NORTHFIELD, Minn. -- Day two of the MIAC outdoor track and field championships was headlined by the hammer throw crew on Saturday.
Led by Ella Stritesky's (Rogers, Minn./Rogers HS) runner-up finish, the Saints placed three throwers into scoring positions in the final round. With a strong string of preliminary attempts, Stritesky earned her two farthest marks of the season before finals. However, it was the first throw of the finals that Stritesky found her full potential and unleashed a huge personal record of 53.83m. This mark is currently ranked 11th in NCAA Division III, and is the same place that Stritesky finished at last year's national championship meet. This mark is the third best on the Saints all-time list.
Kyra Hovis (Duluth, MN/Superior High School) placed fifth in the hammer throw behind her teammate. Hovis's personal best mark of 47.42m secured All-MIAC honorable mention and four team points.
Ella Engen (Clearbrook, Minn./Clearbrook-Gonvick HS) was the third and final said to get into the scoring in the hammer throw. Engen, who is the fifth best Saint of all time in the event, placed seventh overall to score two points for the team.
The 4x100m team of Andrea Petroske, Kayla Nelson (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater HS), Paxyn Rendahl, and Allison Fink finished ninth overall with a time of 51.77 seconds.
The 4x400m team of Rendahl, Regan Niemi (Bemidji, MN/Bemidji HS), Lili Hoard, and Kayla Nelson (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater HS) ran a huge season's best mark of 4:12.37 to finish tenth as a team.
Allison Fink strung together a solid series of attempts in the prelims of the triple jump. Her best mark of 10.53m placed her 16th in the event.
Ella Engen (Clearbrook, Minn./Clearbrook-Gonvick HS) placed 14th in the shot put with a toss of 11.65m.
As the majority of the Saints closed out their 2026 season with the MIAC championships, Ella Stritesky (Rogers, Minn./Rogers HS) looks ahead at a last chance meet, as well as the NCAA DIII national championships; both of which are hosted at UW-La Crosse over the next two weekends.
