MIDLAND, Mich. -- Less than a week after slashing a school record in the 3000 meter steeplechase at the Gina Relays, Megan Drelles (Ludington, Mich.) recorded another program-best time in the opening day of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Outdoor Track and Field Championships hosted by Northwood. The fourth-place finisher in the event, Drelles posted a time of 11:43.10, which bested her previous personal best mark of 11:51.18.

"Megan [Drelles] came up big again today," said fourth-year head coach Joe Haggenmiller. "She is really coming into her own in the steeplechase so it will be exciting to see what she can do in the future."

Several other Huskies put together strong performances on the women's side, including Kate Hagenbuch (Hancock, Mich.), who advanced to the finals in both the 800 and 1500-meter races. The junior compiled her second-best time as a collegian in the 800 by clocking in at 2:19.13, which gave her the eighth spot in the race. Hagenbuch also took eighth in the 1500 after the stop watch revealed a time of 4:55.23. Also in the 1500, sophomore Danielle Holmgren (Rapid River, Mich. -- 4:55.67) and junior Andrea Metz (Marathon, Wis. -- 4:57.34) each advanced to the finals, as the duo ranked ninth and 11th, respectively. Senior Bridget Zimny (Esko, Minn.) cleared 9' 10.75'' to secure 10th in the pole vault.

"As far as I know, this is the first time Michigan Tech has ever had three women advance to the GLIAC finals in the 1500 meters," said Haggenmiller. "Kate [Hagenbuch] is really coming on right now, and that has helped Danny [Holmgren] and Andrea [Metz] compete at a higher level as well. Each of them has a chance to finish the conference season strong tomorrow."

The men's squad was led by sophomore sprinter Robert Haynes (Lansing, Mich./Sexton), who capped the preliminary rounds with a first-place showing in the 100 meters and a third-place finish in the 200 meters. Despite running against a stiff wind, Haynes' still managed to earn a time of 10.92 in the 100 and a reading of 22.12 in the 200. Haynes will look to follow up last year's top five performances in both events at the GLIAC Championships when he races in the finals tomorrow.

"The conditions were very difficult for all of the sprinters today," said Haggenmiller. "I am confident that Robert [Haynes] can make a run at breaking both of his school records with better weather conditions tomorrow. More importantly, he has a chance to secure a berth in the NCAA Championships, and I know that is something he would like to accomplish."

Junior Stuart Kramer (Marquette, Mich.) grabbed the 11th spot in the 1500 meter race (4:04.65), and was one of 12 competitors to advance to the finals. Sophomore Kevin Kayser (Grand Rapids, Mich.) filed a leap of 6' 6'' in the high jump, good for a sixth-place showing. Kayser's jump moved him into a tie for eighth in the Huskies' record book. Justin Gillespie holds the school record in the high jump with a mark of 6' 8'' set in 2005.

"Stu [Kramer] and Kevin [Kayser] had solid efforts in the their events today," said Haggenmiller. "They both made good improvements throughout the season."

In the team scores, the Tech women have five points, compared to the three points compiled by the men. Grand Valley State leads the team standings with 168 points (87 women, 81 men) after Day 1.

Friday's final day of competition begins with the field events at 11 a.m. The running events are set to begin at 12 p.m., with the awards ceremony rounding out the action at approximately 3:45 p.m.