The Augustana men’s and women’s track and field teams both competed in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Indoor Championships in Bloomington, Ill., and finished with multiple stellar performances. Overall, the men’s program finished fourth, a step back from a third-place finish last year. The women’s team placed fourth as well, an improvement from last year’s fifth-place result.
For the Vikings, this meet marked the end of the indoor season for conference, but created a lot of momentum for the programs as the weather outside changes seasons, and the meets go outdoors for the rest of the year. As director of track and field, Chad Gunnelson progressed through his third season at Augustana, and he said the best part of the season is not winning events, but seeing the athletes getting better as the season goes on.
“I’ve really enjoyed seeing the consistent improvement throughout the year,” Gunnelson said. “It’s been really fun to celebrate personal best, lifetime best, each week across all event groups, and that consistent growth has helped us build momentum and really build a lot of positive motivation as we reached the championship phase of the indoor season.”
A few of those key athletes noted by Gunnelson include sophomore Brayden Veil, who won the 60-meter hurdle event at the Solomon Butler Classic while claiming the second-best time in school history for the event,; the pair of First-Year Bridget Hecker and junior Cora Deemer who have posted first and second-place finishes not only in the 4×400 relay, but the 60-meter and 200-meter events as well; and junior Tyreke Fortney, who has a handful of top placements in the 60-meter.
Despite transferring in this past season and being in his first season at Augustana, Fortney has already ingrained himself as one of the top runners for the Vikings. On a team of competitive and amazing athletes, he is one athlete who has stood out on the men’s team, not only for his placements, such as his first-place finish in the 60 event at the Bumble Rumble meet to start the season, but also for his confidence in himself and his teammates.
“I already told Coach [Gunnelson] we’re winning this [Championships],” Fortney said. “I make sure to talk to every single athlete on the team. If I see them have a bad day, they’re not going to continue having a bad day. I will annoy you until you have a good day. That’s just who I am.”
Augustana opened the meet with a strong first day, as the women led the team standings with 42.33 points and the men sat fourth with 29 points. Juniors Ryan and Renee Jednachowski finished in third and fifth place in the women’s 5000-meter, while both distance medley relays added key points.
The throws group stood out with runner-up finishes from senior Magnus Wells and junior Laina Nelson, along with multiple additional scoring efforts. Several Vikings also advanced to Saturday finals, including Fortney in the 60 and junior AJ Banks and Veil in the 60-meter hurdles.
On Saturday, Fortney won the conference title in the men’s 60 and added a fourth-place finish in the 200 to lead the way. Banks and Veil scored in the 60 hurdles, while the sprinters, distance runners and relays continued to add points throughout the day. The field events remained steady, with Wells adding points in the shot put and senior Charlotte Frere placing third in the women’s shot put. By the end of the meet, both the Viking men and women finished fourth overall.
As both teams finish off their indoor seasons, the mindset starts to move to trying to qualify for nationals and getting prepared for the outdoor season. For newcomers and First-Years, this could bring a lot of jitters, but thanks to the guidance of the veteran athletes, it has been easier to shake those nerves.
“The leadership is amazing,” Hecker said. “The upperclassmen are always super helpful by giving us advice. They encourage us, and they always have smiles on their faces, which I think is nice. I love talking to them before races, because we all have the same jitters, so we’re all trying to hype each other up.”
Both teams will next compete on the road at the Platteville Final Qualifier on Friday, March 6, and then the following day at the Wartburg Qualifier.
