ALLENDALE, Mich. – Grand Valley State and nearly 80 other schools closed out day one of the annual Big Meet Friday night. The day spanned 12 hours and saw close to 2,000 athletes compete. GVSU stood their ground on home turf, updating 20 GVSU top 10 records and shattering one Kelly Family Sports Center record.
 
FINAL RESULTS – COMPILED
FINAL RESULTS – MEN'S
FINAL RESULTS – WOMEN'S
 
I'd Sprint & Jump Over Hurdles for You (Sprints/Hurdles) – 
 
60m Dash – Michael McNeil was the sole Laker to advance from the 60m dash preliminary round to the finals. His 6.85 sixth place finish granted him a spot in the finals alongside the eight other fastest athletes in the dash. In the finals, he finished sixth at 6.90.
 
60m Hurdles – Joshua Hurt was the only athlete in GVSU uniform to advance to the finals in the 60mH. He qualified for the event with a fifth-place finish at 8.12. Hurt shaved several seconds off his preliminary time in the finals, finishing sixth at 8.07.
 
200m – The Laker ladies kicked off the 200m for GVSU. Freshman Claire Neumann ranked ninth overall with a personal-best time of 24.82 that granted her the number 10 spot in GVSU history. Catherine Guckenberger was next in line, finishing 13^th at 24.96. Jayla Graham and Melia Williams closed out the event for the Lakers, placing 21^st and 27^th at 25.36 and 25.51.
 
Five men represented GVSU in the 200m. The first to cross the finish line was Michael McNeil. His personal-best 21.65 finish tied him for the sixth spot in GVSU history and qualified him for national competition. Vincent Giuliano was next, ranking seventh in the event at 21.65. Freshman Desmond Chapa ran a personal-best time of 21.72 in the event, ranking ninth overall. Nick Walper and Drew Pizzico closed out the event with 19^th and 21^st place finishes at 22.13 and 22.26.
 
400m – Addison Washler made her debut in the women's 400m event and did so in impressive fashion. The freshman finished 12^th at 56.58 to not only qualify for national competition, but to also snatch the #55 spot for the event in NCAA DII.
 
Myles Rhodes and Zach Pray showed out once again on Laker turf. Rhodes crossed the finish line first at 47.62 to shatter his record and Grand Valley's previous number one. His time not only goes down as the fastest in GVSU history but is currently the 17^th fastest in NCAA DII. Pray put on a show, as well. The senior finished second at 47.76 to perfectly tie his number two all-time personal-best, set in 2024.
 
4x400 Relays – Grand Valley brought their "A" squads to this weekend's Big Meet… literally. Catherine Guckenberger, Claire Neumann, Addison Washler and Alaina Diaz started the day off strong with a 3:43.73 finish to place first in the event. The men followed suit, finishing first at 3:12.07. Zach Pray, Vincent Giuliano, Desmond Chapa and Myles Rhodes represented squad A for GVSU.
 
Our Love Knows No Distance (Mid-/Distance) – 
 
1 Mile – The men's 1 mile invite saw two broken personal-bests and all-time top 10 records. Owen Westerkamp finished second in the event at a personal-best 4:02.73, moving up to number two all-time in GVSU's record books. Koby Fraaza also broke his record by more than one second. He recorded a sixth place, 4:05.70 finish that ranks as the eighth best men's mile in GVSU history. The men's 1 mile saw several PR's as well. Tyler Heath ran a personal-best 4:13.01 time to finish eighth and Colin Vanderschaaf finished tenth at 4:13.58.
 
The women's invite also saw several personal-bests and top 10 record updates. Natalie Graber was the first to cross the finish line for GVSU, finishing third at 4:42.06 to rank number two all-time. Lauren Kiley and Maria Mitchell were the next two Lakers to finish. They placed seventh and eighth at 4:45.16 and 4:45.52. Kiley moved up to number six all-time; Mitchell kept her spot in eighth but recorded a personal-best. Cara Newman was the final Laker to cross the finish line. She finished 17^th at a personal-best 4:55.28. 
 
800m – One of the most impressive performances of the night was put on by the 800m squads. On the women's side, Lilly Alberts and Megan Postma ran their own personal-bests to run new marks into GVSU's record books. Alberts moved up to number seven all-time with her 2:09.09 finish; Postma grabbed the number eight spot at 2:10.51.
 
The men also had outstanding performances that moved them up the ranks in the record books. Side by side, Sam Allen and Scott Spaanstra crossed the finish line, finishing at 1:49.24 and 1:49.57 respectively. The times moved them up to number two and three all-time and number eight and nine in NCAA Division II. Although not a top 10, Tinsae Nelson recorded a new personal-best with a 1:54.39 finish.
 
3000m – Sean Marquardt kicked off the 3000m event for GVSU. In section two of the event, the sophomore placed sixth at a personal-best time of 8:28.15. Three more Lakers competed in section one of the 3k. Bahozhoni Church finished first of the Lakers and second overall with a personal-best time of 8:07.15 that marked him 10^th in GVSU program history. Next to cross the finish line was Gabe Connelly. He finished 10^th at a personal-best 8:21.45. Zac Zemba closed out the event for the Lakers, finishing 12^th at 8:28.42.
 
Allie Arnsman and Landyn Howell competed in the women's 3000m. Arnsman finished fourth with a personal-best time of 9:37.02, qualifying for national competition. Howell crossed the finish line 26^th at 10:01.71.
 
