Grand Valley State sent parts of its No. 1-ranked Division II track and field teams to two different locations to compete on Feb. 5 and 6. Some Lakers went to the Notre Dame Meyo Invitational, while others travelled to the Hillsdale Wide Track Meet.

Highlights came from both locations.

At Hillsdale, two NCAA Division II automatic qualifying marks were reached. In the women’s pole vault, senior Jaime Roberts cleared the bar at 4.10 meters, which was also good for first place. In the men’s weight throw, senior Darien Thornton threw 21.37 meters, which was good enough for first, as well.

“Jaime’s jump was incredible,” said GVSU assistant coach Steve Jones. “To stand under that height and look up was something. This is a major stepping stone for her.”

At Notre Dame, the Lakers cemented three top-four finishes, despite competing against Division I competition.

“It’s a great experience,” said GVSU head coach Jerry Baltes. “It puts them in position later on, when they get to nationals, to have confidence. They’ve proven they can perform in pressure situations against high-level athletes.”

Senior Sean Wells finished third in the men’s 60 meter hurdles with a time of 7.96 seconds. Senior Amy Cymerman finished third in the women’s 5,000 meter run with a time of 16:45.58. Ethan Barnes, another senior, flirted with an automatic mark in the men’s 800 meter run, finishing in fourth place with a time of 1:49.51.

“Sean ran four really good races this weekend,” Baltes said. “And Ethan ran a brilliant race, especially after being sick and having to take some time off last week.”

Also at the Meyo Invitational, Bryce Bradley and Wuoi Mach both ran record times in the men’s 3,000 meter run. Both broke Bradley’s previous GVSU record of 8:11.46. Bradley finished just ahead of Mach, so the new record time of 8:06.36 will stay in his possession for the time being.

“They got in there and battled hard,” Baltes said. “They beat some really good runners. Bryce destroyed his record.”

At Hillsdale, redshirt freshman Lawson Bright-Mitchell had a career day. He finished second in the men’s 60 meter dash, earning him his first provisional mark. His time of 6.88 seconds was only .05 off the GVSU record.

Tor’i Brooks had another good day in the men’s long jump. He finished fourth and earned a provisional mark with a jump of 7.04 meters.

“He has only been with us for a month,” Jones said. “He’s been learning the ropes. As he becomes more comfortable he’s going to soar.”

GVSU’s star group of throwers traveled to Hillsdale for the weekend. The throwers continued their run of good form as a team.

Kyra Hull finished first in the women’s weight throw with a heave of 18.92 meters. Her provisional mark was one of four for the Lakers in the weight throw. Thornton led the men with his automatic mark in the weight throw, and he was joined by four other Lakers with provisional marks.

“They really do a great job every week,” Jones said. “The women have continued to get better every meet and the men always come ready.”

Not to be forgotten at the Meyo Invitational, the women’s 4×400 meter relay team of Skylar Dantzler, Jessica O’Connell, Eskolunbe Puente and Angie Ritter improved their provisional mark by almost two seconds. Junior Kendra Foley came within 0.11 seconds of and automatic mark in the women’s 3,000 meter run.

Because the meets were invitationals, there were no team point totals. For the GVSU coaches it’s all about testing their student-athletes with the best competition possible.

“It’s solid competition against other good teams,” Jones said. “It was good to be challenged in a few spots where we needed it. It’s great to get good races under our belt before conference.”

The Lakers are set to host the GVSU Big Meet in the Kelly Family Sports Center on Feb. 12 and 13.