Naperville, Ill., May 18, 2017 – In the final meet of the season before the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Geneva, Ohio, the Washington University in St. Louis track & field team posted five top-50 times at the Gregory Invitational hosted by North Central College.
The Bears were led by senior Rebecca Ridderhoff. She placed first in the 400m hurdles with a time of 1:00.67 which ranks in the top-10 of Division III times, as she still holds the top mark on the year when she finished in 59.38 at the Saint Louis University Invite on April 7. Freshman Anna Cossio finished with a season-best time of 1:02.70 in the event placing fourth, which ranks 27th in Division III.
Junior Michael Billington placed fourth on the men's side of the 400m hurdle with a time of 54.68, setting a new personal-best. Senior Ethan Brodeur placed second with the nation's 35th best time in the 1,500m run (3:53.30).
Ridderhoff also placed second in the 100m hurdles with a top-10 time of 14.42. Junior Audrey Western placed fifth in the 1,500m (4:38.66), while junior Annalise Wagner placed fifth in the 400m (58.81). Freshman Sara Mesiano placed eighth in the 400m with a time of 1:00.63. Sophomore Molly Shepherd competed in the 3,000m steeplechase, finishing 11th with a time of 11:30.12.
The men's 4x400m-relay team of sophomore Jason Singer, freshman Jon Fleming, freshman Eddie Wintergalen and senior Deko Ricketts nearly duplicated its time from last week's meet, posting a time of 3:16.35. The group's time from last week, 3:16.15, ranks 31st in Division III.
Junior Roderick Smith placed fourth in the 100m dash (10.84) while junior Thomas Gales and sophomore Tommy Fruhauf both finished in 11th place in their respective events. Gales was 11th in the 800m run (1:55.20) and Fruhauf was 11th in the 3,000m steeplechase (9:33.72). Sophomore Zac Christensen was a few seconds behind Fruhauf while placing 14th with a time of 9:38.55.
The Bears will learn who has qualified for the NCAA Championships later this week when all last chance meets have concluded. Be sure to stay up to date on all your Bears scores and awards by following @WashUBears on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