5000m – Sixteen Lakers competed through six total sections of the 5000m event. The women competed in two, where they grabbed two NCAA-qualifying marks and two personal-bests. Maria Widmann led the day with her 12^th place finish at a personal-best 17:02.28. Freshman Andre Richmond led the men with an NCAA-qualifying time of 14:15.93, finishing fourth in his heat.
 
My Heart Jumps for You (Jumps) – 
Long Jump – Both men's and women's long jumpers had great outings in the open sections of the event. All Lakers who competed in the open section advanced to the finals round; the top nine athletes in the advance are eligible to advance.
 
Dylan Lafontsee (6.80m / 22-3.75) and Prentice Gardner Jr. (6.79m / 22-3.5) snagged the top two spots in the event; Mason Floria placed seventh with a 6.49m (21-3.5) mark. Kaitlyn Molnar also grabbed the top spot in the women's open with a distance of 5.55m (18-2.5). Nyla Reed occupied seventh place with a 5.33m (17-6) mark.
 
In the invite portion of the event, Alaina Diaz shined yet again. She recorded a 5.88m (19-3.5) jump that ranked her second in the event. On the men's end, Luke Jelderks placed third with a 7.03m (24-1.5) mark. Caleb Taylor and Chrisly Kelly-Cannon ranked fifth and sixth with distances of 6.99m (22-11.25) and 6.75m (22-1.75).
 
Triple Jump – Per usual, Nolyn Johnson III was the sole triple jumper for GVSU. He ranked sixth with a 13.50m (44-3.5) jump.
 
High Jump – Heidi Newhouse and Imogene Brumbaugh kicked high jump off for the GVSU crew with the women's open. Newhouse did so in impressive fashion; she not only tied for first with her 1.68m (5-6) height but set a new personal-best and qualified for national competition. Her PR ties the eighth best height in GVSU program history. Brumbaugh tied for sixth in the open with a height of 1.58m (5-2.25)
 
Kaylee Diamond and Alexis Weber competed in the invite portion of the event. Diamond's 1.73m (5-8) mark ranked her third in the event. Weber's 1.64m (5-4.5) height ranked sixth in the event, 67^th in NCAA DII and earned her a new personal-best.
 
Six Laker men competed in the high jump invite section. Unsurprisingly, Eli Kosiba led the event with a 2.22m (7-3.25) mark. Jaivon Harrison, Marcus Gelpi and Jonathan-Rankins James were next in the rankings for Grand Valley with matching heights of 2.14m (7-0.25). Andrew Kraft recorded a 10^th place mark of 2.05m (6-8.75) and Braden Prielipp placed 13^th with 2.00m (6-6.75).
 
You (Pole) Vaulted Your Way into My Heart (Pole Vault) – 
Brooke Bowers started the day for GVSU pole vaulters and was the only Laker lady to do so. The freshman impressed yet again, clearing 4.10m (13-5.25) to take second in the event.
 
The three men representing GV in pole vault swept the podium, claiming the top three spots. Wyatt Alwine led the group with a 5.10m (16-8.75) mark. Dolan Gonzales and Colton Emeott tied for second, clearing 4.95m (16-2.75) each.
 
Love Throws Where You Go (Throws) – 
Weight Throw – The women started the day off with the weight throw invite, which showcased Shelby Ulven and Alaina Omonode. Ulven placed second in the event with a 19.28m (63-3.25) mark. The distance pushed her to number five in NCAA Division II and broke her previous number seven spot in GVSU's record book by 0.01m. Omonode placed fifth in the invite with an 18.56m (60-10.75) throw. Kennedy Jackson was the only competitor for GVSU in the women's open. She ranked 13^th with a 15.95m (52-4) throw.
 
Michael Griffey and James MacKey Jr. represented GVSU in the invite portion of the event. Griffey placed fourth in the event with a personal-best distance of 19.90m (65-3.5). His mark ranks him 10^th in GVSU history and as the current number nine in Division II. MacKey recorded a fifth place 19.78m (64-10.75) on the day. Lucas Lesher was the sole Laker to compete in the open. He recorded a third-place mark of 17.54m (57-6.5).
 
Shot Put – Yet again, Myles Kerner put on a show in shot put. In one of his last meets on home turf, Kerner broke the Kelly Family Sports Center shot put record, which he had previously set in 2023. Kerner's 19.69m (64-7.25) shot put is the new number one in NCAA Division II. In the open, Andrew Berryhill took the cake with a personal-best 16.36m (53-8.25) throw, ranking second overall. Gerald Capaccio was the other Laker to compete. He ranked 13^th in the event with a mark of 14.22m (46-8).
 
In the women's invite, Mackenzie Bohrer ranked fifth with a 14.49m (47-6.5) throw. Kennedy Jackson was the sole Laker to compete in the open and she shined. The freshman recorded a personal-best 14.55m (47-9) throw that not only crowned her champion in the event but also granted her the number 10 spot in GVSU's all-time record book.
 
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The Big Meet continues tomorrow morning beginning at 10 a.m. Those interested in attending day two of the Big Meet may purchase tickets at the Kelly Family Sports Center. Grand Valley State students need not purchase a ticket, as admission is free with a valid student ID.
 
Live results, provided by Fairchild Sports Timing, may be found here. Fans can also watch the meet on FloTrack, which now includes a multi-event viewing option. Be sure to follow @GVSUXCTF on Instagram and X for live updates, photos, results and more.