VERMILLION, S.D. – Augustana track and field kicked off its outdoor season as the Vikings participated in the USD Early Bird Invitational on Friday and Saturday. Multiple Vikings took home strong finishes in their first competition of the year. Andrew Martens sprinted across the finish line with an NCAA Qualifying time of 13.90 in the 110-meter hurdles and has the fourth-highest time in the nation. 

Caroline Sudbeck opened up day one with a third-place finish in the women's 800-meter run with a time of 2:16.50. Sudbeck also claimed a seventh-place finish in the 1500-meter run with a time of 4:45.86.

Ashley Overgaauw dashed to the finish line with a time of 4:45.65 in the women's 1500-meter run for sixth place. 

Ryan Hartman opened the season hot with a second-place finish in the men's 1500-meter run with a time of 3:52.77. Tyson Ricker and Colten Brand crossed the finish line with top-10 finishes with times of 3:57.49 and 3:59.75. 

Martens hurdled to a third-place finish in the men's 400-meter hurdles with a time of 55:59. Tyler Sellin joined the action with an eighth-place finish with a time of 56.67. 

Noa Marteau dashed across the finish line with a time of 1:05.81 in the women's 400m hurdles and a spot in the top-eight. 

On day two of the invitational, the Vikings continued to find the podium as the women's 4x100 group of Jennifer Noutsougan, Ella Heinitz, Lily Juhnke and Kylee Sallee placed third with a time of 48.39.

Martens topped the podium with blazing speed in the men's 110-meter hurdles with an NCAA Qualifying time of 13.90 after beating out runners from USD and Minnesota State.

Ella Heinitz crossed the finish line with a time of 59.71 in the women's 400-meter with a time of 59.71. Maia Peterson joined Heinitz in the event with a sixth-place finish with a time of 59.99. 

In the field events, Bryn Greenwaldt jumped to a second-place finish in the women's high jump with a mark of 1.60m. 

Jayda Becker claimed a first-place finish in the women's long jump with a mark of 5.69m. Sallee joined Becker on the podium with a second-place mark of 5.62m while Maria Pedroso scored a fourth-place finish with a leap pf 5.44m. 

"This was a solid first meet for the teams, we had to endure some tough conditions but still had positive results. Getting an early season meet under our belt will pay dividends later in the year" said Director of Track and Field/Cross Country Tracy Hellman.

Up Next 
Augustana will hit the road in two different meets as the Vikings are set to participate in the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa Pacific, California, April 11-13 and the USD Challenge in Vermillion, South Dakota, April 13.