Hils Hails in Steeplechase
4/15/2000 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
In her second steeplechase race ever, Kerry Hils chose to make a statement. After setting the MU record, Texas Relays record and Mike A. Meyers records last weekend, Hils decided that she could do better this weekend. The freshman ran the event twenty seconds faster than one week ago. Her time of 10:25.85 currently ranks her third in the world. Hils was the highest finishing collegiate in the event with her third place showing.
After two days of competition in the heptathlon, Michelle Moran led the MU contingent of multi-events participants with a third place performance. Her score of 5,145 points was just 48 points shy of her season-best performance from the Florida Relays. Fellow junior Eli Sommerfelt came in fifth overall with 5,065 points followed closely by senior Jill Aholt who placed sixth with 5,001 points. Freshman Abbe Ohneck placed 17th in only her second-ever heptathlon with a career-best point total of 4,542.
On the men's side, senior Ryan Pirtle led the charge. Pirtle opened up his individual competition portion of the season with a provisional qualifying time in the steeplechase. The co-captain's time of 8:47.90 was good enough for a third place finish in the open event. Nick Smith claimed fourth place finish in the 5,000m run. His time of 14:24.12 was a season best time as well as the third best time in the conference. In the decathlon, Knut Harold Sommerfeldt placed fourth with 6,842 points, a season-best. The freshman moved up two places on the second day of events after finishing day one in sixth. Junior Adam MacDowell also competed in the steeplechase finishing ninth with a time of 9:05.68.
The meet concludes tomorrow, Sunday, April 16. Sophomore half mile standout Timothy Dunne competes this evening in the 800m with Ashley Wysong and Derrick Peterson competing in the invitational heats of the 800m on Sunday.
