Kristal Grigsby shatters school long jump record

February 26, 2005
St. Thomas junior Kristal Grigsby broke her own school record and posted the best Division III women's long jump in the nation this season with an 18-10 leap Friday at St. Olaf in a non-team scored meet. That jump automatically qualifies her for the March 11-12 NCAA Championships.

Grigsby, the Division III national champ in the outdoor long jump last May, held the old UST indoor mark at 18-1. Teammate Andretta Colley was a close second in 18-7 -- a jump which ranks fourth-best in D-III this season and is a strong provisional qualifier for nationals.

Grigsby also won the triple jump (37-8 1/2) in a provisional-qualifying leap that ranks seventh best in the national this season. Colley was fifth in the triple jump (34-10 1/2) and sixth in the 55 dash (7.64). The Toms also placed second in the 4x400 relay in an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 3:59.84, ninth-best in the nation this year.

Chelsea Guettinger took second in the 3,000 (10:49.48) and Kristen Winchell placed third in the 1,000 (3:13.90). Selina Dehn was fourth in the tiple jump (35-3 1/2), seventh in the long jump (16-7 3/4) and fourth in the high jump (4-11). Beth Ebert and Jada Lewis tied for fifth in the high jump (4-11).

Molly Bauman took fourth in the 55 hurdles (8.73); the 800 relay was third (1:48.90); Jenny Olin was seventh in the 3,000 (11:07.27); Nikki Hanson was seventh in the 600 (1:45.80); and Ronni Hamilton (2:28.0) and Meghan Mayer (2:28.16) were eighth and ninth in the 800.

The Tommies will try to repeat as MIAC team champs as next weekend's conference meet in Moorhead.