WINONA, Minn. – The Yellowjacket women's track and field team made the most of a competitive field at the Saint Mary's Invite on Saturday, turning in one of their strongest team efforts of the outdoor season. With personal bests coming in nearly every event group and multiple athletes landing top-ten finishes, the 'Jackets put together a well-rounded day of performances at the Saint Mary's Outdoor Complex.
By day's end, the Yellowjackets collected a string of personal bests and tallied 11 top-ten finishes to close out the Saint Mary's Invite.

Meet Notes

• In the sprints, Aylie Dahl (Beaumont, Alberta/John Maland) placed seventh in the 100-meter dash with a time of 13.58 seconds, earned a third-place finish in the long jump with a mark of 4.80 meters, and capped her day with a runner-up performance in the triple jump, recording a personal-best distance of 10.29 meters.
• Cora Schmitz (Luck, Wis./Unity) finished ninth in the 100-meter dash with a time of 13.65 seconds and added a personal best of 29.96 seconds in the 200. Riley Toivonen (Grand Rapids, Minn./Grand Rapids) also competed in the 200, crossing the line in 30.21 seconds.
• Taylor DeCook (Arlington Heights, Ill./Prospect) anchored a strong 400-meter group, placing third with a personal record with a time of 1:05.20. Melissa Hoff (Holmen, Wis./Holmen) followed in fourth with a PR of 1:05.69, and Lillianna Jones (Portage, Wis./Portage) was seventh in 1:08.12.
• The 4x400-meter relay team of DeCook, Simone Stephens (Scottsdale, Ariz./Saguaro), Scarlett Vanderscheuren (Saginaw, Minn./South Ridge), and Tea Boerner (Owatonna, Minn./Owatonna) closed out the day with a 10th-place finish, clocking a time of 4:34.40.
• Summer Hesseldahl (International Falls, Minn./Falls) had a full slate of events, starting with a seventh-place finish in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 16.96 seconds and a fifth-place finish in the 400-meter hurdles at 1:20.02. She also won the long jump with a personal-best mark of 4.96 meters. Hesseldahl later teamed up with Bel Dimaze (Monticello, Minn./Spectrum), Jones, and Schmitz in the 4x100-meter relay, where the group placed fifth with a time of 53.34 seconds.
• Keira Hesseldahl (International Falls, Minn./Falls) also competed in both hurdle events, placing 10th in the 100-meter hurdles with a personal best time of 19.01 seconds and seventh in the 400 hurdles with a time of 1:25.18. While clearing 2.25 meters in pole vault for seventh.
• In the 800-meter run, Stephens led the Yellowjackets with a fourth-place finish in 2:23.19. Halle Barker (Superior, Wis./Superior) followed in fifth with a time of 2:31.28. Cora Hudella (North Branch, Minn./North Branch) placed seventh at 2:37.05, while Tea Boerner (Owatonna, Minn./Owatonna) finished eighth in 2:38.06. Scarlett Vanderscheuren (Saginaw, Minn./South Ridge) clocked 2:40.42 in ninth, and Kayela Putnam (Stephenson, Mich./Stephenson) rounded out the group in 13th with a time of 2:44.25.
• Lilley Smith (Ironwood, Mich./Ironwood) ran solo in the 3000-meter steeplechase and finished fifth in 13:00.39 for a personal best. Kenzy Kreuzer (Stoddard, Wis./De Soto) followed in 10th at 14:55.75.
• In the field, Dimaze cleared 1.43 meters in high jump to place third.
• Sidney Bader (Milltown, Wis./Unity) delivered a trio of seventh place finishes in the throws, including a personal-best 11.17 meters in the shot put, 40.70 meters in the hammer, and 33.43 meters in the javelin. Kory Windish (White Bear Lake, Minn./White Bear Lake) matched Bader's shot put with a personal best throwing 11.17 meters for eighth and added a 13th-place discus mark of 34.29 meters. Isabel Miller (Medford, Minn./Medford) threw 9.11 meters in shot put and 24.29 meters in discus.
• In pole vault, Kayela Putnam (Stephenson, Mich./Stephenson) cleared 2.70 meters to place sixth. McKenna Nash (Rhinelander, Wis./Rhinelander) rounded out the group in ninth at 2.10 meters.

 
The Yellowjackets return to action Thursday, April 17, at the Phil Esten Challenge in La Crosse. Events at Veterans Memorial Sports Complex are scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.