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(VCSUVikings.com)- The Valley City State track & field teams recorded 17 Top 12 finishes and ten personal bests during the Cobber Duals on Saturday, hosted by Concordia College in Moorhead.

The Vikings placed eight events in the Top 8, led by a trio of men who placed fourth in their respective events. Dennis Gonzalez took fourth in the mile run, while Martin Mena placed fourth in the 3000 meters. Orin Rambow ran a strong 600 meters, setting a career-best time of 1:25.97 as he finished fourth.

Niklas Ernst was just a hundredth of a second behind Rambow as he placed fifth in the 600. Jaylon Sibley added a sixth in triple jump, and Lenzel Koskela placed eighth in the 60 meter dash with a season-best time of 7.33 seconds.

VCSU’s 4×400 relay team of Koskela, Casey Engelhard, Royce Brawley and Dennis Gonzalez placed sixth.

On the women’s side, Seri Geisler placed fifth in the shot put with a throw of 12.26 meters (40-2.75).

“While this meet is not the focal point of our season, it is very important in terms of bridging the momentum we’ve built from the early part of this season to the latter part of indoor,” said head coach Chris Johnson. “A number of our athletes stepped out of their comfort zones today and ran in events that are not their main ones. They’re trusting the process and believing in the training that they’ve received. With improvements across the board, it is hard to not be optimistic about the coming weeks.”

Up next: VCSU will travel to Fargo for the Bison Open, hosted by North Dakota State University on Feb. 3-4.

VCSU Men’s Top 8 Finishes
60 Meter Dash
8. Lenzel Koskela, 7.33

600 Meter Run
4. Orin Rambow, 1:25.97
5. Niklas Ernst, 1:25.98

One Mile Run
4. Dennis Gonzalez, 4:32.18

3000 Meter Run
4. Martin Mena, 9:21.25

4×400 Relay
6. VCSU, 3:44.39 (Koskela, Engelhard, Brawley, Gonzalez)

Triple Jump
6. Jaylon Sibley, 12.35 m (40-6.25)

VCSU Women’s Top 8 Finishes
Shot Put
5. Seri Geisler, 12.26m (40-2.75)