SAINT PAUL, Minn. – The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) revealed their award winners for the week of Jan. 29, and the Yellowjackets were well represented.
Freshmen
Cale Newby (Bemidji, Minn./Bemidji) and
Jason Thomas (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) claimed the men's indoor track and field honors, respectively, while freshman
Sharan Kanugovi (Bangalore, Karnataka/New Baldwin International School) and sophomore
Brooke Wilfong (St. Cloud, Minn./St. Cloud Tech) swept the men's and women's tennis awards.
Newby won the 5,000-meter race with a mark of 17:42 at the Lake Superior Challenge Saturday, hosted by the College of St. Scholastica. Not only was this a personal-best for him, but it was also the first gold medal finish of his Yellowjacket career. Newby now has the fourth-best time across the UMAC in the event.
Thomas also saw action at the Lake Superior Challenge, and he also set a personal-best. Competing in the pole vault, he finished with a mark of 4.00 meters, beating his previous best by over half a foot. With his performance Saturday, Thomas currently ranks second across the UMAC, only trailing his teammate,
Garrett Lynch (Portage, Wis./Portage).
Kanugovi picked up his first two victories of 2024, facing off against Wartburg and Macalester over the weekend. He defeated Elijah Swanstrom (6-1, 6-2) and Jordan Doi (6-3, 6-4) in singles action, and partnering with teammate
Davide Pelletti (Prado, Brazil), defeated the Knights (8-7, 8-6) and Scots' (8-4) counterparts.
Wilfong also snagged her first victory of 2024, facing off against Macalester's Talia Chait. She defeated Chait 7-5 and 6-2 while playing at No. 6 singles, picking up the lone singles win for the 'Jackets Saturday.
The Yellowjacket men's track and field team is back in action Saturday, hosting the Third Annual Maday Classic. The events will start at 12 p.m. inside the Dr. Lydia C. Thering Fieldhouse.
The Yellowjacket men's and women's tennis teams return to the court Saturday, taking on Bethel. First serve for both squads are slated for 3 p.m.
