Walton improves hammer throw and shot put records at GLIAC Championships

BIG RAPIDS – Lake Superior State senior Jill Walton broke her own school records in the shot put and hammer throw at the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships hosted by Ferris State.

Walton completed a throw of 48.87 meters to break her own mark and place ninth in the women’s hammer throw Thursday during Day 2 of competition. On Friday, she threw the shot 12.59 meters and placed sixth. She improved upon her former record of 12.50 meters.

Junior Jonathon Allen easily won the men's triple jump with a distance of 15.03 meters, but did not meet his personal best in rainy conditions. He is currently ranked fifth nationally in the event at 15.46 meters and has already qualified for the NCAA Championships.

Walton also placed ninth in the javelin throw with a distance of 33.29 meters. LSSU teammates Taylor Patton, Sarah Gallagher and Katie Winiarski were seventh, eighth and 10th in the women's triple jump. Winiarski also tied for third in the high jump at 1.57 meters.

Top-10 finishers for the LSSU men’s track and field team were Ben Charbonneau, who was fourth in the javelin throw (55.21 meters), Jake Hoover, who was sixth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (9:39.3), Patrick Wright, who was ninth in the long jump (6.62 meters), and John Preczewski, who was 10th in the high jump (1.81 meters).

Charbonneau was the GLIAC defending champion in his specialty.