IOWA CITY, Iowa – The Western Illinois track and field team competed at the Larry Wieczorek Invitational in Iowa City on Friday and Saturday. Leathernecks displayed some of the best performances in school history, led by senior Paulina Wuestefeld.

"Overall I was a little disappointed in the team's performance. In many events, we didn't compete quite as well as I had hoped. A few individuals did carry us though," coach Trey Brokaw said. "Consistency is key in track and field. The entire team is getting back into a good rhythm since Christmas break; I believe we will see several breakthrough performances during the next few weeks of competition" 

All-Time Performances This Week:

• Paulina Wuestefeld, placed fifth in her section this weekend with a 33-second personal best in the women's 3000 meters. Her time of 9:53.86 puts her fourth on the WIU all-time list.

• Paulina Lucer jumped an indoor personal best of 3.60 meters (11 feet, 9.75 inches). She moved up to fifth from seventh on the WIU all-time list.

• Freshman from nearby Walnut Grove, Isaac Jones, hit a personal best time of 1:22.55 over 600 meters. Moving Jones from sixth to fifth in school history.

• Lucas Burmeister ran 7.04 in the men's 60 meters, good enough to move up from 10th to eighth on the all-time list.

• Olin Ortiz improved nine seconds from last week in the men's 3000 meters, running 8:34.24. Moving him up from 10th to eighth on the all-time list.

"Paulina Wuestefeld had a fantastic run in the women's 3,000. Running a personal best by over thirty seconds, it was a major breakthrough for her. I am excited to see how that confidence impacts her in upcoming races," said Brokaw. "Paulina Lucer, Richard Brown, Lucas Hofer, Isaac Jones, Olin Ortiz, and Toriano Tate had great competitions in the jumps and running events. I look forward to seeing how all of their performances translate into championship season."

Next Up:

The Leathernecks will head to Champaign, IL to compete at the Illini Challenge on Jan. 27-28, 2023.