Women's track and field MAC champions, Swieton named MAC Coach of the Year
Chippewas win first title since 2004, Beauvais named "most outstanding"
Junior long jumper Kyra Harrison prepares for her jump on Jan. 12 at the Jack Skoog Indoor Track and Field Complex.
The last time the Central Michigan women's track and field team won the Mid-American Conference indoor championship, they had the likes of Jackie Bozin, Katie Smart and Jackie Davis.
The Chippewas bested Eastern Michigan in Ypsilanti by 10.5 points to earn their second title in three seasons.
Now, CMU has its first MAC title in 15 years after besting EMU by 23.5 points. This time at Kent State Fieldhouse in Kent, Ohio. The Chippewas did it with their junior Gabriella Beauvais and seniors Samantha Cuneo and Hannah Davis.
Beauvais and Cuneo took first and second place in the 400-meter run and they both broke the previous CMU record set by Shawntoreah Turk. Turk ran the 400 in 53.76 seconds in 2014 and Beauvais holds the record with 53.55, Cuneo was close behind coming in at 53.66.
It was just the start of a podium-filled meet for Beauvais, she was a part of the third place finish for CMU in the 1600-meter relay. The team consisted of Cuneo, Beauvais, senior Simonae Dismuke and redshirt freshman Jayden Williams.
Beauvais, a native of Monona, Wisconsin, was named the Outstanding Track Performer of the Meet award. She is the first Chippewa female to earn the honor since Erika Schroll in 2010.
"All the people that came before did the work to put them in this spot where we're in right now," said CMU director of track and field/cross country Jenny Swieton. "And we just tried to show what the Chippewas are capable of, and also make everyone proud."
Swieton was named MAC Women's Coach of the Year.
The philosophy that she instilled on her team was to keep it simple.
"We didn't do anything crazy different," Swieton said. "Just go in and do what you've done all year and stay calm."
The men's side
The Chippewa men did not fare as fondly as the women did as they finished last of five teams with 46 points. Buffalo was its closest adversary and it scored 63. Akron won the meet in a close battle with EMU. The Zips finished with 156 points and the Eagles with 153.5.
CMU's Kevin Weiler took the top spot in the shot put at 59-9 ¾. The Chippewas' 4x400 relay team of freshman Gavin Jaime, sophomores Jack Dodge and Roshawn Morton and freshman anchor Jackson Blanchard placed second with a time of 3:12.92.
Dodge added a second-place finish in the 400-meter dash, finishing with a CMU record of 46.82. CMU's Benjamin Hayes placed third with 47.28 and Jaime finished the race in 48.46 to take sixth.
MAC honors
All athletes winning their events were named First Team All-MAC. Those placing second were named to the All-MAC Second Team. Beauvais, Weiler and Dodge were named to the first team. Cuneo, Williams, Jaime, Morton and Blanchard were named second team.
Williams earned a spot on the first-team as well as she won the long jump on the first day of the meet. Seniors Janelle Perry, Rebekah Perry and Megan O'Neil all secured second-team nominations.
Back to work
CMU will not have long to celebrate as they open the outdoor season March 22-23 at the Vanderbilt Commodore Classic in Nashville, Tennessee.
"We just have to do what we've been doing," Swieton said. "One of the reasons why we were so successful was that we weren't overconfident, we respected our competition, and we believed we could win. Everybody stayed calm, did what we needed to do."
