Juliane Totzke
The Northern Illinois track and field team got things under way at the 2013 Mid-American Conference Championships with a trio of athletes competing Thursday.
Juliane Totzke ran in the 10,000 meters, while Natalie Tarter and Michaela Dwyer opened the day with the first half of the heptathlon.
“Juliane from the beginning to the end in the 10,000 meters,” said NIU head coach Connie Teaberry. “It’s an extremely demanding event and she gave it everything. Natalie and Michaela had great starts in the heptathlon. Both had a couple of PR performances for the first day of events. They are focused and continue to push through each event with confidence.”
Totzke placed 11th in the 10K with a season-best time of 37:51. The junior came seconds short of a top 10 finish, but easily outdistanced Ohio’s Morgan Meade, Buffalo’s Katilin McCadden and Kent State’s Alexandria Vintevoghel.
Tarter and Dwyer both put themselves in position to score team points in the heptathlon through four events, as they sit in ninth and 11th, respectively.
Tarter’s biggest gain on the day came with her seventh place finish in the high jump, where she hit 5-03.25 (1.61m), tying 2013 MAC pentathlon champion Brittany Cheese of Akron. The junior also took ninth place finishes in the 100 hurdles, shot put and 200 meters. Meanwhile, Dwyer took 10th in both the high jump and shot put.
The Huskies head into the bulk of the meet today at 9 a.m. CT with the track preliminary rounds, in addition to the shot put and long jump.
For more information on NIU track and field and Huskie athletics, visit www.niuhuskies.com.
