BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – For the third time in program history, the Grand Valley State women's track and field team are NCAA DII Indoor National Champions. The women dominated the meet with 93 points, 53 points ahead of runner-up Minnesota State.
The 2021 Indoor National Champions began the meet with a 3
rd place finish by
Judith Essemiah in the weight throw. Senior
Elli Kimes earned a redemptive first-place finish in the pole vault with a 4.15m clear, after finishing second in the 2019 championships, with teammate
Carly Livingston clearing an eighth-place 3.95m. In the 5,000m,
Jessica Gockley (16:29.77) and
Kayce Rypma (16:50.30) posted a 5-6 Laker finish. The women's distance medley relay team of
Hannah Roeske,
Jessica Eby,
Taryn Chapko and
Allie Ludge swept the competition by more than 11 seconds with a time of 11:21.94, giving GVSU a total of 34 points to enter Championship Saturday.
Klaudia O'Malley (4:54.84) and
Allie Ludge (4:55.82) began the meet with a 3-4 finish in the mile, scoring an additional nine points for GVSU. Senior
Angelica Floyd posted a personal best in the 60m, capturing a come-from-behind finish to earn the crown, while USTFCCCA Midwest Track Athlete of the Year,
Nicole Sreenan earned a first-place finish in the 400m (54.21) and third-place time in the 200m (24.37).
Freshman
Taryn Chapko introduced herself to the NCAA Championships with a tight third-place finish in the 800m, crossing the line in 2:08.48. In the 3,000m,
Hannah Roeske (9:23.07) and
Jessica Gockley (9:32.32) scored for the Laker blue with a 2-6 finish. The women's 4x400m relay team of Eby,
Marcedes Chandler, Chapko and Sreenan capped off the weekend with a fourth-place time of 3:47.91.
The women's 93 points at the Indoor National Championships are one point shy of the program's best, set by the 2012 champs. Since 1999, no team has scored a higher margin of victory than the 53 points met today, thanks in large part to the four event first-place marks and an additional five top-three finishes.
"What a fantastic three days of competing for both of our programs!" said head coach
Jerry Baltes. "Our women were lights out across the board. We're proud of what our student-athletes have endured over the past year to get here and finish what we were ready to do last year. Also, a huge thanks to our entire administration for all of their support to get us to this point! This was a total team/program accomplishment."
Coach Baltes now hones a total of five NCAA Division II Track and Field National Championship titles in his 22 years as head coach.
