Indoor Conference Championships Recap

Maryville, Mo. – Though every team aspires to win a national championship, number two on the list is a conference championship. For MidAmerica Nazarene University they would be challenged by a revamped Park University team as well as consistent conference powerhouse teams in Benedictine and Central Methodist for the Heart of America Conference team title. Though there were many great teams in the conference, these four appeared to be front runners coming into the track and field championship for both the men and women's divisions. With the strength of Park University's men, they were the one to chase for the men's division while both Central Methodist and Benedictine held advantages in the women's group.
 
With the addition of new teams and stronger athletes, this year's Conference Championship showcased the amount of improvement the conference has attained as individuals grabbed thirteen championship meet records off the shelf and wrote their names in the record book. MNU led the charge as it obtained five of the thirteen with Park and Benedictine grabbing three a-piece, and Central Methodist and Mount Mercy each adding one. In an event of such great strength, MNU grabbed ten event titles, thirteen National qualifying marks, two school records, and twenty-five individual collegiate bests.
 
In the first day of a two-day event, the Pioneers got out to a strong start with the throwers leading the way. Senior Ella Margheim grabbed points for the team on her way to a personal best. On the men's side, Alexander Dawkins held out until the last throw to grab the runner-up place with Jacob Creswell cashing in for points in sixth place.
 
Over in the pits, typically an MNU stronghold, the triple jumping Pioneers did not disappoint. Of the five Pioneers competing, each scored with three also landing National qualifying marks. Olivia Young led the women as she and Hayley Loewen set B-standard distances for Nationals, taking third and fourth, respectively. Jaidyn Tabony rounded out the scoring at eighth. For the men, Eriyon Stamps tied his personal best to take an individual title while holding onto his top-10 spot, ninth, in the NAIA. Freshman KeJaun Williams added points to the team by taking seventh.
 
For the multi-event athletes, Dominic Colosimo and Elijah Bergin, took on four of their seven events on day one. Colosimo set three personal bests while Bergin grabbed one. Eventually they would finish the set of seven on Saturday as Colosimo set another event best and hit his best score to update the school records. Bergin tried a few new events in competition for the first time ending with a good overall score as both Colosimo and he grabbed points for the team. Colosimo stood on the podium for his third place finish with Bergin taking seventh.
 
Meanwhile on the track, the 60-meter dash athletes were tearing down the track in the preliminaries. Nala Burns set a time to advance to the finals on the next day where she took sixth with Jola Felix grabbing a personal best. For the men, Gift Orionoma led the Pioneers to the finals on Saturday, eventually placing fifth.
 
After a good start by the Pioneers in the 60-meter dash, the 4x800 teams lined up to grab solid points in both the women's and men's divisions. The women's team of Lana Smittick, Isabella Meili, Josie McClung, and Sophie Scott had a battle on their hands with the Benedictine Ravens. The Ravens, who are known for their distance prowess, eventually took over with the Pioneers taking home the silver. The Pioneer men's team consisting of Aidan Scherman, Zack Jones, TJ Bessmer, and Thomas Knudsen, however, had three teams vying for the gold all the way to the line. The Pioneers would not be denied as they took the gold away from Baker and Central Methodist.
 
The 60-meter hurdles would send three Pioneers to the finals on Saturday as LaShae Smith, Lance Jones, and Sam Keita all advanced. Smith set her personal best in the preliminaries and then grabbed a point for the team at eighth place in the finals. L. Jones continued his winning ways in the finals as he took the gold for a Conference Championship record and another A-standard mark while Keita grabbed a personal record for third and a B-standard qualifying time.  L. Jones currently sits as #2 in the NAIA.
 
Taking on the longest race of the meet, the Pioneer women sent Riley Filmore and Gracie Enochs to the line. In return, both set indoor bests in the 5000-meter run.
 
In the 600-meter race, the Pioneers were on fire as Lakin Essex, Eliyannis Monge, and Thomas Knudsen all set personal records. Essex had to come from behind to take the individual title as she set a school record with an automatic National qualification time. Both Essex and Knudsen also grabbed points to help place the team in good position for Saturday. Essex also is currently #7 in the NAIA.
 
At the end of the Friday competition, the Pioneers were in the thick of the competition as Park led the men with only a 5 point cushion over MNU.  William Penn used the weight throw event to launch themselves into the third slot only 4 points behind MNU. For the women, Benedictine cashed in on the distance events to have a solid lead with Central Methodist to follow and the Pioneers holding down third.
 
The field events started off the individual competition on Saturday where the Pioneer women shot putters were ready for launch. Rachel Nisly and Alicia Hernandez-Mast set personal bests on their way to fifth and sixth place, respectively. They garnered an additional seven points for the team.
 
Meanwhile hitting the boards in the long jump, Young continued tormenting the competition with a second place showing, a personal best, and a B-standard National qualifying distance. Burns, always willing to serve the team, added two more points to the team total as she placed seventh. For the men, Elijah Hall and Williams both claimed personal bests and team points, finishing fifth and eighth, respectively.
 
