Women go for second consecutive win
Junior sprinter Kia Johnson and the women’s track team will compete this weekend in the Purdue Invitational.
Johnson won the 100-and 200-meter races Saturday at Southern Illinois, helping the team win the Saluki Spring Classic for the fourth consecutive year. She also was a member of the first-place 400m relay team. The meet was the first of the outdoor season for the MAC indoor champions.
The meet will take place on the campus of Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind., on Friday and Saturday.
“This should be a good event to see where we’re at,” said Head Coach Kathleen Raske. “We will not be competing the distance runners, but everyone else should be ready to perform.”
The field for the meet will include host Purdue, Bradley, Butler, E. Illinois, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Marquette, Notre Dame and MAC rivals Ball St. and Western Michigan.
Another CMU athlete looking to repeat a first-place finish is senior Kari Karhoff. She took first in the 400m hurdles, but has been battling injuries throughout the year.
Senior Maria Derezinski also was a first-place finisher at S. Illinois. The heptathlete won the long jump competition.
Past MAC champions Melissa Brousseau and Suzy Bozin will be looking for their first outdoor wins of the season.
Raske is looking forward to the meet, though it may be under harsh conditions.
“There will be quite a bit of competition. Weather may be a factor, though. It’s been rough down there the last couple days, but the meet director said it is supposed to warm up for the weekend,” she said.
