Gottschalk concludes career at NCAA Championships

Thursday, May 23

Kingsville, Texas

St. Cloud State

NCAA Championship

Photo by: Kelsey Whaley

5/24/2019 9:28:00 PM | Women's Track & Field

KINGSVILLE, TEXAS – A walk into the Texas sunset was the near-perfect way for Natalie Gottschalk (Waukesha, Wis. / Waukesha South) to end her career with the St. Cloud State University track and field team. The fifth year senior closed out her career at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships this weekend with a top-15 finish in the heptathlon, as she finished 13^th with a score of 4780 points.

Gottschalk got off a strong start in the opening day of competition on Thursday, as she sat in 13^th place being a day one score of 2709. The senior just missed a top-10 finish in the high jump portion of the event, as her 1.55m jump put her in a tie for 11^th and earned 678 points towards her score. Gottschalk also took 13^th in the 100m hurdles (15.19), shot put (9.75m) and the 200m dash (27.13) on the opening day of competition to round out her day one score.

The senior saved the best for last, as she racked up 2071 points on day two to earn her score of 4780 points. Gottschalk's best performance came in javelin, as she finished in third place behind her throw of 38.93m. The senior also recorded top-10 finishes in long jump and the 800m run. In long jump, Gottschalk finished in ninth with a jump of 5.44m while her 2:26.20 time in the 800 was good enough for a 10^th place finish to close her career as a Husky.

Thanks to her strong performance over the weekend, Gottschalk finished in 13^th overall against the top female athletes in Division II track and field. The senior graduates with a Second Team All-America honor to her name thanks to her top-12 finish at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in 2018.