Warriors Compete at Central Nebraska Challenge

KEARNEY, Neb. — Midland University returned to action Saturday, competing in the Central Nebraska Challenge. The meet, which included athletes from schools across the state — including GPAC members Doane, Concordia (Neb.), Hastings, and College of Saint Mary — was hosted by the University of Nebraska-Kearney and Hastings.

Sara Diew began the day with a top-10 performance and a B standard, placing fifth in the hammer throw with a toss of 51.28 meters. The mark ranks third in Midland program history.

Diew secured her second top-five finish of the day by placing fourth in the discus with a throw of 45.07 meters. The mark ranks second in school history and meets the NAIA B standard for nationals.

Two Warriors earned top-10 finishes in the high jump. Krista Hardy (1.57 meters) placed fifth, while Meike Lahuis (1.52 meters) finished ninth.

The quartet of Rianna Greene, Vanessa Rice, Kayli Carey and Cannelle Beaujolais placed fourth in the 4x100-meter relay with a time of 49.80 seconds.

Tanja Zubrod placed ninth in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.32 seconds. She later secured her second top-10 finish of the day, placing fourth in the 200-meter dash with a time of 25.10 seconds. Her 200-meter mark is tied for third in Midland program history.

Bridget Meier finished sixth in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 21:38.67.

"Sara Diew had a great day, achieving two national qualifying standards," head coach Daniel Gerber said. "Collectively, we have had a large number of personal bests achieved during the first two meets."

Midland will travel to Lincoln, Nebraska, to compete in the Nebraska Spring Kickoff on April 3. The Warriors will also have a handful of distance runners compete in the USD Early Bird in Vermillion, South Dakota, on April 3.