By DEVYN LANSDEN, Photo Editor
The Northwestern track and field team’s 2022 season has officially begun.
The Rangers just had their second meet on January 21 and 22. The first day consisted of weight throwing and the two Rangers who beat their personal best were Kelsey Swindle, a junior from Woodward, and Shaylee Beck, a sophomore from White Deer, Texas. Swindle threw 11.78m, and Beck threw 8.13m.
On day two of the meet, freshman Kenya Jackson led the Rangers in the 60-meter race with a time of 8.24 seconds.
Shakira Lane, a sophomore from Stillwater, placed sixth in the 200-meter run with a time of 28.09 seconds.
Gina Wilson, a senior from Perry, placed fifth in the 300-meter run with a time of 46.90 seconds. Ladashery Bell, a senior from Alva, placed fourth in the 600y event with a time of 1:37.61.
Jaeden Coon, a junior from Sapulpa, placed second in the 800-meter race with a time of 2:55.75. Mallory Boden, a freshman, placed 17th in the one-mile run with a time of 5:52.82. Boden also placed eighth in the 3000-meter event.
Emily Smith, a freshman from Holdenville, placed fifth in the 60-meter hurdles. The Rangers placed sixth in the 400-meter relay, the runners were Smith, Alexa Leyva, a junior from El Paso, Texas, Tavonyia Lacy, a freshman and Berthe Bright, with a time of 4:32.82.
Takia Zachary, a freshman, placed second in the high jump event with a height cleared of 1.53 meters. Leyva placed sixth in the long jump with a length of 5.05 meters.
The Lady Rangers’ next meet will be February 4 in Wichita, Kansas.
The first track and field meet was on January 13. Jill Lancaster, head coach, was pleased with the performance of the Lady Rangers.
“They showed all of the promise in the world that we have the jewels to get where we want to be,” Lancaster said.
Lancaster said she uses the indoor meets for the athletes to gain experience and uses the competitions as their best training days.
Lancaster said last year they were thrown into competition without the right amount of training.
She said the athletes got the whole fall semester to train this year, and that has made a difference for the players.
“I just feel like we are carrying more experience and more talent as a whole,” Lancaster said.
Sterling Broomfield, the assistant coach, said the athletes did outstanding and competed hard at the meet but said there is always room to improve.
Broomfield said the goals for this year are, as a team, to get third or fourth in the conference and to continue to break the records in all aspects.
“I definitely feel this is one of the more diverse and most talented group of athletes that we have here so far being our third year of competing,” Broomfield said. “I feel like this is a group that can really make a difference for Northwestern.”
Brianna Brantley is a freshman from Amarillo, Texas, and placed top five in the 200-meter run in the first meet.
Brantley said her thought process before the meet was her telling herself to do her best in her first college meet.
“I wasn’t planning on getting top five at all, so basically I was just proud of myself for making it to the finish line and doing well,” Brantley said.
Brantley said her goals for this year are to better herself. Meaning getting faster, contributing to her team and to put Northwestern on the map.
“You probably haven’t heard of us [Northwestern] before, but by the end of the season you know who we are,” Brantley said.