The Simpson College track team hosted its first home meet of the season this past Saturday.

There were no team scores, but the Storm athletes performed well overall. Head Coach Tim Byers commended the efforts of junior Zach Allison and sophomore Jessica Capper in particular.

“Zach ran a great 400, with a time of 48.33, which is the third fastest time in school history. This provisionally qualified him for the NCAA Division III nationals meet,” said Byers.

“Jessica had a throw of 38-2 3/4 in the shot for second place, and she has set personal records in the last two meets.”

Also placing for the men was senior Lucas Carder, who won both the high jump (6-4), and the long jump (20-8-1/2) and junior Tony Ekman achieved two season bests in the 800 (1:59.25, fourth place) and the 1500 (4:04.94, second place).

Senior Jeremy Mohwinkle ran for a fourth place finish in the 200 with a time of :22.76, and sophomore John Nichols also placed fourth in the 5000 with a time of 16:26.45. Freshman Garrett Cornelison received a fourth place in the 110 hurdles with a time of :16.55, and junior Doug Besch took fifth place in the 1500 at 4:13.69.

Junior Alex White and Junior Derek McChurch both competed in the 3000 steeplechase, finishing fifth and sixth place respectively.

Junior Aaron Keiser and freshman Ben Cox both participated in the decathlon with Keiser placing 10th in the 100 with a time of :11.48, ninth in the javelin with a throw of 129-9 1/2, and 14th in the shot put at (34-0 1/4). Cox ran for 22nd in the 100 with a time of :11.95 and 11th in the javelin with a distance of 53-8 1/4.

On the women’s side, senior Sara Jensen received third place in the 1500 with a time of (4:56.42, and in the 5000 at 19:02.34. Capper, in addition to the shotput, competed in the discus and received third place with a throw of 121-1, and freshman Amy Moylan jumped for a season best in the high jump at 5-2 that nailed her a third place finish.

Junior Miriah Johnson reset her own school record in the 3000 steeplechase to a time of 12:47.80, which was good for a fourth place finish while senior Buffy Irwin tossed the javelin 104-10 for a fourth place finish and also received sixth place in the discus at 108-4.

Junior Tracie Whitney was fifth in the 100, and ran a season best at :13.48, and was 13th in the 200 with a time of :27.66. Freshmen Ashley Friday and Jessica Capper both placed sixth and seventh respectively in the 800, and senior Renae Kingery placed seventh in the javelin with a throw of 94-4, and she also placed 13th in the 100 hurdles with a time of :18.42.

The Storm will host another track meet on April 26, the Simpson Twilight Open.

“We’ve been working really hard in preparation for our last meet,” said Byers. “The U.W Lacrosse men’s team is attending the meet, which is huge. They’ve won national championships in indoor and outdoor track and cross-country-16 championships in the last 13 years, which is outstanding. This will definitely raise the level of this meet.”

The season will wrap up for the Storm on May 23-25 in Saint Paul, Minnesota, at the NCAA Division III National Championships.