A last minute switch found the Webster University men's and women's track and field teams in the Ozarks, instead on the Metro East, as the teams competed in the Dewey Allgood Invitational at the University of Missouri Sciences and Technology on April 17.  The teams were originally scheduled to participate in a meet at SIU-Edwardsville, but when day one on April 16 was cancelled due to course conditions, Webster was squeezed out of a one-day format.  Fortunately, UM-S&T welcomed the Gorloks with open arms to Rolla, MO, and they fared well in the NCAA II-only meet.

Against the compeition that was a Division higher, the Gorloks had notable days from Aaron Oberneufemann (FR, Mt. Olive HS, IL) in three different events, and LaKecia Veal (SO, Crossroads Prep, STL) finished well in her first triple jump attempt.  Freshmen Dan Henkey (Affton HS, STL) and Blake Harris (O'Fallon HS, IL) both had personal records (PR)in the 1500 meter run.

Oberneufemann finished seventh in the 100m dash, with a time of 11.96 seconds.  He also completed the 200m in 24.06 and hit 5.85m in the long jump, all PRs.  Henkey and Harris finished the 1500m in 4:24.72 and 4:25.55, both PRs as well. 

Veal finished fourth with a 10.47m jump in the triple and also finished fifth in the 200m dash in 27.52, just ahead of teammates Amanda Arcangel (SO, Immaculate Heart HS, CA) and Marissa Gibbs (JR, Springfield HS, IL).

The men’s 4x400 relay team was not the Gorloks typical lineup but still managed to finish in fifth place, nosing out former St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference member Maryville’s University, who is moving to Division II.

Of the meet, head coach Dusty Lopez said, "I was pleased with the way our team competed. We entered the Missouri S&T meet on very short notice and we were the only Div. III program there, so we had our work cut out for us against some strong D-2 competition.  We had last weekend off from competition so we were excited to get back into it, especially since the conference invitational is next week.

We entered some new events this week and continued to improve in our more established areas. Probably the most exciting thing about our growth is that we no longer have anyone who looks like a freshman. Gaining experience has really made a difference for us since the start of indoor track, and it showed this week, when we did a great job jumping into an unexpected situation and performing as if we belonged.

All signs show that we are headed in the right direction so I really like the momentum that we are carrying as we head into the biggest meet of the season."

The teams will try it again in Edwardsville for the SIU-E Twilight meet on April 24 in Illinois.