Green and White Win GVSU Open with 138.5 Points

Complete Results

ALLENDALE, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University women's track and field team competed at the Grand Valley State University Open today, Jan. 20, held in Allendale, Mich. The Eagles finished first out of 11 teams with a total of 138.5 points.

"I thought that we were solid in some areas and flat in other areas," stated Head Coach Sue Parks. "The distance runners had a strong day despite a tough week of training. It was good to get another meet in and we're excited to put together a total team effort next weekend on our home track."

Eastern had a trio of sprinters qualify into the 60m dash finals, as junior Jasmine Jones (Greensburg, Pa. – Hempfield Area), sophomore Jessica Harris (Slidell, La. – Slidell) and freshman Brittni Mason (Richmond Heights, Ohio – West Geauga) finished second, fourth, and fifth, respectively, in the prelims. Mason made a move in the finals, finishing third with a time of 7.70 seconds, while Jones and Harris both clocked in at 7.77 seconds to round out the top-five.

However, Jones did finish atop the podium in the 200m dash, crossing the finish line in 24.55 seconds to win the event. Freshman Micah Johnston also had a strong race, placing second with a career-best time of 25.36, while Mason completed the sweep for EMU with a third-place finish after clocking in at a personal-best 25.57 seconds.

Johnston also found success in the 400m dash, claiming another silver medal with a career-best time of 57.29 seconds. Senior Khadesha James (Irvington, N.J. – Irvington) also finished in the top-three, taking the bronze in 58.06. The 600m run saw senior Dayna Hurd (Carson, Calif. – Carson) post a fifth-place finish, posting a time of 1:40.16. EMU had another pair of top-three finishes in the 800m run, as juniors Rebekah Branham (Circleville, Ohio – Circleville) and Claire Mesa (Rockford, Ill. – Rockford Lutheran) finished second and third with times of 2:14.38 and 2:14.94, respectively. Mesa's time was also a personal-best.

In the mile, senior Alsu Bogdanova (Kazan, Russia – Lyceum #83) turned in the day's top performance, winning the event after crossing the finish line in 4:42.33. Behind her, junior Natalie Cizmas (Clinton Twp., Mich. – Chippewa Valley) and sophomore Sydney Meyers (Zionsville, Ind. – Zionsville Community) also had top-five finishes, taking third and fifth with times of 4:44.13 and 4:55.20, respectively, with Cizmas' time being a career-best and the fourth-best in the EMU record books.

Bogdanova posted another strong race in the 3000m run, as the Kazan, Russia native won the race by nearly 12 seconds, posting a time of 9:38.16. Cizmas also had a solid performance in the event, taking third-place in 9:52.66, which was a career-best. EMU also won the 4x400m relay, as the team of James, Branham, Mesa, and Sharpe clocked in at 3:58.37 to finish first.

Heading to the 60m hurdles, two Eagles snagged spots in the finals, as junior Tifani Byrd (Toms River, N.J. – Toms River North) and Hurd finished first and second in the prelims. Byrd matched her performance in the prelims, finishing atop the podium with a time of 8.82 seconds. Over on the high jump, freshman Aleah Bailey (Castalia, Ohio – Margaretta) was the Green and White's top competitor, posting a mark of 1.55 meters/ 5 feet 1-inch to finish sixth. EMU had another top-five finish on the pole vault, as senior Natalie Uy (Kettering, Ohio – Fairmont) nabbed fourth with a vault of 3.80m/ 12 feet 5.5-inches.

Junior Dace Dreimane (Ventspils, Latvia - Ventspils Gymnasium No. 1) had another strong outing, securing a pair of top-two finishes on both the long jump and the triple jump. The junior brought home a second-place finish in the long jump, posting a mark of 5.80 meters/ 19 feet 0.5-inches, while she finished atop the triple jump podium with a jump of 12.26 meters/ 40 feet 2.75-inches. Finally, sophomore Morgan Turner (Norwalk, Ohio – Norwalk) had another strong performance in the weight throw, finishing with a career-best mark of 15.58 meters/ 51 feet 1.5-inches, improving her hold on the sixth-spot in the EMU record books.

Eastern remains home next weekend, playing host to the annual EMU Triangular, Saturday, Jan. 28.

EMU Individual Results (* denotes a personal-best, Q denotes a finals qualifying mark)
60m Dash Prelims
2. Jasmine Jones 7.72Q
4. Jessica Harris 7.73Q
5. Brittni Mason 7.77Q
16. Sundasia Baker 8.24

60m Dash Finals
3. Brittni Mason 7.70
4. Jasmine Jones 7.77
5. Jessica Harris 7.77

200m Dash
1. Jasmine Jones 24.55
2. Micah Johnston 25.36*
3. Brittni Mason 25.57*
9. Emiesha Burrell 26.24*
29. Sundasia Baker 27.59

400m Dash
2. Micah Johnston 57.29*
3. Khadesha James 58.06
8. Jocelyn Sharpe 59.26*
11. Emiesha Burrell 59.39

600m Run
5. Dayna Hurd 1:40.16
6. Gianna Salzbrunn 1:41.81*

800m Run
2. Rebekah Branham 2:14.38
3. Claire Mesa 2:14.94*

Mile Run
1. Alsu Bogdanova 4:42.33
3. Natalie Cizmas 4:44.13*
5. Sydney Meyers 4:55.20
9. Danielle Bentzley 5:02.51
10. Allie Knoll 5:04.05*
13. Lauren Pottschmidt 5:12.69*

3000m Run
1. Alsu Bogdanova 9:38.16
3. Natalie Cizmas 9:52.66*
12. Abbigail Stemple 11:02.61*

4x400m Relay
1. James, Branham, Mesa, Sharpe 3:58.37

60m Hurdles Prelims
1. Tifani Byrd 8.82Q
2. Dayna Hurd 8.86Q
11. Gianna Salzbrunn 9.65*

60m Hurdles Finals
1. Tifani Byrd 8.82
6. Dayna Hurd 9.09

High Jump
6. Aleah Bailey 1.55m/ 5-01.00
10. Gianna Salzbrunn 1.50m/ 4-11.00*
13. Dayna Hurd 1.45m/ 4-09.00

Pole Vault
4. Natalie Uy 3.80m/ 12-05.50
10. Rebekah Carr 3.35m/ 10-11.75
16. Kristine Bourg 3.05m/ 10-00.00

Long Jump
2. Dace Dreimane 5.80m/ 19-00.50
11. Elisa Hendriksen 4.67m/ 15-04.00

Triple Jump
1. Dace Dreimane 12.26m/ 40-02.75

Weight Throw
11. Morgan Turner 15.58m/ 51-01.50*
23. Megan Pendleton 13.57m/ 44-06.25

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Aleah Bailey

Sundasia Baker

Danielle Bentzley

Alsu Bogdanova

Kristine Bourg

Rebekah Branham

Emiesha Burrell

Tifani Byrd

Rebekah Carr

Natalie Cizmas

Dace Dreimane

Jessica Harris

Elisa Hendriksen

Dayna Hurd

Khadesha James

Micah Johnston

Jasmine Jones

Allie Knoll

Brittni Mason

Claire Mesa

Sydney Meyers

Megan Pendleton

Lauren Pottschmidt

Gianna Salzbrunn

Jocelyn Sharpe

Abbigail Stemple

Morgan Turner

Natalie Uy

Eastern Michigan Athletics