KENOSHA, Wis. (WLCSports.com) – Wisconsin Lutheran College opened the 2026 indoor season by placing fourth with 44 points at Firebird First Invitational hosted by Carthage on Saturday at Tarble Athletic and Recreation Center Fieldhouse.
On the track, junior
Marin Schibbelhut (Onalaska, Wis.) placed sixth in the 55m Hurdles, crossing the line in 10.43 seconds. In the 400m, freshman
Lucy Luedtke (Marshfield, Wis.) earned a sixth-place finish with a time of 1:09.44.
The Warriors picked up two scoring finishes in the mid-distance events. Junior
Rachel Homan (New Lisbon, Wis.) finished fifth in the 800m with a time of 2:52.78, while freshman
Madison Niermann (Racine, Wis.) placed eighth, running 3:02.62.
In the Mile, WLC posted a pair of top-five finishes. Sophomore
Kirstin Neuwirth (New Berlin, Wis.) took fourth place in 5:59.03, followed closely by freshman
Maddie Metz (Chino Valley, Ariz.), who finished fifth in 5:59.14.
The field events were led by the Pole Vault, where sophomore
Amelia Kelley (Appleton, Wis.) cleared 2.65m to place fourth, and freshman
Taylor Favorite (Appleton, Wis.) added a sixth-place finish after clearing 2.35m.
The DMR of Homan, junior
Madelyn Beyer (Appleton, Wis.), and freshmen
Calliope Horn (San Diego, Calif.) and
Clare Gappa (Coleman, Wis.) claimed first place with a time of 16:09.85. The Warriors' 4x400m Relay team of junior
Madelyn Vanderhoof (Watertown, Wis.), Beyer, Kelley, and Luedtke finished fourth in 4:38.02.
UW-Parkside won nine events and scored 198 points to claim the seven-team scoring title.
WLC will compete next Saturday, January 21, at the Aurora Grand Prix in Chicago, Illinois. Events are scheduled to start at 11 a.m. at Dr. Conrad Worrill Track and Field Center.
