MNU Track & Field Awards at Conference Championships

MARYVILLE, Mo. - The MNU track & field teams were the loudest and proudest at the Heart of America Indoor Conference Championships this past weekend. Athletes stepped up to fill in for relays and points where it was needed most. After several personal bests and individuals competing in multiple events, the women's team fought for every last point to finish second overall in the conference with 175 points just four points away from first. The men's team reflected the same grit and power to earn fourth in the conference overall, scoring a total of 99 points.
 
The pentathlon women kicked off the meet on Friday with a first-place finish for Carly Lindenmeyer, with a score of 3,251 points. Her teammate, Jocelyn Jenkins, earned second-place with her personal best score of 3,195 points. Freshman Stella Whalen contributed to the overall team score with an eighth-place finish, earning her personal best in the event. Ella Margheim followed in ninth-place, also with a personal best.
 
The pentathlon was not the only event Carly Lindenmeyer won for the weekend. Earning the title of Heart Field Athlete of the Meet, she went on to hit the NAIA B standards in the high jump and long jump, along with winning both events. Her height in the high jump was 1.64 meters (5'4.5"), and her distance in the long jump was 5.58 meters (18'3.75"). Nala Burns followed in the long jump with a third-place finish and personal best mark of 5.37 meters (17'7.5"). Reanna Green followed suit for fourth-place with a mark of 5.35 meters (17'6.75"). Jocelyn Jenkins made a personal best jump in the pit, 5.06 meters (16'7.25") and earning seventh-place. Hayley Loewen placed ninth with a personal best jump of 4.94 meters (16'2.5").
 
The men's 4x800 meter relay was a huge highlight for the team of Anthony Carranza, Ashire Rhodes, Stephenson Fleuriot, and Thomas Knudsen. The squad punched their ticket to nationals with a time of 7:51.64, getting the NAIA B standard and beating their previous time by several seconds. The women's 4x800 meter relay team of Shelby Duncan, Abigail Allred, Justine Wheeler, and Maya Eidman placed fourth overall.
 
In the weight throw, Tori Lotz made a leap to earn second-place with a throw of 16.48 meters (54'1"). She crushed her previous personal best and made the NAIA B standard while doing it. In the shot put, Tori earned third-place with a throw of 13.00 meters (42'8"). Her teammate, Caitlin Witt threw 12.47 meters (40'11") and contributed to the overall team score with her sixth-place finish.
 
On the track, the women's team came in hot with three athletes in the top-8 of the 60-meter dash. Nikiwe Mongwe won the event, sprinting to make the NAIA A standard and a personal best time of 7.65. Daizy Solir crossed the line in fifth-place, running a personal best time of 7.89. Nala Burns finished in eighth-place, running her personal best time in the prelim, 7.81 seconds.
 
Four MNU ladies took over the 1,000-meter run. Senior Magdalena Burdova was conference champion of the race, running a personal best time of 3:03.74. Maya Eidman finished in fourth with a time of 3:07.10. Abigail Allred ran a personal best time of 3:08.22 for seventh-place, and Justine Wheeler finished ninth with a time of 3:10.47.
 
In the 400-meter dash, Janiah Nicholson flew out of the starting blocks to a personal best time of 59.34. She beat her previous best time by seconds, and placed fifth overall in the conference. Her teammate, Nikiwe Mongwe ran her first 400 of the season, placing second with a time of 58.14. In the 800-meter run, Maya Eidman dominated her heat to run a personal best time of 2:23.09. She placed fourth in the conference.
 
On the men's side, freshman James Farmer-Cole became conference champion in all of his events. In the 400-meter dash, he charged across the finish line with a time of 48.80 seconds. He also won the 200-meter dash, hitting the NAIA A standard with his time of 21.75. Senior Tim Ballah earned fifth-place in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.18. He had another fifth-place finish in the final of the 60-meter dash. He ran his personal best in the prelim with a time of 6.93.
 
In the 600-meter dash, Stephenson Fleuriot ran a personal best time of 1:21.60. He made the podium with a third-place finish. His teammate, Ashire Rhodes, finished in fifth-place with a time of 1:22.28. Stephenson Fleuriot also posted a season's best time in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:57.80, finishing seventh.
 
In the field, the men put big points on the board in the long jump and triple jump. Tim Ballah earned second-place in the long jump, hitting the NAIA B standard with his mark of 7.04 meters (23'1.25"). De'Mario Hanson finished in fourth-place with a mark of 6.90 meters, (22'7.75"). In the triple jump, freshman KeJuan Williams was ready to roll with his personal best mark of 13.91 meters (45'7.75"). He earned third-place overall. De'Mario Hanson finished seventh with his mark of 13.35 meters (43'9.75").
 
James Mwihaki and Riley Glassbrenner represented the distance squad in the 3,000-meter run. Both contributed to the overall team score with James finishing in sixth with a personal best time of 8:57.12. Riley came in eighth-place with a time of 9:07.98. Riley had another eighth-place finish in the 5,000-meter run, running half the race without a shoe as it came off when a competitor stepped on his foot. James was just short of scoring with his ninth-place time of 15:50.13.          
 
It was an exciting race to conclude the meet with the 4x400 meter relay. The women's team of Janiah Nicholson, Maya Eidman, Nikiwe Mongwe, and Daizy Solir earned second-place overall. The men's relay team of Ashire Rhodes, Blake Poje, Stephenson Fleuriot, and James Farmer-Cole got the gold and earned their top spot on the podium, beating second-place by tenths of a second.
 
"When I think of a conference championship meet, this is exactly what one of those is supposed to look like. I have never been more proud of anything or anybody in my life. The way our men and women battled all weekend was so encouraging to see. The way they fought for each other and did it together was the highlight of it all. I am extremely proud of my coaching staff as well and the way they prepared and coached. It was a great way to end the indoor regular season," said head coach, Anthony Yates.
 
The season isn't over for several athletes as they will head to the NAIA Indoor Track and Field National Championships in Brookings, South Dakota, to compete on March 2-4.