MONMOUTH, Ill. — Lawrence University track and field standout Sam Stevens led the way for the Vikings on Saturday by placing in two events at the Midwest Conference Championships at Monmouth College.
Stevens, a sophomore from Suamico, Wis., grabbed second place in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 9:35.06. Grinnell College’s Shyam Deshpande finished first in 9:32.38.
Stevens also raced to seventh place in the 800 meters in 1:57.87. Stevens also ran a leg on Lawrence’s 1,600 relay team, which placed eighth.
On Friday, Stevens grabbed third in the 1,500 meters and turned in his best performance of the season. He ran 4:04.55 after not running under 4:08 in the event all season. Ripon College’s Cory Zimmerman won the event in 4:02.50.
The Lawrence men finished in ninth place with 17 points. The Lawrence women were eighth with 10 points.
The women were paced by freshman Erica Schmidt, who took third in the discus with the best throw of her young career. Schmidt’s toss of 123 feet, 1 inch, easily eclipsed her best throw of the season, which was 117-4 back on April 9 at the Carroll Invitational. Monmouth’s Amanda Streeter won the event at 129-0.
Lawrence also picked up points on the women’s side when Rose Tepper took sixth in the high jump. Tepper, who was the defending champion in the event, had a jump of 4-11.75.