Northfield, MN -- Saturday, the North Central University (NCU) Track and Field teams competed at the St. Olaf Invitational & Multi Meet hosted by St.Olaf College. Today's meet was highlighted by a school-record effort from sophomore Joyce Horton in the women's triple jump.

Sprints:

Sophomore Joyce Horton led the way for the Rams on the track, placing 5th in the 400m with a season-best time of 1:05.44 (2nd in UMAC). Junior Deshawna Hodges competed in the 60m prelims, finishing 20th with a time of 8.62 seconds (8th in UMAC).

In the men's sprints, sophomore Josh Hinson posted a time of 23.90 seconds in the 200m (9th in UMAC) before returning later in the meet to clock a season-best 53.14 seconds in the 400m (1st in UMAC). Hinson placed 10th and 6th in these two events, respectively. Freshman Michael Dagher ran 7.85 in the 60m prelims and added a 26.15 effort in the 200m, while freshman Owen Ellefson recorded personal bests in both events, running 8.02 in the 60m and a 27.04-second PR in the 200m.

Distance:

Freshman Claire Nelsen turned in a personal best in the women's mile, crossing the finish line in 6:50.42 to take 29th place. Nelsen also competed in the 5000m, finishing in 26:38.70 (5th in UMAC) to close out a busy weekend on the track.

Sophomore Leighton Helander represented NCU in multiple distance events, finishing 31st in the 800m with a time of 2:20.65 and later placing 25th in the mile at 5:02.92. Junior David Bjorge competed in the 5000m, posting a time of 19:44.79.

Throws:

Freshman Abi Rogers competed in the shot put, recording a mark of 6.27m as she continued to gain collegiate experience in the throws circle.

Senior Andre Muteba paced the Rams in the throws, placing 14th in the weight throw with a mark of 11.98m before finishing 18th in the shot put at 10.30m. Sophomore Colton Hagen added a 9.81m effort in the shot put, while freshman Austin Douglass competed in both throwing events, recording marks of 5.60m in the weight throw and 6.45m in the shot put.

Jumps:

Sophomore Joyce Horton delivered the highlight of the meet for NCU, finishing 2nd in the triple jump with a mark of 10.48m (1st in UMAC) while breaking the program's indoor women's triple jump record. Sophomore Lily Ciske also competed in the event, placing 14th at 9.40m. Ciske returned later in the meet to compete in the long jump, finishing 20th with a mark of 4.28m.

Looking Ahead:

Up next, the Rams continue their indoor season at the Meet of the Hearts on Saturday, February 14th. The meet, hosted by Carleton College, will take place inside the Carleton Recreation Center in Northfield, MN.

All fans are encouraged to tune into the official Rams Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter (X) pages for updates on track and field and all things NCU Athletics.