SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Sophomore Arienne Birch broke a 15-year-old school record in the high jump to headline the performances of the North Dakota State women's track & field team at the UTSA Invitational on Saturday for the outdoor season opener.
 
Birch cleared 6-01.25 (1.86m) to win the high jump, breaking Toni Tollefson's NDSU record of 5-11.50 from 2010. Birch's leap ranks her among the Top 20 performers in Canadian history and makes her the early NCAA leader this outdoor season.
 
Senior Reagan Baesler won the 1500m in 4:29.57, and Grace Link finished third with a time of 4:34.28.
 
Jacee Johannsen cleared an outdoor personal-best of 12-11.50 (3.95m) in the pole vault for second place in the meet. She ranks seventh on the NDSU all-time outdoor list.
 
Freshmen Elise Wisnewski and Riika Tirkkonen both ran 11.70 in the 100m dash to place third and fourth in the meet. They now rank sixth and seventh, respectively, in NDSU history. Anika Larson took fifth place in 11.76, and Bison freshman Paige Renschler ran 11.81 to rank 10th in NDSU history for the 100m dash.
 
Tirkkonen (23.79), Larson (23.80), and Wisnewski (23.84) all clocked wind-aided times in the 200m dash.
 
Senior Grace Emineth finished third in the triple jump with an outdoor personal-best mark of 40-5 (12.32m) to tie for 10th in NDSU history. Nyariek Kur took fourth with a jump of 40-02.25 (12.25m).
 
Kendal Stingle took third in the 400m hurdles, running 1:03.19. Reese Rogowski clocked an outdoor PR of 56.22 in the 400m dash for sixth place.
 
Sophomore Adison Kapitzke took sixth in the discus with a personal-best throw of 147-0 (44.81m). Freshman Ashley Rusthoven was seventh at 144-7 (44.08m).