ORANGE CITY, Iowa (Apr. 18, 2026) - The Buena Vista women's outdoor track & field team took part in the Red Raider Open at Northwestern College (IA) on Thursday and Friday and were led by multiple top-5 overall finishes.

Highlighting the two-day event was freshman Hailey Hearting who placed second in the heptathlon with a combined score of 4,325 points. She missed out on the school's 37-year old record by only 54 points. Hearting's score included a third place finish in the hurdles, second in the long jump and first in the pole vault.

Freshman Ava Mills gave the Beavers a strong combo in the heptathlon by coming in fifth with 3,822 points. She would place first in the shot put and second in the high jump to highlight her performances.

Junior Megan Bakke had a strong race in the 800-meter run where she placed third overall in a season-best time of 2:29.01.

Payton Schermerhorn placed fifth overall in the shot put at 12.59 meters to help lead the way in field events. She also took 12th in the hammer throw with a toss of 41.67 meters and 18th in the discus throw.

Emma Wieblod turned in a personal best toss of 33.70 meters in the discuss to place 12th.

The Beavers will continue their schedule at the American Rivers Conference Championships on Apr. 30 thru May 2 at Pella, Iowa.