Pederson grabs two firsts in school-record fashion at Gustavus Invitational

ST. PETER, Minn. — Kari Pederson (Hastings, Minn.) continued her assault on the Saint Mary's University track and field record book Saturday afternoon at the Gustavus Invitational, as the senior raced to a pair of individual first-place finishes in school-record fashion.

Pederson broke the tape in 12.44 in winning the 100, while adding a leap of 17-3 in the long jump to break her own three-year-old record. Colleen O'Hearn (Champlin, Minn.) chipped in a sixth-place effort in the discus (115-6), while Renee Willkom (Cadott, Wis.) notched a personal-best time of 2:29 in the 800 meters.

On the men's side, Ryan Hover (South St. Paul, Minn.) just missed breaking his four-day-old 110 hurdles record he set at the Macalester Invitational on Wednesday, turning in a fifth-place time of 16.65. Todd Yankowski (Chicago, Ill.) was sixth in the javelin (160-5), while Shawn Stewart (McHenry, Ill.) added a sixth in the 400 hurdles.

"We're very pleased with the results," said SMU coach Paul Thornton. "The team is moving forward and we're continuing to get ready for the MIAC Championships. As the times continue to drop and the performances continue to improve, it's a perfect indication that this team is starting to grow."