MNSU Track and Field claims first at MIAA meet

Minnesota State University track and field claimed first place in the first Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association and the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) showdown this past weekend. The track meet was held at MIAA’s Northwest Missouri State, starting from Thursday until Saturday. Many Mavericks, both men and women, took first place in their respective events.

The men’s team, as a whole, finished the meet with a score of 212. The 4×100-meter relay team, comprised of Reid Diamond, Tanner Ogren, Vance Barnes, and Paul Selman, finished first place with a time of 41.01. The 4×400-meter relay team involving John Schuster, Jovonte’ Suber, Morris Dennis, and Isaiah Pitchford, also finished first place with a finishing time of 3:16.44.

Ben Ojika finished second place in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 14.42. In the 400-meter hurdles, Leroy Kwateh finished fourth with a time of 57.06. Four Mavericks finished in the top eight places in the 100-meter dash with Paul Selman finishing second at 10.58. Selman also finished third in the 200-meter dash at 21.59. Gloudemans placed fifth place again in the 200 with a time of 21.76.

Mavericks took five of the top six spots in the 400-meter dash. John Schuster set a new school record with a time of 47.30. Morris Dennis finished second at 47.61.

Nutter finished third place in the decathlon with 5,782 points. Sam Uderman finished first place in the hammer throw with a provisional qualifying throw of 179’6”. Alex Campbell placed second in the long jump with a leap of 23’8”.

Campbell and Jeff DeCock tied for first in the high jump with a provisional qualifying leap of 6’9”. In the triple jump, Elijah Calderon-Pitchford placed first with a mark of 48’7.5”, and London Thurman placed second at 47’10”. Mitch Valli took first place and qualified in the pole vault with a mark of 16’7.25”.

The women’s track and field team took first place with a final score of 179.83 points. In the 4×100-meter relay the team of Brooke Foreman, Brieanna Puckett, Afure Adah, and Karlona Gregory finished first with a provisional qualifying time of 45.76, which is the top mark in D-II this season. The 4×400-meter relay the team of Amelia Kjos, Kimmy Wreh, Taylor Naatz, and Taylor Glover finished second with a time of 3:52.06.

Adah finished first in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.47. Gregory finished first in the 200-meter dash with a time of 24.21. In the 800-meter run, Haley Kruger finished first with a time of 2:13. Kruger finished first in the 1500-meter run with a time of 4:48.06 as well.

Williams took first place in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 13.64 and Brooke Foreman finished second with a time of 13.95, Carolyn Hackel finished third in the heptathlon with a score of 4413.

Rachel Schumacher finished first in the triple jump with a leap of 36’10”. In the pole vault, Faryn Wirkus finished first with a provisional qualifying jump of 11’10”. Brieanna Puckett earned third place in the long jump with a leap of 18’7.25”. In the high jump, Khadiya Hollingsworth took first place with a provisional qualifying jump of 5’7”.

Minnesota State’s next competition is on Thursday in California in the Cal State LA Twilight and will compete Friday in the Mt. Sac Invite, also held in California. Both events will be all day.