There’s no place like home. In fact, there’s nothing quite like student-athletes preforming in front of their home crowd.

 
Especially when you come away with the win. The WSC men and women’s track and field team did just that, coming away with six gold medals on Saturday, Jan. 30, at the 14th annual Wildcat Alumni Open.

 
Teams competing at the meet were NSIC schools Wayne State College, Augustana University, Sioux Falls and Upper Iowa women. Non-conference team Colby Community also competed at the meet.

 
The WSC men’s team claimed four out of the six total gold medals won by the Wildcats on Saturday.

 
Senior Bryan Dunn won the first gold medal for the men’s team with a toss of 59’5” in the weight throw.

 
“It was great throwing in front of friends and family. It means a lot to hear them cheer for you and your teammates,” Dunn said. “I’m just going to keep on improving and moving forward.”

 
The next gold medal was on the track in the 60m dash and won by sophomore Braxton Adams with a quick time of 6.99.

 
“It was awesome getting my first win of the indoor season in front of a home crowd,” Adams said. “The goal going into the week is the same every meet. I’m looking to better myself and coming out on top.”

 
Redshirt freshman Clay Kramper, in the 200m dash, was the first to cross the finish line, winning the gold medal in 23.04.

 
The last gold medal for the men’s team was won by junior Nick Schmit in the 800m run with a time of 2:04.66.

 
The men’s team also had a handful of second-place finishes, along with several other top-five performances.

 
The men’s 4x400m relay team finished second place with a time of 3:43.31. Team members were Nate Lechtenberg, Trenton Zink, Cody Kralicek and Brandon Marker.
The woman’s team claimed two gold medals at the home meet.

 
Junior Melissa Kroll was the first to cross the finish line and break the tape in the 400m dash and claim the gold medal with a time of 1:02.57.

 
The other Wildcat to receive a gold medal from the women’s team was freshman Rachel Rauner, who won the 200m dash in 27.20.

 
Another notable performance was from Kyndra Sturm, who placed second in the weight throw with a toss of 55’2”, which is an NCAA provisional mark.

 
The women’s team also had many second-place finishes and other top-five performances.

 
“I was pleased with the number of wins we picked up and the overall effort I thought everyone gave” head coach Marlon Brink said. “It was great for our athletes to have so many family and friends there to watch them.”

 
Men’s team:
Dunn 1st in weight throw(59’5”), Adams 1st in 60m dash(6.99), Kramper 1st in 200m dash(23.05) and 2nd in 60m dash(7.12), Schmit 1st in 800m run(2:04.66) and 2nd in 1,000m run(2:38.80), Nick Fly 2nd in 800m run(2:05.45) and 2nd one mile(4:34.10), Zink 2nd in 400m dash(55.10), Richard Sweeney 2nd in weight throw(51’9 ¾”), Joey Black 3rd in 800m run(2:15.24), Josh Spenner 4th in pole vault(14’1 ¾), Matthew Nemec 4th in weight throw(48’7 ¼”), Joe Giesselmann 5th in weight throw(45’ 10 ½”).

 
Women’s Team:
Rauner 1st in 200m dash(27.20) and 2nd in 60m dash(8.00), Kroll 1st in 400m dash(1:02.57), Kelsey Dietrich 2nd in 200m dash(27.70) and 2nd in 60m hurdles(9.41), Strum 2nd in weight throw(55’2”), Ellen Wulf 2nd in long jump(17’9 ½”) and 3rd in 60m hurdles(9.53), Shelby Roth 3rd in high jump(4’11”), Tessa Ives 4th in weight throw(48’1 ¼”), Siera Zach 5th in 60m hurdles.

The WSC track and field team also competed at the Fred Beile Classic at Doane College, and a select few competed at the Frank Sevigne Invite at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Friday and Saturday.

 
A highlight of the weekend was Adams, getting an NCAA provisional mark with his first-place finish in the 60m dash in 6.86 at the Fred Beile Classic.

 
Seniors Kingsley and Sturm took advantage of the day and won their respected events. Kingsley crossed the finish line first in the 3,000m run with a time of 11:11.42. Strum threw the winning toss of 54’10 ¾” in the weight throw.

 
The Wildcats will be back on the road this weekend heading to the Concordia Invite in Seward on Friday. Then a select few will travel to Brookings on Saturday to compete in the South Dakota State Invite.

 
Men’s Team:
Adams 1st in 60m dash(6.86), Justin Brueggemann 2nd in 3,000m run(9:03.59), Fly 3rd in 3,000m run(9:17.15), Cortland Cassidy 9th in 3,000m run(9:40.84), Josh Spenner 4th in pole vault(15’5”), Robert Sullivan 7th in high jump(6’5”), Dunn 7th in weight throw(61’0”), Kramper 8th in 200m dash(23.06), Brady Metz 9th in triple jump(43’10 ½”). WSC DMR 3rd(10:49.40).

 
Women’s Team:
Kingsley 1st in 3,000m run(11:11.42), Strum 1st in weight throw(54’10 ¾”), Shelby Connett 3rd in 3,000m run(11:20.48), Andrea DeSimone 4th in 3,000m run(11:21.77), Wulf 4th in long jump(17’ ½”), Kelsey Dietrich 5th in 60m hurdles(9.32), Ives 10th in weight throw(46’2 ½”), Rauner 10th in 60m dash(8.16), WSC 4×400 relay 2nd(4:07.52).