MANKATO, Minn.— Everyone that won a 2021 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) championship returns for seventh-year head coach Michael Dunn. On the women's side at the indoor championships Kayla Tobin (Watertown, Wis.) won the 3,000m run, and was a member of the winning Distance Medley Relay team along with Cianna Hoppe (Lewiston, Minn.), Chloe Kuhlman (Watertown, SD), and Jordan Merwin (Isanti, Minn.). On the men's side, Jake Marzinske (St. Paul) won the triple jump and high jump, and was a member for the 4x400m relay team with Dylan Kennedy (Fairmont, Minn.), Jakin Anderson (Belle Plaine, Minn.) and Nathan Wildauer (Port Washington, Wis.).  At the outdoor championships, Marzinske won the 110m hurdles and the triple jump. He also swept MVP honors for field events at both championships.

"That group will also be hungry," commented Dunn. "Last year we had such a different season with all the COVID protocols and not being able to practice at an indoor track facility and had to utilize hallways or a gym.

"Overall, we still have a pretty young team," he continued. "The expectations are there for the returners to help those incoming student-athletes. Our juniors also haven't had a full year of actual track and field yet as there wasn't an outdoor season their freshman year, and only got a shortened indoor season with two meets before the conference championships for their sophomore year."



The program welcomes 12 women and six men to the rosters. "This group of first years is extremely talented," said Dunn. "They are going to be pushing those on the team that have dropped banners, which is going to provide a lot more depth on this team. With where our women's team is at, they are going to be fun to watch. I have a lot of expectations for those returners, but these first years are also hungry to be able to produce."

A pre-pandemic practice and meet schedule returns for the Vikings. "It's exciting right now to look at the season schedule compared to last year when we only had two meets before conference. There's so many more opportunities for us this year and see meets as not only as opportunities to compete, but to learn and continue to build."

Groundbreaking for the new student activity center at Bethany has occurred and dirt has started to move to begin the building process. "These plans have been in the works for years, and to see it come full circle is an enormous blessing," noted Dunn. "That facility is something that we as a program can build with."

Bethany opens the season Saturday, Dec. 4 at the Chuck Petersen Open, hosted by Minnesota State, Mankato.