MARION, Ind. – Fifty-six Grand Valley State athletes closed out the first outdoor meet of the 2025 season at Indiana Wesleyan's annual Polar Bear Invite. Fifty-five Lakers competed across 22 events at the meet.
 
FINAL RESULTS

Katrina Sandman recorded the first results of the day in the women's 1500m, running a 4:53.99 to finish fourth in her outdoor debut. Ethan Parker, Lleyton Axline and Tinsae Nelson ran the men's section of the event. Parker and Axline finished side by side at 4:03.12 and 4:05.15. Nelson recorded a 1500m time of 4:18.97.
 
Freshman Bianca Evuleocha made her collegiate debut in the women's 400m, finishing second at 59.41. Five men raced for GVSU in the 400m: Dominik Balenda had a first-place finish at 48.65, Sam Barger finished third at 49.98, Demarcus Chapa crossed the finish line fourth at 50.20, Trannon Aylor placed sixth with a finish at 50.56 and Elija Strong rounded out the Laker roster with a ninth-place finish at 51.45.
 
Just three student-athletes represented Grand Valley in the 100m event. Jake Machiniak took first with a near-nationally qualifying time of 10.54. Nick Walper was just behind the freshman, finishing next at 10.68. Andrew Pizzico was the last of the trio to finish with a time of 11.01.
 
Next up in the running events was the 110m hurdles. Ethan Smith, Dominic Downes and Tayshawn Bester took the 2-3-4 spots at the meet with finishes at 14.74, 15.05 and 15.16, respectively.
 
The next event to receive scoring was women's discus. Senior Maggie Stevenson recorded 43.38m (142-4) as her best mark of the day, ranking fourth overall. Redshirt freshman Sophia Snellenberger recorded a 34.30m (112-6) in her outdoor debut. Nathan Spitzley and Michael Griffey competed for the men. Spitzley ranked fifth in the event with a 47.48 (155-9) mark and Griffey ranked eighth, throwing for 45.85m (1
 
Sandman was the first to compete in the 800m, finishing fourth at 2:22.11. Five men competed in the event for GVSU. Tanner Guczwa was the first to finish, crossing the finish line second at 1:55.33. Nelson was next, finishing ninth at 1:57.53. Adair Artis and Axline crossed the line 11^th and 13^th at 1:59.30 and 2:00.12, respectively. Parker was the last Laker to finish at 2:02.20.
 
The next completed event was 400m hurdles. Kate Aniolkowski made her outdoor debut with a 1:05.71 finish, ahead of Ashytn Gluck's time of 1:07.43. Tayshawn Bester competed for the men, crossing the finish line at 58.39.
 
Four women competed in high jump, three of which placed in the top three. Imogene Brumbaugh led the team with a 1.61m (5-3.5) mark for a second place finish. Josie Bentz and Abigail DenOuden tied for third with matching marks of 1.56m (5-1.5). Ashley Atkins rounded out the Laker lineup with a 1.51m (4-11.5) mark.
 
Fresh off a trip to the National Championships, Michael Griffey made his collegiate debut in hammer throw. His 61.86m (202-11) mark not only met NCAA DII provisional standards but also ranked him first in the event. Four of five Laker ladies that competed in hammer ranked in the top 10. Alaina Omonode exceeded the NCAA provisional mark with a 54.13m (177-7) throw ranking third; Natalie Pluff recorded a 49.09m (161-1) to rank fifth in the event; Kennedy Jackson threw just short of Pluff, recording a 48.03m (157-7) sixth place mark and Alexandra DiCanio threw for an eight-place 46.82m (153-7). Sophia Snellenberger recorded a 42.37m (139-0) hammer in her outdoor debut.
 
Evulochea competed in the 200m, as well, recording a finish time of 26.60. Nick Walper, Demarcus Chapa and Sam Barger swept the podium in the event with finishes at 21.72, 22.08 and 22.33.
 
Men's long jump was scored next, seeing competition from four Lakers. Alec Crum and Prentice Gardner Jr. took second and third with jumps of 6.63m (21-9) and 6.59m (21-7.5). Dylan Lafontsee and Peter VanHulle ranked fifth and eighth at 6.45m (21-2) and 6.33m (20-9.25). The women's squad took four of the top eight spots, with Kaitlyn Molnar and Nyla Reed claiming second and third with 5.65m (18-6.5) and 5.46m (17-11) marks. Grace Moeggenborg and Gloria Stepanovich placed sixth and eighth with jumps of 5.14m (16-10.25) and 5.05m (16-6.75).
 
David Conrad and Ryan Eck recorded heights in men's pole vault. Conrad recorded a 4.65m (15-3) mark, ranking fourth overall. Eck ended with a height at 4.20m (13-9.25) to rank 11^th. Three women represented GVSU in the event. Giuliana Serapiglia recorded the best mark for the team, clearing 3.50m (11-5.75) for third place. Sydney Wilson was next with a 3.20m (10-6) mark for sixth. Cassidy Bowden was the last Laker in competition, placing 10^th at 2.90m (9-6.25).
 
Finally, Will Gaston competed in javelin as the sole competitor for the Lakers. His 48.01m (157-6) throw ranked him eighth at the meet.
 
Grand Valley State Track and Field stays on the road as they continue to cruise through the outdoor season. Next weekend, GVSU squads will be seen across the country at the Raleigh Relays (NC State, Raleigh, N.C.), Texas Relays (University of Texas, Austin, Tex.), Bobcat Invitational (Texas State, San Marcos, Tex.) and WashU Distance Carnival (WashU, St. Louis, Mo.). More information regarding each meet will be posted soon.