LA CROSSE, Wis. – Following a second-place finish at the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Championships last weekend, the Yellowjacket women's track and field team returned to action Friday, appearing at the Eagle Open hosted by UW-La Crosse. The event typically stands as one of the last opportunities to solidify a spot at the NCAA Division III National Championships.
 
Sophomore standout Simone Stephens (Scottsdale, Ariz./Saguaro) paced the way for Superior Friday. In the 800-meter race she nearly set another school record but set a new high-water mark with a race time of 2:15.82 for third place.
 
Meet Notes

• The Yellowjacket duo of Cora Schmitz (Luck, Wis./Unity) and Lillianna Jones (Portage, Wis./Portage) raced in the first round of the 100-meter dash, collecting times of 13.96 and 14.36, respectively.
• Taylor DeCook (Arlington Heights, Ill./Prospect) also raced in the 800-meters, collecting a 2:31.19 race time and finishing fifth in her heat.
• In the 1,500-meters, Halle Barker (Superior, Wis./Superior) took ninth overall with a 4:58.90 race time while Tea Boerner (Owatonna, Minn./Owatonna) closely followed in 11th at 5:01.
• Another Yellowjacket to finish in the top ten was Lilley Smith (Ironwood, Mich./Ironwood), finishing the 5,000-meter race in 20:48.23.
• Myla Volk (Wabeno, Wis./Wabeno) competed in the triple jump, setting a mark of 9.41 meters for 17th overall.
• The shot-put logged Sidney Bader (Milltown, Wis./Unity) with a mark of 11.37 meters, while Kory Windish (White Bear Lake, Minn./White Bear Lake) collected a heave of 10.65 meters. Windish also saw action in the discus, ending the day with a mark of 32.75 meters.
• Bader's mark in the javelin was good for a spot in the top ten, collecting a heave of 32.66 meters.

 
Next week the Yellowjackets will send select student-athletes to participate in the NCAA Last Chance Qualifier. The two-day event begins May 14 at the Austin E. Knowlton Outdoor Athletic Complex in Rock Island, Ill.