Adarra Hagelund
Soldotna’s Adarra Hagelund wasted no time in her indoor track and field season opener.
The Dickinson State sophomore picked up a win in the high jump at the Marauders Indoor Opener in Bismark, N.D., clearing a height of 5 feet, 6 inches to establish a personal best and hit the NAIA A standard. The early season mark also ties for fifth among NAIA athletes this season.
Hagelund, a former SoHi star and state champion, has already made impressive strides at the collegiate level.
Last season, Hagelund amassed five wins in the high jump, placing in the top-3 nine times and eclipsing the five-foot barrier 14 times.
Hagelund’s recent competition showcased her consistency, opening at just under five feet and clearing at the first five heights with a total of seven jumps. After securing the early victory by jumping 5 feet, 5.25 inches, Hagelund went on to clear 5-6 on her third attempt. She set a personal best by one inch before bowing out following three attempts at 5-7.
Hagelund’s mark is tied with two other athletes for fifth in the NAIA this season, joining six high jumpers in meeting the A standard. The qualification standard and season rankings will determine the indoor contenders for the national meet, held at the end of February.
Another athlete who set personal bests in the field events was Wasilla’s Cort Sandefur, who opened his season at the Bobcat Preview in Bozeman, Mont.
Cort Sandefur winds up before throwing the shot put. Photo by Jordi Peiro.
The MSU-Billings sophomore and former state champion for Redington High competed in the weight throw, hurling the 35-pound implement 49-9.25 on his final throw to improve by more than 10 feet. After setting a personal best to snag the last spot going into the finals, Sandefur continued his momentum, bettering his former best three more times to place seventh overall.
His shot-put mark of 42-0.5 was also an improvement, this time by just over four inches on his second throw.
At the Mountaineer Open, Anchorage’s Brady Burrough furnished a personal best in the mile.
Just three weeks after competing at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships, the Fort Lewis sophomore covered one-sixth the distance in 4 minutes, 28 seconds, shaving off more than four seconds to finish runner-up. Burrough was also the top Skyhawk in the race, edging teammate Aaron Busche by 0.09 seconds to set the program record.
Brady Burrough
Perhaps even more impressive, the mark was run in Gunnison, Colo. at 7,700 feet elevation, allowing the performance to receive a time conversion due to altitude and track size. At sea level, Burrough’s mark converts to 4:13.40, which is less than four seconds shy of the NCAA D2 provisional standard.
Also competing at the meet was Homer’s Brooke Miller, representing Colorado Mesa.
The junior placed third in the 800, stopping the clock at 2:22.75 — her second-best time recorded during her collegiate career.
Anchorage’s Sebastian Szweda Mittelstadt made the most of his season opener at the BYU December Invitational.
The Westminster (Utah) senior shattered his personal best at the 3,000-meter distance, even at 4,600 feet elevation. Szweda Mittelstadt ran 9:09.71 to finish second in his heat and slash nearly 20 seconds off his time set in January.
A quintet of athletes made their indoor collegiate debuts in a variety of events.
Anchorage’s Murphy Dykstra suited up for Grinnell College for the first time, competing in the long jump at the Grinnell Opener. The former West High standout and two-time state qualifier leaped 18 feet, 3.5 inches to place eighth and erase his former personal best by nearly 12 inches.
An hour up the road, Sitka’s Caleb Hutton was making his collegiate debut for Southeastern Community College (Iowa) at the Cornell Winter Classic. The three-time state medalist finished fourth in the 200 (25.94), ninth in the 60 (7.49) and ran a leg on the 4×400 relay.
Anchorage’s Olyvia Mamae made her collegiate debut for North Dakota State at the Dakota Alumni Classic. The six-time state champion placed sixth in the 60 (7.96) after running 7.92 seconds in the prelims, in addition to placing ninth in the 60-meter hurdles (9.67).
Fairbanks’ Caleb Petersen began his collegiate track career for Belmont Abbey at the Winston-Salem College Kick-off. Petersen, a two-time state medalist for West Valley High, placed third in his heat over 600 meters, clocking 1:29.79.
Fairbanks’ Shane Fisher, a former teammate of Petersen’s and four-time state medalist, made his indoor debut for Little Rock at the Crimson & Gold Invitational. After posting considerable marks during the cross country season, Fisher competed in the 5,000 running 15:49.40.
Other Alaskans who began their indoor track and field seasons:
- Eagle River’s Logan Mathieu competed unattached at the Dakota Alumni Classic. The former Chugiak star collected a pair of third-place finishes in the 60 (7.05) and 60-meter hurdles (8.25).
- Anchorage’s Kaleb Beloy opened his season in Colorado Springs, Colo., racing at 6,300 feet elevation. The CSU-Pueblo junior placed fourth in the 3,000, running 8:48.32.
- Anchorage’s Preston Merchant competed unattached in the 3,000 at the Liberty Kickoff. The former ACS standout stopped the clock at 8:49.18, placing ninth.
- Juneau’s James Connally opened his season at the Spokane Invitational. The Eastern Oregon sophomore competed in the 60 (7.23) and ran a leg on the fourth-place 4×400.
- Anchorage’s Mary Parks made her season opener at the UNK Pre-Holiday Classic. The triple-sport senior for Bethany College placed fourth in the 400 (1:07.06), sixth in the 60 (8.28), and ninth in the long jump (15 feet).