BALDWIN CITY, Kan. – On a warm day, the Pioneers of MNU traveled down 56 Highway to Baker University to compete in an invitational held in the honor of the legendary Baker coach Zach Kindler. For some it was the last meet of the season, but for others it was another chance to qualify for the Heart of America Conference Championship Meet and Nationals. The small contingency of Pioneers who participated responded admirably with three individual titles, one runner-up, and three third place spots. They also compiled nine collegiate bests and one B-standard NAIA National qualifying mark.
In the field events, the shot put athletes were right on mark with two third place showings and one personal best.
Alex Dawkins led the Pioneer men with a third place put while teammate
Jacob Creswell set a personal best. For the Pioneer women, senior
Ella Margheim also grabbed third place, edging out all conference foes while two DII athletes grabbed the first two places.
In the javelin throw,
Brody Stewart took the runner-up spot while teammate
Jaxson Nation claimed a personal best.
The final top 3 spot, in the field events, went to
Nala Burns who claimed the bronze in the long jump.
On the track, the hurdles were the hot spot for the Pioneers with three personal bests and two individual titles. La Shae Smith grabbed the title in the 100 meter hurdles for the women, while her Pioneer brothers
Cyril Davillier and
Holden Hughes took home personal bests in the 110 meter hurdles. Going long,
Lakin Essex set her personal best in the 400 meter hurdles which also gave her the individual title and a B-standard National qualifying mark.
In the shorter sprints,
Felipe Rodriguez and Nate Jefferson both claimed personal records. Rodriguez set his best in the 100 meter dash while Jefferson made his claim in the 200 meter dash.
Going longer in the sprints, the 400 meter dash, Essex kept her dominance in the distance for the day as she took the title, giving her two for the meet. Teammate
Taryn St. Clair was also flying as she a personal record in the event.
Though there were a few seasonal bests among the distance runners,
Kennedy Krotzinger was the lone Pioneer to hit a personal best as she tied her time in the 1500 meter run.
The Pioneers continued to hone their skills at the Zach Kindler Invitational while resting some as they prepared for the upcoming Heart of America Conference which looks to be very competitive.
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