The Pioneer women in the high jump added to the team total with Taryn St. Clair taking fifth and Smith sixth. Every point was important and these girls were determined to do their part.
 
Rounding out the points for the field events, the Pioneer men sent vaulting sensation Evan Schmidt to the runway to show his stuff. Schmidt did just that as he handily took the conference title.
 
Hitting the track, the Pioneers knew they had to perform well. The field event athletes had done their job well as the women put together 39 points. The men followed suit as they had 38 to show for their efforts with an additional 8 points from the multi-event athletes.
 
Sophie Scott led the charge on the track as the 1000-meter race started the running events for the day. Scott grabbed an additional five points for the team, taking fourth in the race. Scherman set a personal best in the men's event but was one place short of a point as he took ninth.
 
The 60-meter dash and 60-meter hurdle finals followed with Smith and Burns grabbing points for the women, as mentioned previously. Likewise, L. Jones, Keita, and Orionoma came to the aid of their teammates with 20 points.
 
The lone Pioneer in the mile, Meili battled with Mount Mercy's top distance runner as they raced after the gold. Meili ran well but eventually had to hand over the gold to her competitor. Meili still grabbed 8 points for the team as the runner-up.
 
Then in the 400-meter dash, the Pioneer women exploded. Essex started the fight as she took her section while setting a personal best, beating a strong competitor from Benedictine. Nikiwe Mongwe waited around until the fifth heat to unleash the fury. Central Methodist had a very strong contingency, but Mongwe did not give in as she claimed the gold and the Conference Championship record. Both Mongwe and Essex also hit standard National qualifying marks. Mongwe sits as #3 in the NAIA.
 
For the Pioneer men, they were not to be outdone as two set personal bests with the other claiming the gold, a Conference Championship record, and an A-standard qualifying mark. Keita who was running the gamut, 60 meters to 400 meters, set a personal best to grab three points for the team with a B-standard mark. He was followed by Isaiah Keezer who set his personal best. James Farmer-Cole ran his indoor best to take the Conference title and meet record with his A-standard mark.  Farmer-Cole holds the #4 spot in the NAIA.
 
At this point of the meet, the field was widening as Central Methodist and Benedictine pulled away from the crowd in the women's division. MNU had a very solid third place with Park University a distant fourth.  In the men's group, Park University easily led the field. MNU held a strong position at second, but Central Methodist was not far behind.  However, that was about to change as Benedictine had six of the nine athletes in the 3000-meter racewalk for the men. They used it well, adding 30 points to their score. The heat was on for second and third place among the teams.
 
Following the 3000-meter racewalk, the Pioneer women of Scott, Monge Fraguada, Smittick, and Meili added to the cushion over Park and took a step closer to second as they won the DMR in convincing manor over the runner-up Benedictine.
 
Meanwhile, the Benedictine men were inching ever closer to the Pioneers. The DMR squad of Ray Kosgei, Fardis Hossinei, Bessmer, and Scherman ran well to take fifth and get points, but unfortunately Benedictine edged them out for a fourth place finish.
 
With Mongwe having a great day, she grabbed another first place and Conference Championship meet record in the 200-meter dash. The buffer given by this win looked to be enough to lock up third place in the conference. Felix also had a good race as she claimed her second collegiate best of the meet.
 
For the men, it was "go big" time and they responded well in the 200-meter dash. Farmer-Cole and Orionoma took fifth and sixth, respectively, to hold back the swooping Benedictine Ravens and Central Methodist Eagles.
 
After the 3000-meter race, with the aid of the Park distance men, the Ravens were held at bay but were now only a half point from overtaking the Pioneers. It would all come down to the 4x400 meter relay for the boys. Advantage Pioneers.
 
The Pioneer men would not relinquish second place with Park obviously holding the team title. Though the Ravens could not match the Pioneers depth among 400 meter athletes, the fourth place Eagles saw a chance to take the third spot from the Ravens by possibly winning the 4x400. The 4x400 team of Keita, Keezer, L. Jones, and Farmer-Cole had a different idea as they beat the Eagles to the line in an extremely competitive race. The Pioneers took home the gold with a Conference Championship meet record in a race in where four teams had National qualifying times. The Pioneers won with an A-standard mark.
 
With the races in the book, the team scores were tallied. For the women, Central Methodist cruised to a convincing win with Benedictine taking the runner-up spot. The Pioneers took a well cushioned third place for the final spot on the podium. For the men, the Park Pirates, who took control early, easily took the team gold with the Pioneers taking the silver. Though a valiant effort, the Ravens landed in third with only three points separating them and the Eagles.
 
As mentioned by Coach Anthony Yates at the awards presentation, the Pioneers have not taken home two trophies from the Heart of America Conference Championship meet since 2021. God gave them the ability and work ethic to bring home the trophies to the team they call family.