UNC ROUNDUP: TRACK EARNS MEDALS IN NASHVILLE
Track and field
The University of Northern Colorado track and field team competed among some of the best athletes and programs in the nation, picking up three medals and a new program record, at the Music City Challenge.
Freshman Regina Mpigachai finished sixth in the mile and recorded a time of 4:39.95. She shaved roughly six seconds off the previous record and now sits at No. 3 in the Big Sky.
Sophomore Wendira Moss added a first-place finish in the 400 meters, while freshman August Van de Weijer earned silver for the men’s 400.
Moss crossed the finish line in 55.52, edging the second place finisher by 6/ 100ths of a second and earning the fourthbest time in the league this season. Van de Weijer’s time came in at 48.09, just 3/100ths of a second behind the winner from McNeese State.
Finally, freshman Jerome Campbell received a silver medal for the 60 meter hurdles. He finished the race in 7.71, 1/100th of a second off his best time of 7.70.
“This weekend was significant for Northern Colorado. We experienced the good, the bad and the ugly of competition,” Track and Field coach Wayne Angel said in a statement. “One of our goals as a team is to make progress within our program and in the Big Sky. It is our goal to make Northern Colorado a visible brand in the world of track and field. We competed against some outstanding teams from the SEC, Big Ten, ACC and other respectable conferences.
“Overall, I was pleased with the team’s performance. We have two weeks before the Big Sky (indoor) championships. I am confident that we will be prepared to compete on a very high level at that time.”
The Bears complete their regular season schedule on Friday at the Air Force Open.
Softball
UNC ( 2- 3) defeated Stonehill (0-5), 4-2, on Sunday afternoon to close out the La Jolla Invitational.
The Skyhawks jumped out to an early 2- 0 lead in the top of the third. The Bears allowed the baserunner to reach on an error. She scored after a teammate hit a home run inside the park.
Northern Colorado got on the board in the bottom of the fourth. Graduate student Paola Villegas led off with a single and advanced to third after fellow grad student Carson Fischer doubled to right field. Junior Alexsi Barashkoff brought Villegas home with a sac fly.
Stonehill took a one-run lead into the sixth, but the Bears put up three in the bottom of the frame to earn a comeback win.
Fischer got on base thanks to a Skyhawks error and crossed the plate a couple of batters later when sophomore Angelique Navarro added a two RBI single.
Senior Lauren Strathearn singled to shortstop, as well, getting freshman pinch runner Ella Gonzales home for the team’s fourth run.
One game after senior pitcher Erin Caviness logged a career-high 16 strikeouts, sophomore pitcher Isabelle DiNapoli added a season-high nine Ks in the win.
The Bears return to action on Friday at the Tarleton Invitational. They are scheduled to play Texas A& M Commerce at 3:15 p.m. and Tarleton State at 5:30 p.m.
Isabelle DiNapoli: 7.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 9 K
Angelique Navarro: 0 R, 1 H, 2 RBI
UNC batting: 4 R, 7 H, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 1 K, 6 LOB
Stonehill batting: 2 R, 2 H, 2 RBI, 0 BB, 9 K, 2 LOB