Women's Track and Field | January 7

WEST LAFYETTE, Ind. ­– The Northern Illinois University women's track and field team took third place at the Purdue University Gene Edmonds Invitational on Saturday.
 
"The Huskies had a solid first meet at Purdue," said NIU head coach Connie Teaberry. "Taking three weeks away from your coaches is always hard, but the staff can definitely tell we have a team of ladies that worked out over break and are striving to do great things this season."
 
Seniors Hope Schmelzle (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton Warrenville South) in the 3000-meter race (9:47.99) and Cheyenne Hoerr (Afton, Mo./New Mexico JC) in the 600-meter race (1:35.65) each won their respective event finals. Schmelzle's first place time and junior Chennel Palmer's (Kingston, Jamaica/St. Andrew) second place 1.71-meter high jump produced automatic qualifying Mid-American Conference performances.
 
The Huskies were also able to set many personal records and started the 2017 season with impressive numbers after a five-week break from competition.
 
"We walk away with a commanding performance by Hope [Schmelzle] in the 3k, leading from the beginning to the end, finishing with an automatic MAC qualifying time," said Teaberry. "Chennel [Palmer] also had an impressive high jump finish with an automatic MAC qualifying jump. Our sprinters showed great promise for this season. Led by a win from Cheyenne [Hoerr] in the 600 meters. The personal records from Maura [Beattie] in the 3k, Abriana [Pettigrew] in the 200 and Jourdan [Doffeny]'s shot put shows we are in the right track."
 
Beattie (Woodstock, Ill./Woodstock) posted her personal best in the 3k with a third place finish of 10:21.31 replacing her previous best of 10:40.03 that she set nearly a year ago at the Jack Johnson Classic (Jan. 30, 2016). Pettigrew's (Rockford, Ill./Auburn) 26.57 200-meter time set a personal best for the sophomore while senior Doffeny (San Antonio, Texas/New Mexico JC) set her personal best shot put with a third place 11.48-meter throw for the Huskies.
 
The Huskies showed their preparation for the season with impressive first impressions over the weekend. Senior Kedisha Dallas (Ocho Rios, Jamaica/GC Foster) took sixth in the 60-meter dash with a 7.65 finish in the final. Junior Doshawn Franks (Los Angeles, Calif./Palisades Charter) showed her talent in the 600-meter with a third place 1:39.37 finish.
 
NIU heads to the University of Illinois for its Illini Classic on Saturday, January 14 before returning to Purdue for the Fred Wilt Invitational two weeks later on Saturday, January 28.
 
-NIU-