PR’s-A-Plenty for Women’s Track at WHAC Meet

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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The season of success continued Thursday and Friday (April 30-May 1) for Marygrove women’s track as head coach Cary Ossiff and the Mustangs took on the field at the 2015 Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) Outdoor Championships. The two-day championships event was held at historic Houseman Field in Grand Rapids, Mich. – the same location as the 2013 title meet when the Mustangs made their WHAC debut.

On Thursday, the Mustangs started the conference meet with a PR in the hammer throw by sophomore Theresa Dray (Davison, Mich./Davison High School). The Davison product heaved the hammer a personal best 39.02m, nearly more than three meters ahead of her last PR performance of 36.11m set at Hillsdale College’s Gina Relays on April 25.

Dray’s near 40-meter throw, good for 11th place in the conference, was the latest in a long line of improvements for the sophomore in the hammer. With one more scheduled event this season, Dray will look to post another PR day in the hopes of posting an NAIA qualifying throw. To qualify for nationals, Dray would have to heave the hammer 46.94m – a mark that is well within reach for a student-athlete that just entered the event this season.

Amber Staudt, Kassadie Dewdney-Sims and Rachel Staudt also performed Thursday, going against the conference field in the javelin. The aforementioned Mustangs finished 10th, 11th and 12th, respectively, led by Amber Staudt’s (Novi, Mich./Schoolcraft College) 20.94m toss.

On Friday, the Mustangs closed out the two-day event with stellar showings in the discus and shot put. The PR’s returned in the discus as Rachel Staudt (Novi, Mich./Lawrence Tech) led all Mustangs in the event with a throw of 29.25m. Staudt’s 29-meter toss shattered her old mark, leading fellow PR-setter Dray by four spots after placing 16th overall. Dray checked in 20th in the discus after setting a PR with a throw of 27.13m while Dewdney-Sims (Waterford, Mich./Mott High School) followed closely at 27.13m.

Another event, more personal bests as Dewdney-Sims paced a well-rounded effort by the Green and Gold with a heave of 10.53m – good for 14th place. Dray, [Rachel] Staudt and [Amber] Staudt followed with throws of 10.15m, 9.26m and 8.52m, respectively, to round out a solid showing for the young Mustangs at the WHAC meet.

The Mustangs will return to action Thursday (May 7) with a trip to Hillsdale College. The Mustang Sports Network will travel with the squad, posting in-meet videos on Instagram and twitter.

CONFERENCE AWARDS
Dray added to her Champion of Character Team award from the women’s basketball season after being named to the same squad at the culmination of the conference’s outdoor track meet. Teammate [Rachel] Staudt, a senior academically, was named to the WHAC All-Academic Team after far-exceeding the conference’s minimum requirements of a 3.25 or above cumulative GPA and junior or above class standing. Staudt currently boasts a 4.0 GPA at Marygrove.

TRACK & FIELD CONTACT: Tim Johnston | [email protected]/* */ | @tjohnston56
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