MANKATO, Minn. - Paced by a school-record setting performance by Lindsay Cunningham, the Winona State University women's track and field team opened up 2022 with a second-place finish at the Minnesota State Invitational on Friday, earning 104 points in a competitive day at Myers Fieldhouse in Mankato.

The Warriors collected two medalist places and three individual runner-up slots in the first full team action of the 2021-22 indoor track and field season. Four Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) programs were a part of the eight-team field, with St. Cloud State and Minnesota Duluth joining WSU and host Minnesota State on the day, along with a collection of other programs.

Cunningham won the women's 3000-meter run with a time 9:54.61, the only competitor on the day to break the 10-minute mark in the race. The time was also a Winona State program record for the event, with Cunningham sliding past former Warrior Anna Rogahn's 10:04.04 mark set in 2020.  Teammate Alli Hendrickson finished fourth in the same field, turning in a 10:27.25 time.   In addition, Kaylee Beyer won the women's one-mile run with a time of 5:06.38 and Andrea Fromelt was seventh.   For Beyer and Cunningham, the individual honors marked their first indoor races of the 2021-22 season.

Also having a strong day for Winona State was Kendall Zeman, who was runner up in the 600-meter run, with a time of 1:39.72 while Warrior teammate Emma Breitsprecher was seventh at 1:43.51. WSU's Sophia Taarud was second in the women's 1000-meter run with a clocking of 3:21.54.

Xana Leum was the runner-up in the 60-meter hurdles, finishing in 9.09 seconds, and WSU's Hanna Reichenberger was seventh at 9.62.   Shereen Vallabouy and Brooklyn Schyvinck finished fourth and fifth in the 200-meter dash with times of 25.02 and 25.50, respectively.

Michaela Pryor earned a seventh place finish in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.89. In the 800-meter run, Sylvia Hansen placed fourth with a time of 2:26.89 and fellow Warrior Lainey Lipschultz was fifth in the 400-meter dash at 1:03.37.

The field events saw Kaylee Olson claim fourth place in the long jump with a 5.34 meter effort.  Madison Rizner turned in a 1.60-meter jump in the women's high jump, as did Olson. WSU claimed the third, fourth and fifth best efforts in the triple jump, with Ashlie Lockington (10.99-meters), Hanna Reichenberger (10.44-meters) and Kaylee Patnode (10.18-meters) all having strong outings.

Winona State is next in action on Saturday, January 22 when they travel to the University of Wisconsin - Stout to take part in the Stout Open.