St. Cloud State Track & Field Opens 2025 in St. Paul

Friday, January 17

Anderson Athletic and Recreation Complex (AARC) • St. Paul, Minn.

2 p.m. (Field) | 4:30 p.m. (Track)

St. Cloud State

Tommie Indoor Invitational

Viola Okey-Ezealah and Makaylin Christenson Battle for the Paddle 12-7-24

1/16/2025 3:14:00 PM | Women's Track & Field

Live Results Watch ($)

Huskies to compete at St. Thomas’ “Tommie Indoor Invitational” Friday

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – St. Cloud State Track & Field opens the 2025 portion of its schedule on Friday at the Tommie Indoor Invitational hosted by St. Thomas ay the Anderson Athletic and Recreation Complex (AARC) in St. Paul. Field events will start at 2 p.m., with running events scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m.

FOLLOW THE HUSKIES
Live results will be provided by Fast Finish Results. The meet will be streamed on Midco Sports Plus (note – a paid subscription is required).

TEAMS AT THE MEET
Augsburg, Hamline, Northwestern, St. Cloud State, St. Thomas

HUSKIES IN THE MEET
60 meters (prelims – 4:50 p.m. | finals – 5:50 p.m.) – Katie Lavato, Zaria Stapleton, Viola Okey-Ezealah, Kaylee Cooper, Kinsey Mohwinkle
200 meters (6:10 p.m.) – Katie Lavato, Kaylee Cooper, Trinity Wallendal, Viola Okey-Ezealah, Jayla Patterson
600 meters (6:05 p.m.) – Makaylin Christenson
Mile (5:15 p.m.) – Abbygail Nunez, Alena Donahue, Alea Briggs
60 hurdles (4:30 p.m.) – Trinity Wallendal, Kinsey Mohwinkle, Jayla Patterson
4x400 meters (6:30 p.m.) - Katie Lavato/Makaylin Christenson/Abbygail Nunez/Viola Okey-Ezealah
High jump (3:15 p.m.) –Makaylin Christenson, Trinity Wallendal
Long jump (5 p.m.) – Zaria Stapleton, Kinsey Mohwinkle
Shot put (4:30 p.m.) – Hannah Bruskiewicz, Mackenzie McMahon
Weight throw (2 p.m.) – Kim Feller, Mackenzie McMahon, Hannah Bruskiewicz

PR SPOTLIGHT
Kaylee Cooper (400 meters) – 1:11.79 --> 1:11.39
Alena Donahue (3,000 meters) – 11:16.04 --> 10:58.44
Jarai Kamara (60 meters) – 8.31 --> 8.22
Katie Lavato (60 meters) – 7.77-->7.76
Katie Lavato (indoor 200 meters) – 26.50 --> 25.98
Abbygail Nunez (Mile) – 5:49.20 --> 5:37.32
Viola Okey-Ezealah (400 meters) 1:09.07 --> 1:07.36

LAST TIME OUT
St. Cloud State Track & Field closed out 2024 with its first road meet of the season at The Opener, hosted by St. Scholastica at the Burns Wellness Commons in Duluth on December 14. Seven new personal bests and two season bests were set while SCSU posted six top-five finishes, highlighted by fifth year sprinter Katie Lavato (Buffalo, Minn.), who won two events.

After running the second fastest time in the prelims of the 60 meters, Lavato came back and ran a personal best time of 7.76 to win the finals. She also won the 200 meters in a new indoor personal best time of 25.98.

Both Huskies in the 400 meters, sophomore sprinter Viola Okey-Ezealah (Part-Harcourt, Nigeria) and freshman multi-event athlete Kaylee Cooper (Loudon, Tenn.), ran to personal best times. Okey-Ezealah (1:07.36) finished fifth and cut nearly two seconds off her previous best from a week ago while Cooper finished eighth in 1:11.39.

Freshman distance runner Abbygail Nunez (South St. Paul, Minn.) ran a 12-second personal best in the mile (5:37.32) and finished second in her first career race of 600 meters (1:45.10). Sophomore distance runner Alena Donahue (West Salem, Wis.) finished fourth in the 3,000 meters in a new personal best time of 10:58.44, 18 seconds faster than her previous best from Jan. 12, 2024.

Senior Shelby Romig (Ankeny, Iowa) recorded season bests in the 60 hurdles (9.77) and long jump (5.02m/16-5.75), while freshman sprinter, Jarai Kamara ran a new personal best time in the 60 meters (8.22), cutting 0.09 seconds off her best time from her collegiate debut a week ago.

St. Cloud State at The Opener
Dec. 14, 2024 | Burns Wellness Commons | Duluth, Minn.

