Courtney Jacobsen, ex-Toll Gate Track and Field star thrower, started her freshman season at the University of Michigan in prodigious fashion. In her first collegiate outdoor meet, Jacobsen launched her personal best in the hammer at the PAC 12 – Big Ten Challenge in Temple, Arizona. With a throw of (195’ 08”), Jacobsen is now No. 2 all-time in school history. The school’s record in the hammer is (199’ 03”), thus putting Jacobsen 110 centimeters off the record. At the Longhorn Invitational in Austin, Texas, Jacobsen emulated the same personal best performance she had at the PAC 12 – Big Ten Challenge. Jacobsen competed and placed eighth in the hammer at the Big Ten Championships at Penn State University.

The next meet for Jacobsen is the NCAA Division I Track and Field Eastern Regionals that will be held in Lexington, Kentucky. Jacobsen qualified for the US Junior Track and Field Championships, and this opportunity will give her the chance to compete at the Pan American Junior Championships. Jacobsen does not only excel in the throwing circle, but in the classroom, as well. She has a 3.55 GPA and just received the Academic Achievement Award for the women’s track and field team at the University of Michigan.

Brunelle named Little East Conference Women’s Field Athlete of the Year

Sophomore Melanie Brunelle from Rhode Island College received the Little East Conference Women’s Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year. She earned this award because of her superlative performance this spring, accumulating a plethora of titles.

This winter, she received the same award during the indoor season.

As a freshman during the indoor season, she took Field Athlete of the Year and the Rookie Field Athlete of the Year. In that same year, she received Women’s Outdoor Rookie Field Athlete of the Year. At the N.E. Division III Championships, she placed fifth in the triple jump with a jump of 37 feet and 11 inches. In the nation, Brunelle is ranked 14th in the triple jump, and the 22 athletes in the triple can earn a spot in the NCAA Division III National Championships. At the Silfen Invitational, Brunelle took third place in the 100m hurdles with a time of 15.70 seconds. Brunelle ran on the 4x100 team as the anchor leg, helping the squad take second with a time of 51.40 seconds.

At the Alliance Championships, Brunelle received first place finishes in the high and triple jump. In the high jump, she jumped five feet, two inches, and in the triple, she jumped 38 feet and seven inches. The jump in the triple created a new Little East record for the Outdoor Division III Championships. Brunelle received a fourth-place finish in the long with a jump of 17 feet and five inches.

Brunelle does not only compete in the field, but on the oval, as well. In the 110m hurdles, Brunelle finished eighth with a time of 16.53, and finished eighth in the 400m hurdles with a time of 1:10.02. After the great performances in these three field events, RIC named Brunelle the team’s MVP.