SJU track and field makes strides as MIAC championships near

Despite a rough start to the season weather-wise, SJU track and field has continued to deliver MIAC-leading and nationally ranked performances.

This past Sunday, St. John’s traveled down to St. Peter to compete against Gustavus and several other teams. Of the nine events they competed in, the Johnnies took home first in five: javelin, discus, hammer throw, pole vault and the 1500-meter run. Senior Brett Hague threw a season best mark of 60.75 meters in the javelin, placing him squarely at the top of the MIAC and 12th in NCAA Division III.

“[The meet] went pretty well. I threw 60 meters for the first time this season, but I was quite cold,” Hague said.

Another standout performance for the Johnnies came from first-year pole vaulter Kole Guth, who broke the freshman outdoor record with a vault of 4.60 meters, roughly 15’ 1”. This vault breaks the record of 4.59 meters previously held by Andrew Norman ‘11.

“I was finally able to get a bar I had been chasing all year, so that was really nice. [Breaking the record] was really cool in the moment, but now I got to go for more goals,” Guth said.

Sophomore Joe Mensen also took home gold in both the discus and hammer throw, while junior Tommy Allen took first in the 1500. SJU track and field is now setting their sights on finishing the season out strong before heading into MIACs ready to compete. The Johnnies came out on top of the MIAC in 2022 and are hoping for a repeat this coming championship.

“This season is really promising for the track team as a whole. Our goal for MIAC would be for everyone to perform at their best, using these last few meets as a tune up and heading to Bethel feeling at our peaks,” senior middle distance runner Will Mattock said.

Mattock believes the Johnnies’ success lies in their young talent.

“We have a lot of young talent that is stepping up and performing very well,” Mattock said.

As well as team goals, the Johnnies also have individual goals that they are hoping to achieve in the coming meets.

“I’m looking forward to spending time with my friends and hopefully going to nationals again. That way I can spend more time with the team. Last year was fun hanging out with them for an extra week,” Hague said.

Hague finished fourth at the national championship last year and is aiming to throw even farther this year. Guth also has goals going into MIACs that he hopes to accomplish.

“[I would like to] take top three at MIAC and possibly qualify for nationals. I’m just gonna see what happens,” Guth said.

SJU currently holds 21 top-five individual rankings in the MIAC, with several meets still left to compete. SJU travels to the University of Minnesota on April 26 to take on an array of Division I and Division II schools. The Johnnies will compete next at the Ron Masanz Classic hosted by Minnesota State-Moorhead on Saturday.