NAPERVILLE, Ill. - The Carthage women's track & field team opened the outdoor portion of the 2024 season at the First Chance Invitational hosted by North Central (Ill.) on Thursday and Friday. It was an exciting start to the outdoor season for the Firebirds, which was highlighted by
Abbey Calhoun, who broke the Carthage school record in the triple jump, as well as a second place finish for the team.
- North Central - 199.83
- Carthage - 121
- Wis.-Whitewater - 98.83
- Aurora - 78
- Elmhurst - 76.33
- Wheaton - 64
- North Park - 38
- Harper - 28
- Illinois Tech - 20
- Joliet Junior - 12
Calhoun broke her previous school record of 11.38m (2023) in triple jump and won the event with a mark of 11.64m. Tara Schaalma placed second with a mark of 11.05m.
Alexis Mattox opened the outdoor season with a win in hammer throw, claiming victory with a mark of 51.88m. Nicole Tarpley placed third at 49.14m. Aubrey Schoeneman, Dora Dill, and Mikayla Wright finished fifth, sixth, and seventh respectively.
Tarpley came back on Friday and won the discus with a throw of 42.38m. Schoeneman placed second at 41.29m, while Alyssa Gulsvig placed third at 40.94m. Jackie Tuzil placed fifth, while Mattox took eighth place.
Schoeneman won the shot put with a mark of 14.02m. Gulsvig placed second at 13.24m. Mattox placed third at 12.61m. Tuzil placed fourth and Madison Payne placed fifth as the Firebirds swept the top five in the event. Wright placed seventh while Makensie Pearson finished eighth.
The 4x400m relay team, which showcased Schaalma, Sarah Kerfin, Julie Heinrichs, and Grace Nisius, placed second in the event with a combined 4:19.32.
Calhoun placed third in long jump with a mark of 5.24m. Teagan Johnston placed sixth at 5.11m, while Charlotte Monroe placed seventh at 5.08m.
Kylie Smith placed third in the 5,000m with a time of 18:26.56.
The 4x100m relay team, which featured Anna Kegel, Mandy Nelson, Caitlyn Hodgins, and Kerfin placed fifth in 51.18.
Jessie Pakaski placed fifth in the 1,500m with a time of 5:08.13. Pakaski also went on to finish sixth in the 800m with a time of 2:29.13.
Emma Kreuziger placed fifth in the 400m hurdles with a time of 1:17.14.
Madison Payne finished eighth in javelin with a season opening mark of 31.12m.
Heinrichs placed eighth in the 400m in 1:01.89
"We had a great outdoor opener today," said Head Coach Stephanie Domin. "The entire team has multiple PRs, strong performances and we are excited to see where these marks will take the team.Â
Abbey [Calhoun] had an incredible day by breaking her own school record in the triple jump and completed strong in the long jump. She really put together a great jumping day and we are very proud of her!"
The Firebirds will return to action on Saturday, April 6 as Carthage is set to compete in the Wisconsin Private College Championships hosted by Carroll University in Waukesha, Wis. For more information, visit athletics.carthage.edu.
