Storm medal in five events, provo in three at Central

PELLA, Iowa - Lauren Bucklin (Bondurant, Iowa/Bondurant-Farrar) won the 100 and 400-meter hurdles as Simpson claimed five first-place finishes and reached NCAA provisional qualifying standards in three events at the Central Open on Friday.

Bucklin provided one of Simpson's provisional-qualifying performances, taking first in the 100-meter hurdles in a time of 14.38. Having already provisionally qualified in the event, Bucklin was only 0.04 seconds off her quickest time of the season on a chilly day in Pella. Bucklin also won the 400 hurdles, finishing the event in a time of 65.49.

Catie Ellingson (Indianola, Iowa/Indianola) added another provisional-qualifying effort, winning the 1500 meters in 4:34.30.

Simpson's third provisional effort came from thrower Chelsey Degen (Algona, Iowa/Algona). Degen took second in the discuss with a toss of 151-2.

Sarah Hammel (Dorchester, Iowa/Waukon) won the 800 meters (2:19.46) and Jess Christensen (Harlan, Iowa/Harlan) won the 3,000 meters (10.41.53).

Junior Lauren Anderson (Oakland, Iowa/Riverside) had a productive day for the Storm, finishing in the top-4 in three events. She finished second behind Bucklin in the 400 hurdles (66.66), took third in the pole vault (9-3 3/4) and placed fourth in the 100 hurdles (15.12).

Ali Hagerty (Tama, Iowa/South Tama) placed second in the javelin (126-5) and the 4x100-meter relay team of Alyssa Hedrick (Council Bluffs, Iowa/Jefferson), Bucklin, Anderson and Jordan Maher (Baxter, Iowa/Baxter) took third (50.38).

Up next for Simpson is the Iowa Conference Championships, held in Storm Lake May 14-15.