DULUTH, Minn. – Saturday marked the opening meet of the 2025-26 season for the Yellowjacket women's track and field team. Hosted by St. Scholastica, the Early Bird hosted various teams from the region, including a pair of strong NCAA Division II teams.
The Yellowjackets started the new year on a high note, grabbing 10 personal records and four top five finishes on the day.
Meet Notes
- In the prelims, Ella Briggs (Ridgeland, Wis./Prairie Farm) and Riley Toivonen (Grand Rapids, Minn./Grand Rapids) each garnered new high-water marks in the 60-meter dash, collecting times of 8.73 and 9.36 seconds, respectively.
- Lillianna Jones (Portage, Wis./Portage) ran to an eighth-place finish in the 400-meter dash, crossing the line at 1:09.77 to lead the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC).
- In the high jump, KelliJoy Manninen (Duluth, Minn./Proctor) leaped to a mark of 1.50 meters to place third. Kyra Nelson (Faribault, Minn./Faribault) and Addison Smith (Blue Earth, Minn./Blue Earth) followed with marks of 1.45 and 1.35 meters, respectively.
- The 'Jacket trio of Kayela Putnam (Stephenson, Mich./Stephenson) (2.90 meters), Hannah Hutton (Spooner, Wis./Spooner) (2.75 meters) and Keira Hesseldahl (International Falls, Minn./Falls) (2.60 meters) finished 3rd-5th in pole vault.
- Alivia Visger (Superior, Wis./Superior) set marks in the shot put and weight throw, collecting heaves of 10.55 meters and 11.25 meters, respectively.
Superior will now set their sights to the Twin Ports Open, the first of three meets hosted inside Dr. Lydia C. Thering Fieldhouse. The meet is set for Saturday, Jan. 17.
