LISLE, Ill. - Running against heavy winds in the Chicagoland area, the Ashford University women's track and field program competed at the Eagle Invitational hosted by Benedictine University over the weekend.
Freshman Nkemdilim Okwuambua of Rockford, Ill., earned the top individual performance for the Saints at the meet, winning the 800-meter run with a time of 2:23.60, nearly three seconds ahead of the second-place finisher and under one second of breaking her own school record in the event.
In the 200-meter dash, Okwumabua ran the third fastest time in the field with the time of 27.09 while sophomore teammate Laura Minertz of Sterling, Ill., finished fifth in 27.35.
After coming into the 100-meter dash with the fifth fastest preliminary time (13.61), Minertz moved up two spots to finish third in the finals, crossing the finish line in 13.94.
Freshman Ashley Murray of Mason City, Iowa finished 33rd in the 800-meter run, crossing the line in 2:46.28.
Senior Kim Fabry of Oconto Falls, Wis., also competed in the 200-meter dash, finishing 12th with a time of 27.97.
With a time of 1:04.80, Fabry finished the 400-meter dash in 14th place while freshman Chhutani Berry of Chicago earned 23rd at 1:12.23.
Berry also finished fifth in the high jump, clearing 1.53 meters (5') while sophomore Natalie Solms of Kissimmee, Fla., finished eighth.
Minertz, Okwumabua, Fabry and freshman Sarah Wenzel of Clinton, comprised the 4x100 meter relay team for the Saints, earning a second-place finish after running a time of 51.44.
Wenzel leaped her way to seventh place in the long jump after a distance of 4.86 meters (15'11"). Fabry finished in 16th after a leap of 4.57 meters (14'11").
Solms (10.03 meters, 32'10") and Wenzel (9.98 meters, 32'8") finished 12th and 13th, respectively, in the triple jump.
With a toss of 11.34 meters (37'2") in the shot put, freshman Ashley Voeltz of Fulton, Ill., earned a sixth-place finish. Voeltz also gained 18th in the hammer throw with a toss of 33.48 meters (109'10").
Freshman thrower Dawn Caffery of Indianapolis, Ind., finished 20th in the shot put with a launch of 10.19 meters (33'5").
The relay quartet of Minertz, Wenzel, Okwumabua and Wenzel, will travel to Des Moines this week for the 101st Annual Drake Relays to compete in the 4x200 meter relay and the 1,600-meter sprint medley relay.
