For Immediate Release
Monday, February 20, 2023
NSIC Media Relations

NSIC Women's Track Athlete of the Week
Renea Taylor (Sprints/Hurdles, So., Okanogan, Wash. / Okanogan HS) - Northern State
- Tallied two NCAA provisional marks at the SDSU Last Chance
- Placed second in the 60m with a provisional time of 7.58
- Took third in the 60m hurdles with a provisional time of 8.72
- Broke into the top-25 in the country in the 60m hurdles (t-25th)
- She ranks third in the NSIC in both events heading into the NSIC Championships

NSIC Women's Field Athlete of the Week
Lexie Hurst (Throws, Sr., St. Paul, Minn. / Armstrong HS) - Minnesota State
- Set a Maverick Invitational meet record in the shot put with throw of 15.90 m (52-2) to claim the individual title
- Though it was not a season-best mark, it would have ranked as the second-best mark in NCAA Division II this season
- Took second in the weight throw with a mark of 16.88 m (55-4.75)
- Helped MSU notch its seventh team meet victory of the 2022-23 season
- Named NSIC Field Athelte of the Week for the third time this season

Other Top Track Performances
Ana McCabe (AUGIE) won the 3000 meter run at the SDSU Last Chance Meet as she crossed the finish line in a time of 10:22.37.
Lexi Erickson (BSU) kept the records going in the 800-meter when she crossed with a new program record time of 2:16.17 to come in runner-up at the UND Tune-Up. Erickson's new time just beats out Ryne Prigge's previous-best time of 2:16.77 that also occurred at the UND Tune-Up. Erickson ranks in the top-10 in the NSIC. Erickson also competed in the high jump clearing a mark of 4-11.75 to come in fourth.
MaKenna Thurston (MSU) lowered her career record in the 800-meter run by exactly a second in winning the race at the Maverick Invitational with a provisionally qualifying time of 2:13.74. The converted time of 2:12.22 now ranks 26th nationally. She helped MSU collect its seventh team title of the 2022-23 indoor season.
Nicole Reeves (MINOT) won the women's 1,000 meters in a Minot State season-best time of 3:11.44 on Saturday at the Marauders Tune-Up.
Brooklyn Brouse (SCSU) cruised to a meet record and a PR of 1:35.69 in the 600-meters to win the event at the Maverick Invitational. Her new personal best ranks her No. 1 in the NSIC in the event entering Champi-onship Week.
Macey White (UIU) smashed the school record of 21:00.00 in the 5000m this past Saturday at the Liz Wuertz Invitational. White crossed the finish line at 19:47.69, taking second place and earning eight points for the Peacocks. UIU placed fourth as a team.
Kelsey Larsen (WSC) set a school record in the 1,000-meter run at the SDSU Last Chance Invite with time of 2:56.80. She broke old school record from 2012 by three seconds and now ranks 12th in NSIC in event.
McKenna Taylor (WSU) was the top-performing Warrior at the Indoor Eagle Open hosted by the University of Wisconsin La Crosse as she earned first place in the 3000-meter race with a time of 10:06.76. She beat the runner-up competitor by over 30 seconds as she ran the fourth-ever fastest time in the event in WSU history.

Other Top Field Performances
Tierra Doss (BSU) had been right around the provisional mark in the shot put in two previous meets but was able to hit the distance this time at the UND Tune-Up when her throw went to 44-08.75 to place fourth overall. Doss’ new season-best mark ranks sixth in the NSIC. She also competed in the weight throw hitting a mark of 49-04.25 to place 10th.
Arika Harbo (CSP) became the first-ever Golden Bear to compete at the USATF Indoor Championships as she took sixth in the event as the only DII athlete, clearing 5-10.5. She ranks second in the nation in the event and is also ranked fifth in the nation in the pentathlon.
Arianna Passeri (UMary) made school history in the long jump on her third attempt of the day at the Ma-rauders Tune-Up when she sailed 6.05 meters (19-10.25) to break the old mark by .01 meters. This is the first time she has cracked 6.0 meters indoors. Passerri now ranks fourth in the nation and second in the NSIC. The former mark was 6.04 meters by Lexus Lovan in 2020. Passeri also won the 60 meter dash in a time of 7.74 in the three-team meet.
Chloe Gunderson (MINOT) won the women's shot put with a throw of 42-2 on Saturday at the Marauders Tune-Up, a Minot State season-best.
Paola Brena (SCSU) won the high jump with a mark of 1.64m at the Maverick Invitational.
Keyla Sambo (WSC) placed second in triple jump at the SDSU Last Chance Invite with mark of 37-5.75. The mark now ranks ninth in the NSIC.
 
Women's Indoor Track & Field Athletes of the Week
12/6/22
T: Denisha Cartwright  - Minnesota State
F: Lexie Hurst - Minnesota State
12/13/22
T: Megan Means - Augustana
F: Arika Harbo - Concordia-St. Paul
1/17/23
T: Denisha Cartwright  - Minnesota State (2)
F: Flore Gracia  - Minnesota State
1/24/23
T: Denisha Cartwright  - Minnesota State (3)
F: Makayla Jackson - Minnesota State
1/31/23
T: Lindsay Cunningham - Winona State
F: Lexie Hurst - Minnesota State (2)
2/6/23
T: Cami Streff - Augustana
F: Ashley Hokanson – MSU Moorhead
2/13/23
T: Denisha Cartwright  - Minnesota State (4)
F: Makayla Jackson - Minnesota State (2)
2/20/23
T: Renea Taylor - Northern State
F: Lexie Hurst - Minnesota State (3)

About the NSIC
The NSIC is a 16-team, 18-sport, NCAA Division II conference with institutions located in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The NSIC is a model Division II conference that uses high-level athletics competition to develop champions in the classroom and community while empowering student-athletes to be impactful and positive leaders. Formed in 1992 by the merger of the Northern Intercollegiate Conference (men’s league) and the Northern Sun Conference (women’s league), the NSIC has flourished over the past quarter century, maturing into a 16-team union of Upper Midwest colleges and universities. The NSIC has won 25 team national championships and crowned 96 individual national champions. For additional information, visit NorthernSun.org.

About NCAA Division II
The NCAA, the national governing body for college athletics, is a volunteer association of more than 1,000 colleges and universities that classify their athletics programs in one of three membership divisions. The 300+ institutions in NCAA Division II support a balanced approach in which student-athletes can earn scholarships based on their athletic ability, pursue their desired academic degree, and participate in all the campus and surrounding community have to offer. Division II student-athletes annually graduate at rates higher than their student body peers, and they have access to the best championships-participant ratio among the NCAA’s three divisions. Division II gives student-athletes the unique opportunity to compete in the classroom, on the field, in their career, for their causes, and on their terms. For additional information, visit NCAA.org.