COMPLETE RESULTS
SEWARD, Neb. – Midland University had one of its best showings in recent history at the 2021 Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Outdoor Track & Field Championships this weekend. The Warriors picked up three first-place finishes along with 11 others placing that will earn All-GPAC honors.
Dylan Kucera won a pair of titles as he bested the field in the men’s shot put and the discus. In the shot put, he had a best of 17.64m, a full meter ahead of the second-place finisher. In the discus, he was nearly two meters better than the next thrower. He had a best toss of 52.58m in his third attempt.
Shandon Reitzell picked the other Midland win and the top spot on the podium with his first-place finish in the men’s high jump. On his way to the title, he was clean through 2.05m, the height that clinched the event. He then cleared 2.11m on his second attempt to solidify his spot in the national rankings.
Kucera currently sits atop the NAIA season leaderboards in both the shot put and discus while Reitzell is second in the high jump.
Adrien Patigny had a great GPAC Championship meet with a pair of high placings. He finished 2nd in the men’s 100m with a time of 10.67 in the finals. In the 200m, he was 6th with a time of 21.68. Like his teammates, he is near the top in his events in the NAIA. He has reached the ‘A-Standard’ in the 200m and the ‘B-Standard’ in the 100m. With it, he has qualified for the NAIA Outdoor Championships later this month.
Jose Gonzalez had a 2nd- and a 6th-place finish as well. He was runner-up in the men’s 10,000m with a time of 33:08.49 and placed 6th in the 5,000m. He ran a 16:17.07 in that race and will be an All-GPAC selection in both events.
On the women’s side, Kylee Edmonds had the top finish for the Warriors with a 3rd-place medal in the women’s pole vault. She cleared 3.85m, tying her season-best from a week ago. Joining her on the medal stand in the pole vault was Wendy van Nes. She placed third, via a judge’s decision, clearing the same height. Both Edmond and van Nes have reached the NAIA ‘A-Standard’ in the event and will be competing in the National Championships in just over three weeks. They’ll see some familiar faces at the meet as the top seven vaulters in the GPAC meet reached the ‘A-Standard’.
Other top All-GPAC performances by the Warriors included Josh Lewis in the discus and shot put. He was 5th in the men’s discus with a best 47.11m and 6th in the shot put with a best of 14.77m. Ross McMahon was 4th in the men’s high jump with a height of 1.97m.
Finally, Kucera picked up a 3rd-place finish in the hammer throw. He had a toss of 58.10m in the elite class of throwers that featured six NAIA ‘A-Standard’ tosses in the meet.
Midland will look to add more athletes to their nationals roster over the next few weeks with the Bronco Invitational (May 8) and the Concordia Twilight (May 14) remaining on their schedule. As of today, the Warriors have eight athletes with their tickets punched for the 2021 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. That meet will be held on May 26-28 in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
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Midland NAIA Qualifiers:
– Kylee Edmonds – Women’s Pole Vault (3.85m)
– Alex France – Men’s Marathon (1:11:42.24 in the 1/2)
– Jose Gonzalez – Men’s Marathon (1:12:43.24 in the 1/2)
– Dylan Kucera – Men’s Shot Put (18.25m), Discus (52.58m), and Hammer (59.47)
– Josh Lewis – Men’s Shot Put (15.59m)
– Adrian Patigny – Men’s 100m (10.67) and 200m (21.34)
– Shandon Reitzell – Men’s High Jump (2.12m)
– Wendy van Nes – Women’s Pole Vault (3.85m)
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