SIOUX CENTER, Iowa – Midland University earned four individual championships at the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Indoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday. As a team, the Warriors placed 9th on the women’s side and 6th on the men’s
The day began with Shandon Reitzell winning the men’s high jump. He cleared 2.02m (6’ 7.5”) to give the Warriors 10 team points.
The women got on the board next as the 4x800m relay team of Myia Johnson, Vivian Sanchez, Emma Christianson, and Madilynn Edward finished 6th. They had a time of 10:34.39.
Next up was the first of Dylan Kucera’s pair of titles. He won the men’s weight throw with an effort of 19.88m (65’ 2.75”) which set a new personal record for the junior.
In the women’s pole vault a pair of Warriors earned points by finishing in the top-eight. Kylee Edmonds finished 3rd with a clearance of 3.66m (12’) and Wendy van Nes was 8th with a height of 3.41m (11’ 2.25”).
Eli Hustad added to the men’s point total in the long jump as he placed 7th. In his final attempt of the day, he solidified his placing with a leap of 6.71m (22’ 0.25”).
On the track, Adrien Patigny finished 3rd in the 55m sprint with a time of 6.54. He also placed 4th in the 200m with a time of 22.28.
In the women’s 800m, Sanchez came in 8th with a time of 2:26.27 to wrap up the scoring for the women.
Jose Gonzalez picked up the third title for Midland as he won the 1000m race with a time of 2:32.60.
Then, in the men’s shot put Josh Lewis placed 7th with a best of 14.76m (48’ 5.25”) while Kucera won the event, his second of the day, with a toss of 18.01m (59’ 1.25”). The defending NAIA champion was a full five-feet ahead of the field.
Midland will now await official word on qualifiers for the NAIA Indoor National Championships set for March 3-6 in Yankton, South Dakota. Locks to make the field for the Warriors are Reitzell (HJ), Kucera (SHOT and WEIGHT), and Edmonds (PV). They all rank in the top eight in their events. Other potential qualifiers, depending on declarations by other schools, are Patigny (200m), Gonzalez (1000m), and van Nes (PV). Those three rank in the top-20 but are not guaranteed a spot in the field.
