University of St. Thomas Athletics
Friday, April 19
Fayetteville, Ark. / John McDonnell Field
at
John McDonnell Invitational
Women’s 4x100 relay rebreaks program record over weekend
4/20/2024 8:30:00 PM | Men's Track & Field, Women's Track & Field
Men’s team set two top 10 program marks at McDonnell Invitational and Holst Invitational
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The 4x100-meter relay of St. Thomas women's track & field broke its own record while the men's program set two top 10 marks over a weekend of meets at the John McDonnell Invitational hosted by Arkansas and Holst Invitational hosted by Concordia-St. Paul.
The team of Cassia Cady, Alexis Pratt, Taynian Walgrave and Rebecca Randleman improved their record time by 0.36, running 46.15 to finish sixth at the McDonnell Invitational. The women's squad finished with eight program top 10 marks set over the weekend, including Molly Desotell setting the meet record and program's second-best mark in the 3000m steeplechase during her first appearance in the race.
The Tommie men's 4x100m relay team of Nate Carlin, Isaiah Hopf, Mitchell Piehl and Johnny Bezdicek set the program's fourth-best time in the event at 40.83 to finish sixth. The other men's top 10-mark set came from Sam Duffing in the 400m hurdles, ranking 10th with a time of 54.06 to finish eighth at Arkansas.
John McDonnell Invitational
The women brought in nine top 10 finishes, six program top 10 marks, and nine personal bests in Arkansas. Olivia Keller took second in the long jump with a mark of 5.84m (19-feet-2-inches), which ranks third best in program history. Keller also set the program's seventh-best time in the 400m hurdles at 1:02.60, finishing behind Hailey Hindt in sixth with a time of 1:01.98.
Olivia Passeri cleared 3.56m (11-8) to set a personal record and bump her up to fourth on the program's top 10 list. Anna Swanson finished second in the javelin with a mark of 44.45m (145-10) while teammate Chloe Staub threw the program's eighth-best mark at 37.76m (123-11), finishing ninth in the event. Cassia Cady improved her personal best in the 100m dash with a time of 12.20 to remain fifth on the program list.
The 4x400m relay of Jack Rosner, Piehl, Cameron Heppner and Thomas Dundon took third with a time of 3:14.34. Nate Raddatz also took third in the javelin with a throw of 56.56m (185-7). Isaiah Hopf placed fourth in the triple jump (14.04m/46-0.75) and Trever Schirmer finished fifth in the discus (45.75m/150-1).
Holst Invitational
Shane Aberg set two personal record marks on Saturday, including a third-place finish in the discus (47.47m/155-9) and a fifth-place finish in the shot put (14.99m/49-2.25). Isaac Nowak led the runners with a second-place finish in the 3000m steeplechase with a time of 9:40.10.
Desotell set the program's second-best time in the 3000m steeplechase at 11:06.36, setting a meet record and winning the event in the process. Gabriella Witschen also ran the event for the first time in her career and finished fourth with a time of 11:33.32, which ranks eight in program history.
Mariana Lehrer and Sophia Fabry swept the top two spots in the triple jump as Lehrer won with a mark of 11.31m (37-1.25) and Fabry at 10.40m (34-1.50). Alaina Schoenfelder won the high jump with a leap of 1.54m (5-0.50).
QUOTEABLES
Thoughts from head coaches Pete Wareham and Ashley Lucas following the trip to Arkansas and Concordia-St. Paul:
"This is the time of year where we split our squad to attend different meets. We had a group at Concordia-St. Paul and the highlight there was Shane Aberg who continues to get better and better. I was also impressed with Isaac Nowak who ran very well in his first steeplechase race ever.
"Our relays were the highlights for our group that competed at the University of Arkansas. As an SEC and NCAA powerhouse, there was plenty of competition. This helps us figure out how to compete at the next level and will help us as we make final preparations for the Summit League Championship which we are excited to host."
– Head Coach Pete Wareham
"It was a great weekend for St. Thomas women's track and field in Arkansas and at Concordia-St. Paul. Our 4x100-meter relay team of Cassia Cady, Alexis Pratt, Taynian Walgrave, and Rebecca Randleman, broke the record for the second time in four weeks. Olivia Keller's performances were spectacular, securing the third-best mark in program history in the long jump and seventh best in the 400m hurdles.
"We saw outstanding individual performances across the board. The steeplechase crew of Molly Desotell and Gabriella Witschen both ran the event for the first time in their careers and came away with top 10 marks. Alicia Belany and Emmy Schulz also came away with personal records Friday in the 800m. It was another positive weekend and we're ready for another busy week starting Wednesday at Minnesota."
– Head Coach Ashley Lucas
UP NEXT
St. Thomas will face another multi-meet week beginning Wednesday, April 24 at the Running on Hope Invite hosted by Minnesota. The Tommies will then travel for the Drake Relays and Kip Janvrin Open April 25-27, adding in the Penn Relays for members of the men's team.
St. Thomas will face another multi-meet week beginning Wednesday, April 24 at the Running on Hope Invite hosted by Minnesota. The Tommies will then travel for the Drake Relays and Kip Janvrin Open April 25-27, adding in the Penn Relays for members of the men's team.
FOLLOW ALONG
For more information on St. Thomas Women's Cross Country, follow along on Twitter and Instagram at @TommieWXCTF. For more information on St. Thomas Men's Cross Country, follow along on Instagram at @TommieMTFXC
For more information on St. Thomas Women's Cross Country, follow along on Twitter and Instagram at @TommieWXCTF. For more information on St. Thomas Men's Cross Country, follow along on Instagram at @TommieMTFXC
-- St. Thomas Athletics --
Players Mentioned
Throws
/ Men's Track & Field
Mid-Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints/Jumps
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Hurdles
/ Men's Track & Field
Mid-Distance
/ Men's Track & Field
Sprints/Jumps
/ Women's Track & Field
Mid-Distance
/ Men's Track & Field
Hurdles
/ Women's Track & Field
Jumps/Sprints
/ Men's Track & Field
Sprints/Jumps
/ Women's Track & Field
Jumps
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Men's Track & Field
Pole Vault
/ Women's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track & Field
Multis
/ Men's Track & Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track & Field
Multis
/ Men's Track & Field
Throws
/ Men's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & Field
Jumps/Javelin
/ Women's Track & Field
Javelin
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
/ Women's Track & FieldPress Conference: Tommie Football Postgame v Lindenwood 08/28/25
Friday, August 29
Tommie Football Intro Video 2025
Thursday, August 28
Beyond The Buzzer: Schoenecker Arena Setup
Wednesday, July 23
Beyond The Buzzer: Sports Medicine
Wednesday, July 23
