RIPON, Wis. - The Red Hawk men's and women's track teams kicked off their outdoor season as hosts of the Sherman-Lukoski Invite at Ingalls Field. Both teams got off to a good start to the season, with the men finishing fifth, while the women took third place.

The men's team was highlighted by Cas Moelling, who set a new school record in the pole vault with a distance of 13'7", which was good enough for first place in the event. That breaks the old record of 13'6", which was shared by Dan McNaughton (1983) and Phil Robinson (1986). Aaron Kammer also earned a high finish, grabbing second place in the 800 Meter Run with a time of 2:02.22, which was less than one second behind the winner. Jim Hein and Demba Camara also finished first in their respective events, Hein in the 3000 Meter Steeplechase and Camara in the Triple Jump.  Camara also finished third in the long jump. The men's team finished with 94 total points, which was just 10 points behind second place.  Carroll College won the meet with 112 total points.

The women's team earned 113.5 total points, which was 34.5 points behind second place Carroll College. Ripon was led by Jenni Marcell, who won the Hammer Throw tying her own school record of 130'11". Marcell also placed second in the shot put and in the javelin, while placeing third in the disc. Brittany Dick was the only other Red Hawk woman to win an event, placing first in the 3000 Meter Steeplechase. Latasha Carter also saw success, finishing third in the 100 meter dash, while finishing fourth in the 200.  Erin Beggs finished second in the 10,000 Meter Run. Northern Michigan University won the women's competition with 238 team points.

Ripon will try to keep improving, as they'll compete in the UW-Oshkosh Invite on April 6. That meet will begin at 5:00 p.m. in Oshkosh, Wis.