The Falcons’ track and field team finished the Eagle Holiday meet on a high note Friday by winning first place in three events.
Freshman Kyla Paster won the long jump, sophomore Makenzie Wheat came in first with the shot put and junior Tiera Parker won the triple jump event.
The Falcons added a second-place finish behind freshman Sydnee Matthew in the long jump. The other teams that competed with BG were Toledo, Oakland and the host of the event, Eastern Michigan.
The Falcons took control of many events, with a BG runner finishing within the first five places in eight out of ten events.
Sophomore Raven Porter finished second in the high jump with a score of 5-5 and redshirt freshman Aliyah Gustafson placed third in the weight throw event.
“I was really happy with the meet as a whole,” said Head Coach Lou Snelling. “And it was good in a lot of different events.”
Snelling said the freshmen stepped up in the meet, especially Kyla Paster.
“The freshman really contributed especially for their first meet out,” Snelling said. “She [Kyla] really opened up quite well and we’re really looking forward to see where she can take her progression.”
Paster also managed to set a new collegiate personal best record in the long jump with a score of 18-feet-3.75 inches. Her teammate, Wheat, threw the shot put a distance of 46-10.5 to finish first. In the high jump, freshman Lexie Davis tied for fourth with a jump of 5-1.
Parker came within just one foot of matching her personal best in the triple jump, but her score of 37-4.25 still won the event for BG. Gustafson, who placed third in the weight throw, finish second in the shot put with a distance of 46-0.
The Falcons will now have time to relax and prepare for their next meet which is not until Jan. 10 at the Perry Field House
“It’s a long way away, but the big thing is making sure the work gets done over break,” Snelling said. “And that first January [meet] will be a good indication of if we did a good job from the meet or not and taking the next step as a program.”
