PUEBLO, Colo. - Behind the strength of three individual national championship performances and record-breaking relay efforts, the Winona State University track and field team claimed a best-ever fourth-place finish at the 2023 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships, held in Pueblo, Colorado May 25-27.
Competing in the CSU-Pueblo Thunderbowl, Winona State standouts
Lindsay Cunningham and
Shereen Vallabouy both earned individual championships in their respective events, with Cunningham winning both the 10,000 meter and 5,000 meter titles. Cunningham set a Colorado state record in the 10,000 meters, completing the race in a time 35:55.79. Cunningham outlasted Brianna Robles of Adams State, who earned runner-up honors with a time of 34:08.25. In the 5,000 meters, the crowd on hand for the championship saw the same two top finishers, with Cunningham taking first place again, running a time of 16:23.08, beating Robles by just under two seconds.
Shereen Vallabouy defended her 2022 400-meter NCAA title in Pueblo, winning the 2023 edition of the same race with a time of 52.74, claiming a photo-finish victory over Azusa Pacific's Alayna Verner who was second at 52.78. Vallabouy concluded her Warrior career with national championship efforts in both the indoor and outdoor 400 meters, winning NCAA titles in both seasons in 2022 and 2023.
Kaylee Beyer earned her spot in the 1500-meters with a strong qualification effort on Thursday and then took fifth place in the finals, running a time of 4:38.85. Beyer earn All-American honors with the effort. Also competing as an individual in the 2023 NCAA Division II outdoor finals was
Brooklyn Schyvinck, having earned an opportunity in the 400-meter hurdles, running a time of 1:01.74 in qualifying.
The Winona State 4X400 relay team set a new WSU record in Pueblo, first turning in an all-time fastest mark of 3:39.38, punching their ticket to the next round. Then, in the finals,
Regan Feit,
Alyssa Larson,
Brooklyn Schyvinck, and
Shereen Vallabouy repeated the record-breaking feat, cruising to a time of 3:38.62, good for fifth place overall.
As a program, Winona State earned 38 total points, good for fourth place among the over 50 colleges competing. Azusa Pacific won the team title with 66 points; for WSU, the fourth-place finish was the highest ever for the program at the NCAA Division II championships.
For final times and standings at the 2023 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships at the CSU Pueblo ThunderBowl,
head to this link.
For the most up-to-date news in Warrior Athletics, please visit: www.WINONASTATEWARRIORS.com and @WinonaStateATH.
About Winona State University Athletics:
The Winona State University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, as an integral part of the educational mission of the institution, is committed to offering opportunities to experience academic and athletic excellence for our student-athletes through two simple words: Graduate Champions.
Fourteen Warrior programs compete at the NCAA Division II level within the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). Winona State University competes as an affiliate member of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) in the sport of women's gymnastics.