60 meters (prelims)
2. Katie Lavato - 7.85q
11. Jarai Kamara - 8.22 PR
12. Zaria Stapleton - 8.30

60 meters (finals)
1. Katie Lavato - 7.76 PR

200 meters
1. Katie Lavato - 25.98 IDPR
11. Jarai Kamara - 27.19
18. Viola Okey-Ezealah - 28.17
25. Kaylee Cooper - 29.61

400 meters
5. Viola Okey-Ezealah - 1:07.36 PR
8. Kaylee Cooper - 1:11.39 PR

600 meters
2. Abbygail Nunez - 1:45.10

Mile
6. Abbygail Nunez - 5:37.32 PR

3,000 meters
4. Alena Donahue - 10:58.44 PR

60 hurdles (prelims)
7. Shelby Romig - 9.77q SB
11. Makaylin Christenson - 10.84
14. Trinity Wallendal - 13.19

60 hurdles (finals)
7. Shelby Romig - 9.86

Long jump
6. Makaylin Christenson - 5.14m/16-10.5
9. Shelby Romig - 5.02m/16-5.75 SB
11. Ava Wilmanns - 4.94m/16-2.5
12. Zaria Stapleton - 4.90m/16-1
16. Trinity Wallendal - 4.63m/15-2.25

Shot put
16. Mackenzie McMahon - 9.99m/32-9.5
17. Alicia Jennissen - 9.91m/32-6.5
23. Makaylin Christenson - 8.75m/28-8.5
33. Trinity Wallendal - 6.60m/21-8

Weight throw
8. Alicia Jennissen - 11.90m/39-0.5
16. Kim Feller - 10.95m/35-11.25
17. Mackenzie McMahon - 10.92m/35-10

Team Scores:
No team scores

Results (Hero's Timing)
Results (TFRRS)
Results (PDF)

PRESEASON POLLING
SCSU Track & Field was picked to finish 14^th in the 2024-25 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Indoor Track & Field Preseason Coaches' Poll as announced by the league office on Dec. 5. The Huskies finished 14^th at the 2023-24 NSIC Indoor Track & Field Championships.

"I am excited about this talented group of women," said head coach Gabrielle Brown, "We are returning a large portion of our roster this season with more experience."

ATHLETES TO WATCH
Fifth year sprinter Katie Lavato (Buffalo, Minn.) and sophomore sprinter/jumper Myesha Thompson (Mount Horeb, Wis) were named the preseason athletes to watch by the NSIC.

Lavato, the Huskies track athlete to watch, set new personal bests in the 60 meters (7.77) and 400 meters (1:00.85) last indoor season. She notched seven top-five finishes, four top-two finishes and one event victory in the 2023-24 indoor season. At the NSIC Indoor Championships, she ran to her personal best time the 60 meters and competed in the 400 meters and 4x400 meter relay.

"Katie has the experience and the knowledge to do what it takes to be successful in this conference," said head coach Gabrielle Brown, "Her talent and efforts are felt as she has what it takes to elevate the program. It will be exciting to see how she puts it all together this year."

Thompson, the Huskies field athlete to watch, enjoyed a strong freshman campaign in 2023-24. Her personal bests in the long jump (18-4.25 / 5.59m), high jump (4-7.75 / 1.42m) and 400 meters came in the indoor portion of last year's season. She totaled three top-five finishes during indoor, including a long jump victory at the St. Thomas Opener. Thompson was the only Husky to score a point at the NSIC Indoor Championships, after her lifetime best leap was good enough to tie for seventh place. She also ran in the 4x400 relay at the championships.

"Myesha is a young talented leader that is excited and confident about the opportunities to grow," said Brown, "As she steps into her second season it will be fun to see the incremental successes she will continue to earn."

LEADER OF THE PACK
Head coach Gabrielle Brown enters her second season as SCSU's head Track & Field/Cross Country coach in 2024-25. A three-time All-American hurdler at Hamline, Brown joined St. Cloud State after spending three seasons as an assistant coach at Macalester. She is the first Black female head coach in the history of St. Cloud State Athletics.

THE SENIORS
Four athletes will compete in their senior campaign in 2024-25 as fifth year Katie Lavato (Buffalo, Minn.) is joined by true seniors, Makaylin Christenson (Prairie Farm, Wis.), Kendall Gonzalez (Waukesha, Wis.) and Shelby Romig (Ankeny, Iowa).

THE JUNIORS
This year's junior class has two members – Hannah Little (Grimes, Iowa) and Ava Wilmanns (Cedarburg, Wis.).

THE SOPHOMORES
The 13 sophomores make up the largest class on the team – Paige Beason (Ankeny, Iowa), Hannah Bruskiewicz (Rogers, Minn.), Alena Donahue (West Salem, Wis.), Alicia Jennissen (Sauk Centre, Minn.), Jenna Marxhausen (Two Harbors, Minn.), Tegan Michalak (Arcadia, Wis.), Mady Muehr (Greendale, Wis.), Viola Okey-Ezealah (Part-Harcourt, Nigeria), Audrey Rabitz (Manitowoc, Wis.), Savannah Reinke (Malta Bend, Mo.), Myesha Thompson (Mount Horeb, Wis.), Trinity Wallendal (Fond du Lac, Wis.) and Olivia Witt (Delano, Minn.).

WELCOME TO THE PACK
There are 11 freshmen on this year's roster – Zharia Arnold (Burnsville, Minn.), Kaylee Cooper (Loudon, Tenn.), Kim Feller (East Helena, Mont.), Emma Hoppman (Red Wing, Minn.), MerriAnna Johnson (Oseola, Wis.), Jarai Kamara, Mackenzie McMahon (Baraboo, Wis.), Kinsey Mohwinkle (Aplington, Iowa), Abbygail Nunez (South St. Paul, Minn.), Jayla Patterson (Romeoville, Ill.) and Zaria Stapleton (Nassau, Bahamas).

For all the latest on St. Cloud State Track & Field, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.