Western Wayne Today

A few members of the Wayne State University women's indoor track and field team participated in the GVSU Big Meet on Saturday in Allendale, Michigan. The team achieved a significant milestone as their Distance Medley Relay (DMR) broke the school record by over 2.6 seconds with a time of 11:44.27. The DMR team was composed of senior Emily Gordon, senior Renae Kutcha, junior Rachel Felstow, and graduate student Taylor Hopkins.

Coach Lofdahl expressed satisfaction with the team's performance, stating, "This meet can be a downer or a huge boost going into championship season, and it was absolutely the former this time around. We competed at a really high level across the board."

The coach highlighted several individual performances: "The 4x400 team got into the fastest heat in a loaded meet, and they really held their own. Elyse (Miller) and Renae in particular ran really strong relay legs." He also noted Emily Gordon's success in the 800 meters, saying she had "a massive breakthrough" with her performance.

Reagan Justice was commended for her effort despite past challenges with illnesses during indoor track seasons. Coach Lofdahl remarked on her determination: "Great effort for her to break another school record."

He acknowledged other athletes who contributed positively to the team's momentum ahead of upcoming competitions: "We had good races from Avery Wilson, Anna Gdowski, and Hanne Bastiaansen as well."

Reflecting on the DMR achievement under challenging conditions where they ran alone in their heat, Coach Lofdahl said it was an impressive feat: "Emily gave us a nice lead; Renae and Rachel literally never saw another runner on the track during their legs but still came through with solid runs."

Robin Bresolin also received praise for setting a personal record in both the mile and 3K events over two days.

In summary of recent achievements by his athletes, Coach Lofdahl stated: "Four school records in two days is an impressive accomplishment for the student-athletes in this program."

Looking ahead, Wayne State will participate in the SVSU Tune-Up on February 21 before returning for GLIAC Championships scheduled from March 1-2.