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Track team gears up for NCC indoor championship
The Husky track team ended their indoor season last weekend in their last home meet of the year, just a week before they head down to Mankato for the NCC Indoor Championships.
With their minds set on the Indoor Championships, the men and women track teams finished their last home meet of the year with a bang.
For the indoor season, this upcoming meet is the last chance for those who are close to qualifying for nationals and competing in Boston to do so.
Seniors Eric Gunderson and Crystal Pautzke wanted to finish their last ever home meet with nothing but their best efforts, and that's what they displayed when they finished first in their events.
Pautzke finished first in the pole vault and improved on her provisional mark by vaulting at a height of 11 feet, 10 inches. She, alongside fellow vaulter Jodi Tarasewicz and high jumper Stacy Baumbach represent the women who have provisionally qualified for nationals.
Pautzke, a graduate student, is done competing after the indoor season. She's been struggling this year but was able to come up with a huge vault in her regular season meet to propel her to the top going into this year's NCC championships.
"It was a huge relief to finish first. I went from 13th to third on the list for nationals," Pautzke said. "Jodi and I are tied for third place along with another girl from Mankato."
Gunderson set a new school record in the weight throw Saturday with a distance of 58 feet, 8 inches, smashing the old record of 58 feet, 3 inches which he himself held. He will enter next weekend's championship ranked fifth in both the weight throw and shot put. Joining Gunderson from the men who have provisionally qualified for nationals will be fellow senior pole-vaulter Jed Bergstrom, who is currently tied for seventh in the nation.
Last year, the men's team finished fifth overall and are looking forward to placing better, but injuries have been hurting the team throughout the season. But senior Jamie Lippert, who was out last year, will be competing and trying to make those points back up.
Lippert is coming off of his best meet of the year as he posted a personal best 1:56 in the 800 meter run and is looking forward to running in Mankato.
"I didn't run in last year's indoor championships, and am definitely ready for this year's," Lippert said. " I'm looking forward to improving on that time this weekend. We have a lot of people close to qualifying for nationals, and with this being the last meet to do so, a lot of us are pumped up."
Kory Ellingson can be reached at: [email protected]
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