Conrad, Knepper Lead Mustangs with National Qualifying Marks

FAYETTE, Mo - Mount Mercy's women's outdoor track and field team recorded several standout performances over the weekend, with two athletes surpassing national qualifying marks on day two of the Heart of America Outdoor Championships. 

In the throws, Ava Conrad led the way for the Mustangs in the shot put, finishing second with a mark of 12.83 meters. Conrad also secured second in the discus with a throw of 44.75 meters, easily surpassing the NAIA "B" standard to qualify for nationals. Alyssa Striegel followed in sixth with a throw of 39.80 meters.

In the triple jump, Brooklyn Johnson posted a mark of 10.82 meters to finish seventh.

On the track, Abby Knepper claimed the title in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a personal-best time of 10:55.38—improving her PR by 20 seconds and surpassing the NAIA "A" standard by 0.62 seconds.

The Mustangs' 4x100-meter relay team placed 10th with a time of 50.85 seconds, while the 4x400 squad finished fifth in 4:09.35.

J'Lyn Knutson placed fourth in the 1,500-meter run with a time of 4:57.97. Catie Reittinger followed in seventh (5:01.96), and Annabelle Neal rounded out the top 10 in ninth (5:04.72).

Corinne Gadient placed eighth in the 400 meters with a time of 59.49 seconds. She went on to win the 800-meter run in 2:14.84.

In the 5,000 meters, Kalin Rotzoll earned an eighth-place finish in 19:06.15.

Mount Mercy will return to action at the Penultimate Qualifier in Rock Island, Illinois, and the St. Francis Fighting Chance Meet in Joliet, Illinois, beginning Friday, May 9.