MORRIS, Minn. – On the first day of the 2023 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Outdoor Track and Field Championships, the Yellowjacket women's track and field team turned heads, winning events and moving out to a lead after the first day of competition.
 
The Yellowjackets entered Saturday with a 18-point lead over second-place Martin Luther, knowing the day would go right down to the wire to determine the 2023 conference champion.
 
A second here, a centimeter there, and in some cases, less is what it came down to. When it was all said and done, the Yellowjackets came up just short in their bid for the program's first-ever outdoor conference championship. The Yellowjackets put together a strong day Saturday, finishing with 179 points, which was good for second place.
 
The Yellowjackets were just nine points behind conference winner Martin Luther, who ended the weekend with 188 points. The 'Jackets were 38 points ahead of Bethany Lutheran, who finished third.
 
Halle Barker (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) continued her strong season on the track, winning the 2023 UMAC title in the 5,000 meters, finishing with a time of 19:21.42, putting her 40 seconds ahead of the next-closest runner.
 
Barker was also part of the Yellowjacket 4-x-400-meter relay team that placed fifth. Running along with Barker on the team were Riley Wilson (Eagle River, Alaska/Eagle River), Cora Schmitz (Luck, Wis./Unity) and Colleen Claude (Centuria, Wis./Homeschool).
 
Speaking of Claude, she brought home a third-place finish in the 100-meter dash, crossing the line with a time of 13.71 seconds. Claude also had a top finish in the 400-meter run, finishing fifth with a time of 1:03.55.
 
On the heels of a solid opening day, one that saw her win the 400-meter hurdles, Alexxa DeQuevedo (Silver Bay, Minn./William Kelley) brought home a second-place finish in the 100-meter hurdles, coming in with a time of 16 seconds. The time set a new personal record for DeQuevedo.
 
De Quevedo also ran the opening leg of the women's 4-x-100-meter relay, helping the Yellowjackets to a second-place finish and a time of 52.92 seconds. Schmitz, Claude and Catie McPherson (Ashland, Wis./Ashland) also ran in the relay.
 
In the field events Yellowjacket freshman Myla Volk (Wabeno, Wis./Wabeno) finished in a tie for third place in the high jump, clearing a height of 1.38 meters, which was good for a new personal record. Volk also placed third in the triple jump with a mark of 9.41 meters, also a personal record. McPherson was right behind her, placing fourth with a mark of 9.24 meters.
 
The Yellowjackets had a strong showing in the discus, placing three throwers in the top five.
 
Senior Kasha Hughlett (Maple, Wis./Northwestern) placed third with a throw of 32.12 meters. She was followed by Emma Erickson (International Falls, Minn./Falls), who placed fourth with a mark of 31.49 meters. Right behind Erickson was Hannah Baker (Aurora, Minn./Mesabi East) who placed fifth with a mark of 31.46 meters. Baker's mark was a new personal record.
 
Next up for the Yellowjackets is the Eagle Open, hosted by UW-La Crosse. The last-chance qualifier is scheduled for a 3 p.m. start Friday, May 12.