Into the Twilight

A bright sunlight and 70 degree temperatures greeted the athletes at the rescheduled Hamline Invitational on Wednesday at Klas Field.  There wasn't a trace of the snowstorm last weekend that forced postponement of the event that had been scheduled for Saturday, April 5..

The men's 400 meter hurdlers get started. Photo by Jim Ferstle

By the time the sun set in the West, the winds had abated and the weather was perfect for the next to last events, the men's and women's 5Ks.

The gun goes off to start the women's 5K. Photo by Jim Ferstle

As darkness descended, Macalester's Kimber Meyer broke away with three laps to go to win the women's race in .17:09.21.

The packed men's field was next with close to 40 runners on the starting line.

Middle of the pack. Photo by Jim Ferstle

A blur of red, white, and blue. Photo by Jim Ferstle

The St. John's pack. Photo by jim Ferstle

A pack of five runners, led for much of the race by Bethel's Matt Berens, broke up in the last mile as St. Thomas' Keaton Wendroth, Hamline's Ryan Peterson, and St. John's John Subialka battled until Wendroth took the lead for good on the backstretch of the last lap to win in 14:57.10

The University of Minnesota dominated the field events, the men's 1500, and 800. St. Thomas' Erika Tipp won the 100 and 200.  Hamline's Marolyn Saulsbury the 110 and 400 hurdles.  Bethel's Courtney Fregeau won the 400, while her teammate Rebecca Wesley took the 800.  Augsburg's Lauren Rice won the 1500, and Hamline's Dani Vitali completed a hurdles sweep for the Piper women by winning the steeplechase. 

Hamline's Tom Larson won the men's 100.  St. Thomas' Tremayne Williams won the 200 and was second in the 100.  Augsburg's Barinedum Kordah won the 400. Chatting on the infield as the 4 by 400 relays were getting ready to close the meet, Macalester coaches Matt Haugen and Betsy Emerson basked in the warm weather.  Haugen suggested that with weather like this there should be a twilight meet every Wednesday night.  Track and field under the lights, what could be better than this...

Full results are HERE.