SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Thursday marked the first day of the 2024 Rider/Bolstorff Invitational, hosted by Macalester College.
The lion's share of the meet will take place Saturday, but there were two events scheduled for Thursday – the hammer throw, to better utilize the space at the Macalester facility, and the 5,000-meter run, so the athletes could compete at a more favorable time of day.
And like has been the case for much of the year, the Yellowjackets got a strong showing from their distance runners.
In the 5,000 meters, the Yellowjackets landed two runners in the top six.
Halle Barker (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) was the first Yellowjacket to cross the finish line, coming in with a time of 18:36.11, which put her solidly in third place. Barker was 39 seconds off the pace of the winner, but the time established a new personal record for the Yellowjacket junior.
Not far behind Barker was
Tea Boerner (Owatonna, Minn./Owatonna Senior). Boerner also set a new personal record in the event, crossing the line with a time of 19:19.85. Boerner was about 25 seconds shy of cracking the race's top five.
In the hammer throw, the Yellowjackets had three competitors.
Emma Johnson (Centuria, Wis./Unity) didn't place as a result of a foul. The top finisher for the Yellowjackets was
Sidney Bader (Milltown, Wis./Unity), who set a new personal record in the event with a heave of 37.89 meters.
Sydney Cox (Two Harbors, Minn./Two Harbors) also competed Thursday, finishing the meet with a heave of 30.22 meters.
The full Yellowjacket team will return to St. Paul for the second day of the Rider Bolstorff Invitational Saturday, April 27. Events will begin at 10 a.m.
