Bruenderman brothers compete collegiately for first time

Notre Dame alum and Lindenwood freshman Cole Bruenderman competes in the triple-jump in the Illini Challenge.

Jacob Blassingame ~ Special to the Southeast Missourian

The Bruenderman brothers of Evan and Cole left their names on the Notre Dame Regional High School record books and moved on to compete in the collegiate track circuit in St. Louis.

For two years they were teammates in high school, but on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 26-27 at the campus of the University of Illinois, Cole (Lindenwood) and Evan (St. Louis) were on the runway wearing different uniforms competing against one another for the very first time as college athletes.

“It was a lot of fun being able to compete again with Cole, even in opposing uniforms,” Evan Bruenderman said. “Through his first collegiate season, he has continued to grow in the sport, and it was great to see him do well (Saturday). We both had PRs this weekend and it’ll be cool to see how we finish up this indoor season.”

Both Bruendermans set new personal records in the long jump on Friday, with Cole (6.84m) sailing ahead of Evan (6.66) as they both finished 7th and 8th place. Evan prevailed over his younger brother in the triple jump on Saturday with a second-place finish at a distance of 14.79m. Cole finished sixth in the event, landing .02m shy of 14.

The older Bruenderman posted the Billikens' top marks in the long jump and triple jump last year and finished sixth in the A-10 Championship. The younger Bruenderman will have one more track meet on Feb. 10 in Topeka, Kan., before competing in the Lions’ final Ohio Valley Conference indoor track championships on Feb. 22-23 in Birmingham, Ala. With men’s track and field being one of the handful of sports on the chopping block to balance Lindenwood’s budget, Cole’s future after this year is in question. He will at least be scheduled to compete at Southeast Missouri State’s home outdoor meet on March 29-30.

St. Louis and Lindenwood are scheduled to meet at Murray State to start the outdoor season on March 22-23.

Notre Dame alum and St. Louis junior Evan Bruenderman competes in the triple-jump at the Illini Challenge.

Jacob Blassingame ~ Special to the Southeast Missourian

SEMO stands out in Illinois

Southeast Missouri State also competed in the Illini Challenge in Champaign, Illinois. Luke Donald Hatfield-Jackson placed second in the long jump with a jump of 7.49m going down to University of Illinois Daniel Mboyo who jumped 7.62. Hatfield-Jackson also placed third in the High Jump with a jump of 2.09m.

Freshman Molly Grohmann edged her teammates in the women’s high jump as the Redhawks top performer, jumping 1.65m in the high jump with Serena Williams, and Sophie Dubis just 0.05m behind.

The Redhawks didn’t disappoint during the weight-throw competition. Parker Feuerborn took charge with a 21.54m throw, followed by Marshall Swadley and Clay Alewelt. Makenzie Williams finished fourth on the women’s side with a throw of 17.64m, while Piper Klinger and Bailie Hux trailed just behind in seventh and eighth place.

The Redhawks wrapped up the first day of competition with Breanna Miles taking home the gold in the women’s 200m with a season-best of 24.39. Additionally, SEMO’s men and women both placed third in the distance medley relays.

Standout performances during the second day of competition came from Hannah Eastman taking 4th in the women’s mile with a time of 5:04. Noah Little took 3rd with a 4:19 in the men’s heat to follow.

Later in the evening, Cape Central alum, Connor Moore, placed fifth in the men’s open 400m with a time of 50.75. SEMO dominated the 800m race on both the men’s and women’s side with Taylor Fox taking home the gold with a time of 2.12 and Terrico Garrett doing the same with blistering 1:51.

To wrap up the meet, SEMO freshmen Myles Thornburg and Ryan Seabaugh debuted in the men’s 3000m with impressive times of 8:48 and 8:54.

The Redhawks will travel to Birmingham, Alabama for the Samford Invite on Feb. 3-4.