
McPherson reached a mark of 1.40 meters in the high jump, which placed her seventh. Molina was right behind McPherson, clearing a height of 1.25 meters, placing her eighth. In the long jump, Hesseldahl placed 10th with a mark of 4.76 meters.
 
Hesseldahl also hit a personal record on the track, posting a strong race in the 60-meter hurdles. Hesseldahl placed ninth, coming in with a time of 10.46 seconds.

Staying in the running events Halle Barker (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) picked up right where she left off at the conclusion of cross country season. Barker hit a new personal record in the mile, crossing the line with a time of 5:34.05, giving her a third place finish.
 
The 2023 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference women's cross country champion, Cora Hudella (North Branch, Minn./North Branch Area), also had a good showing in the mile. Hudella came in just behind Barker, placing fifth with a time of 5:40.64. The time was also a personal record.
 
Several Yellowjackets ran great races in the 3,000 meters. Simone Stephens (Scottsdale, Ariz./Saguaro) placed fourth with a time of 11:14.52. Lilley Smith (Ironwood, Mich./Ironwood) finished ninth, coming in with a time of 12:15.20. Taylor DeCook (Arlington Heights, Ill./Prospect) was right behind Smith, crossing the line in 12:21.93 to place 10th. All three times were personal records.
 
The Yellowjackets will now be off for over a month, returning to action Saturday, Jan. 20 when they host the Twin Ports Open. Events will begin at noon at the Lydia Thering Fieldhouse on the UW-Superior campus.