Eagles Set New Personal Records to Finish Regular Season on a High Note

By Loretta Gamboe, Staff Writer

DUBUQUE, Iowa--"It's a fun atmosphere to finish the season, under the lights against very good competition," said Coach Sauser.  The Eagles competed well on Friday night at the Dr. Tucker Open, hosted by Loras College. Several of the Eagles set new personal bests in preparation for the post-season.

Chelsea Ratliff lowered her 400m yet again, improving her personal best to 1:00.84.  She ranks eighth going into the NCCAA National Championships this coming weekend. 

Josiah Brown and Ryan Hughes, both distance runners, competed in the 1500m, where Josiah set a new personal best at 4:14.95.  Brown and Hughes also competed in the 800m, where they set new personal bests of 2:02.76 and 2:11.87, respectively. 

Jacob Kirkwood and Tanner Van Beek held up well against the intense competition on Friday.  Kirkwood took second place out of thirty-three throwers in the discus with a best throw of 47.85.  Van Beek finished seventh of out nineteen in the javelin, setting a new season-best with a throw of 43.22. 

Seven Eagles are headed to the NCCAA National Championships this week. They leave on Wednesday and compete on Thursday and Friday at Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana.