GULF SHORES, Ala. – This week, Midland University’s track and field team took to the field and oval at Mickey Miller Blackwell Stadium for the 2022 NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The Warriors saw nine athletes compete over the three-day event.
On Wednesday, William DeLay and Dylan Kucera got things going in the men’s hammer throw while Adrien Patigny took to the track in the men’s 200-meter run.
In the hammer, DeLay opened with a toss of 53.03m. It would prove to be his only legal throw as he placed 17th in the field of 21 athletes. Kucera rebounded from a foul on his initial throw to reach finals. His best throw came in his fourth attempt, a heave of 59.64m. That mark placed him 6th and earned him All-America honors.
In the 200m prelims, Patigny ran a time of 22.29 seconds to finish seventh in his heat. He missed out on finals, placing 39th in the ultra-competitive field of sprinters.
Thursday saw Kucera back in action, this time in the discus cage. Meanwhile, the Warriors’ trio of jumpers; Ty Cooley, Ross McMahon, and Shandon Reitzell; took to the men’s high jump.
Coming in as the second-best group in the event, Midland had two jumpers earn All-America status. Shandon Reitzell placed 4th, clearing 2.08m, and Ty Cooley tied for 7th, with a height of 2.00m. Ross McMahon nearly joined the party, reaching a height of 2.00m as well but on his second attempt.
Kucera had his best toss come in his final attempt of the first round but came up short of finals. His toss of 46.12m placed him 17th in the event.
The final day of the meet saw Gavin Larson on the runway of the men’s triple jump and another trio of Warriors competing in one event, the men’s shot put. Midland ranked first in the NAIA as a group coming into the meet with Kucera, Alex Herman, and Josh Lewis all competing.
Larson opened the triple jump with a leap of 14.29m, nearly matching his season-best. He would come up short of reaching finals, placing 21st out of 28 competitors.
In the shot put, Herman and Lewis each fouled on their first two attempts before getting a clean mark in the third. Herman threw the shot 15.45m while Lewis cleared 14.67m to place 22nd and 29th respectively.
Kucera, the odds-on favorite in the event, wowed the crowd with big throw after big throw. He won the event going away with a toss of 18.16m. Nearly one full meter ahead of the runner-up. He completes the sweep of the men’s shot put crowns after winning the indoor title back in March with the win.
As a team, Midland placed 19th out of 111 schools competing. It is the seventh-straight top 25 finish at a national championship (indoors and outdoors).
Courtesy of MidlandAthletics.com
