The College of DuPage women's track and field squad split their talents for the outdoor opener, with distance runners heading to nearby North Central College for the NCC Distance Fling, while sprinters and field events traveled to St. Louis, MO for the SLU Speed & Power Festival. Both meets took place on March 27, and the Chaps delivered a strong opening performance highlighted by numerous personal records, season bests, and national qualifying marks.
Klaudia Sztafa turned in an impressive outdoor debut, recording personal records in both the 100 meter dash (12.80) and 200 meter dash (26.73). Sztafa now ranks 1st in the NJCAA Division III in the 100 and 5th in the 200. Her performance in the 100 meter dash also secured a national qualifying mark to begin the outdoor campaign.
Micah Bates followed with a strong showing of her own, posting personal records and qualifying performances in the 100 (13.13) and 200 (27.82). Bates currently ranks 3rd in NJCAA Division III in the 100 and 9th in the 200 after the opening weekend.
The distance squad produced multiple season bests in the 5000 meters. Elena Kosorog crossed the line in 19:50.45, while Maureen Bluemle finished in 20:57.09. Both performances improved their previously established national qualifying marks, with Kosorog moving to 3rd in NJCAA Division III and Bluemle ranking 7th.
Sam Blankenship delivered one of the biggest improvements of the day in the 3000 meter steeplechase, clocking 13:23.45. The time marked a 1:50 personal record and earned a national qualifying standard, while also placing her 3rd in NJCAA Division III.
The Chaps also saw strong performances in the throws, particularly in the hammer throw where multiple athletes recorded personal bests. Brianne Davis led the group with a mark of 38.54 meters, ranking 5th in NJCAA Division III. Ellie Conner followed with a throw of 36.10 meters to rank 6th, while Miracle Hudson posted a 27.76 meter effort to sit 9th nationally.
"Overall a great day & looking forward to more great performances," said head coach Mallory Dominguez.
