Mankato, Minn. --- The Minnesota State University Maverick women's track and field program officially opened its 2021-2022 season with a win in at home, in the Chuck Petersen Open, scoring 265.50 points.

The Mavericks took first place in 10 of the 15 events scored.

Two sprinters recorded provisional qualifying times in the 60m dash, Makayla Jackson (7.48), and Ja'Cey Simmons (7.59),with Jackson earning the finals win with a time of 7.48.

In the 60m hurdles, Denisha Cartwright finished first with a provisional qualifying time of 8.59 seconds, which currently ranks second in the nation amongst DII athletes.

In the 200m dash, Ja'Cey Simmons finished first with a time of 24.82 which currently ranks first in the nation amongst DII athletes. Emily Beckmann finished first in the 600m run with a time of 1:45.21.

For the field events, Taylor Elliott finished first in the high jump with a top clear of 1.66m (5'5.25") and Paige Hickson finished first in the pole vault with a top clear of 3.69 m (12'1.25").

In the long jump, Makayla Jackson finished first with a top jump of 5.87m (19'3.25") which is a provisional qualifying mark and currently ranks second in the nation. Flore Gracia finished first in triple jump with a jump of 12.22m (40'1.25").

In the Shot put, Katie Taylor finished first with a top throw of 14.58m (47'10") which is a provisional qualifying mark and is currently the sixth best throw in the nation. Katie Taylor also finished first in the weight throw with a provisional qualifying throw of 20.03m (65'8.75") which is currently the best in DII.

The Mavericks return to action Friday, January 14^th with a home event, the Minnesota State Invitational.

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