FSU Track Wins Four Events At Northwood Meet

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University men's and women's track and field squads returned to action on Saturday (April 16) by sending selected competitors to the Northwood Family and Friends Meet in Midland, Mich.

The meet took place on NU's home track surface, which will be the same site as the 2011 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Outdoor Championships in early May.

Freshman Samantha Johnson won the 800 meters (2:19.90) and the 1,500 meters (4:41.40) in pacing the women's squad. 

Freshman Jessica Pilling won the hammer throw (169-1) while yet another freshman in Brittany Anderson was also a winner as she claimed the 5,000 meters (18:07.82).

Pilling's performance in the hammer throw represented the third-best outdoor performance in school history.

Junior Amy Joostberns came in second overall in the discus (137-1) while teammate Andrea Fogle placed sixth (119-6) in the same event.  Joostberns' throw was among the top five in FSU history.

FSU's Christa Cwiek took fifth place in the javelin (98-11) and Jade Kaufman came in eighth (92-3) in the event.

On the men's side, Ryan Chute earned runner-up honors in the 1,500 meters (3:59.76) for the Bulldogs.

J.J. Vandenburg finished eighth in the hammer throw (161-7).

The meet included student-athletes from several GLIAC member schools such as FSU, NU, Lake Superior State, Hillsdale, Saginaw Valley State and Northern Michigan along with other schools from across the state including Oakland Community College, Davenport, Aquinas, Central Michigan and Siena Heights.

The Bulldogs will send student-athletes to a pair of meets next weekend, including the Eastern Michigan Twilight on Friday (April 22) in Ypsilanti and the Aquinas Open on Saturday (April 23) in Grand Rapids.