As the snow flew in Sault Ste. Marie, Indoor Track and Field Season started downstate, and Lake Superior State brought the heat with solid results on opening day.
The Lakers traveled to SVSU's Holiday Open on Friday, December 5th for their lone meet before the calendar turns to 2026. Several athletes turned in personal best performances to start the season, a sign of great results to come for Head Coach Matt Stith's program.
"I think we had a terrific showing, and we saw everything we hoped to see in terms of being able to roll through the break into a strong, competitive indoor season beginning in January," said Stith.
Janelle Docter's weight throw of 14.83 was a new best for the senior from Howard City, MI. She had a standout performance for Lake Superior State to open the campaign, and Stith expects more of the same throughout the season.
Stith said, "Janelle is the epitome of what we look for in a track and field athlete and a thrower in particular. She's dedicated and curious and knowledgeable about her discipline, always wants to learn more about her technique and get better. Having a nice PR throw in the first meet is a great sign. We think she's going to have a terrific season indoor and outdoor."
Jessa Davis set a new personal best in the 3,000 meter run, with a time of 12:41.40, while
Keira Lamming ran the 400 meter race in 1:04.58. Both run for the Laker cross country team in the fall.
Giselle Wiitanen, a volleyball player at LSSU, set a new best mark in the high jump at 1.47 meters.
For the men's team,
Shane Izzard, a two-sport athlete who competes for LSSU's basketball team, ran the 400 meter race in 51.50, a new personal best. Brothers Michael and
Collin Featherstone also set their best marks in the 400, at 54.00 and 54.35 respectively. And cross country runner Gary Haigbht finished the 3,000 meter race in 10:31.41.
"We saw terrific improvement from some of our returning guys in the 400," said Stith. "We also had some tremendous debuts from freshmen in the event.
Max Ward ran a really fast 49.78.
Grant Wheaton ran a 51.65. Both of them ran their first collegiate races at the distance. The future is very bright for that 400 group and hopefully for the 4x400 relay team."
It was a very strong opening for the Lakers. Having so many athletes setting personal-best times at the beginning of the season, with a full slate of training in front of them, is a harbinger of a fantastic season to come. Several athletes are still ramping up their training in preparation for the 2026 portion of the schedule, when the Lakers compete at the Jack Skoog Open on January 16th and the Jet's Pizza Invitational at the end of January.
Following a strong cross country season, Stith feels that his team is in an excellent place after the season-opening meet.
"The plan is to return from the holiday break ready to transition into event- and race-specific training. We'll have the increased tempo and frequency of competition. We'll have successfully built the kind of training base we need to move into the next phase of the season, and that's where we think the really excited results are going to come from all up and down the roster."
