Indoor Track Update 18

Feb. 26, 2021

Minnesota's Bethany Hasz wins Big Ten 3,000 title

Senior Bethany Hasz won the Big Ten 3,000 meters championship. The Minnesota senior ran a time of 9:06.66, finishing nearly six seconds ahead of Michigan Sophomore Ericka VanderLende.

Last season Hasz placed second in the 3,000 final, finishing behind Indiana's Bailey Hertenstein. This year Hertenstein, a junior finished sixth at 9:24.76. VanderLende's time of 9:12.45 was a personal best. The third place finisher was Ohio State's Allie Guagenti. She crossed the finish line at 9:17.43.

Hasz was the only senior who finished in the top 13. Her teammate Bit Klecker had the second best time for a senior, finishing at 9:40.27 which was good enough to place 14th out of 29 runners.

Allison Gerads goes from 12th to first in Big Ten Pentathlon

Minnesota junior Allison Gerads outscored 14 other competitors in the Big Ten pentathlon competition. She posted 4,088 points, finishing ahead of Wisconsin sophomore Jordan Hirsbrunner (3,963) and Iowa senior Dallyssa Huggins (3,881).

In 2020, Gerads placed 12th in the finals, in fact this year's win is her first of any kind on the collegiate level since April 28, 2018, when she won the high jump competition at the Janis Rider Invitational in her second collegiate meet.

Hirsbrunner placed sixth in last year's final and made things interesting with a first place finish in the 800 meters portion to go along with a runner-up spot in the shot put section of the event. Gerads held her off with wins in the high jump and long jump portions.

Huggins placed seventh last year and rose to the third place spot after wins in the high jump, shot put and a runner-up finish in the 800 meters portion. What hurt Huggins' chance to win was two 13th place results in the 60-meter hurdles and the long jump.

Georgia's Anna Hall takes SEC Pentathlon

With 4,521 points, Georgia sophomore Anna Hall won her first SEC pentathlon championship. The 16-athlete field included last year's champ Tyra Gittens who placed sixth this season. Hall registered wins in the high jump, shot put and 800 meters sections of the competition.

The runner-up was Florida junior Sterling Lester. She scored 4,095 points to finish ahead of third place competitor, Arkansas junior G'Auna Edwards (4,068).

Last season Hall finished second in the pentathlon final, with 4,166 points.

Tyra Gittens trades two championships for one

In 2020, Texas A&M junior Tyra Gittens won the pentathlon, while finishing third in the open high jump and fourth in the open long jump. This season she placed a shocking sixth in the pentathlon but won the open high jump and open long jump.

After scoring a disappointing 3,818 points in the pentathlon, Gittens jumped a career best 6.62 in the long jump. She finished ahead of LSU senior Aliyah Whisby who hit a mark of 6.61, which was a personal mark as well. Georgia junior Titiana Marsh recorded a jump of 6.37 which was the third best out of 16 competitors.

Gittens won the high jump at 1.89, ahead of LSU senior Abigail O'Donoghue and Georgia's Anna Hall. Gittens didn't miss a jump between 1.76 and 1.89. Both O'Donoghue had Hall shared the number two spot as both only missed one jump before clearing 1.86. Neither could clear 1.89 after three tries.

Virginia's Jada Seaman repeats as ACC long jump champ

Last year as a freshman Jada Seaman held off her sophomore teammate Khyasisa Caldwell and North Carolina junior Anna Keefer to win her first ACC long jump crown. This year Seaman's jump of 6.19 edged out Caldwell's mark of 6.18 and Miami sophomore Lauren Harris (6.18), to make her a back-to-back champ. After placing fourth and 12th in her first two meets this season she has won three-straight.