STC alum and NCAA Division III all-American JoJo Tyynismaa of Wartburg College competes in an early season indoor meet. PHOTO COURTESY OF WARTBURG SOCIAL MEDIA

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA. — In Virginia Beach this past Saturday, STC alum and current Wartburg Knight JoJo Tyynismaa once again earned all-American honors. In her second appearance at the Division III Indoor National Championships, Tyynismaa returned to compete in the 4×400 meter relay after an All-American finish as a part of last year’s distance medley relay.

The 4×400 team of Sophia Stahle, Lina Newland, Rachel Nagel, and Tyynismaa, finished 8th in a time of 3:51.16. Their time placed ninth of Wartburg’s top 10 list.

Tyynismaa competed in two other events throughout the multi-day meet. On Friday, Tyynismaa competed in the 60 meter hurdles. With a time of 8.86 she placed 13th and did not advance out of the prelims. This performance earned her Second Team All-American status.

Shortly after her bid in the 60 Hurdles, Tyynismaa took to the track once again in the 400 meter prelims, ultimately placing 17th with a 57.59 second performance.

After the meet had concluded, Head Coach Marcus Newsom spoke highly of Jojo and the Tyynismaa family as a whole.

“She comes from a tremendous family. I’ve been spoiled, this is the second Tyynismaa I’ve coached. I worked with her older sister Belle. To be able to have Jojo here is a privilege,” he said.

In regards to the 4×4 performance, Newsom spoke of the quartet’s youth.

“We had a freshman leading off, two Sophomores, and a Junior, you have to feel good about the opportunities youth brings the team. We’re no stranger to having 4×4’s win national titles, we’re excited for the quartet moving forward,” he said.

Tyynismaa anchoring the 4×4 to an eighth place finish brought the team to eighth place overall with 24 total points.