Foster Qualifies at Successful Last-Chance Meet
William Penn Women’s Athletics
Dubuque–Meaghan Foster (So., Centerville, Iowa, Undecided) finally qualified for nationals in her last regular-season opportunity at the Dubuque Spartan Invitational Friday.
Foster won both the shot put and weight throw events, but her toss of 42-0.75 in the shot put was the more impressive of the two wins as it eclipsed the NAIA’s provisional-qualifying standard. The sophomore reached a distance of 51-3.5 in the weight throw.
The Statesmen women were third out of four teams with 64 points, while host Dubuque led the standings with 176 points. The men were also third (out of five teams) with 43 points. Augustana (Ill.) was the best on the men’s side with 181 points.
Derek Seddon (Fr., Knoxville, Iowa, Physical Education) matched Foster with titles in both the shot put (47-8) and weight throw (53-2.75). His weight throw length once again broke the school record.
Emmanuela Meneide (Sr., Turks and Caicos, Biology) collected two event crowns as well, doing so in the 55-meter (7.70 seconds) and 200-meter dash races (27.60 seconds.).
Runner-up finishes on the women’s side were also posted by Deja Lewis (Fr., Spring, Texas, Undecided) in the 3,000-meter run (11:36.86) and Alora Simmons (So., Newton, Iowa, Elementary Education) in the high jump (4-11).
Raveen Rhone (Jr., Los Angeles, Calif., Biology) came in third with a triple jump of 34-0.75, while Tamara Weltch (Sr., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Human Services/Sociology) finished ninth in the weight throw at 39-5.75.
Kalob Gist (So., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Business Management) was right behind Seddon in the shot put, taking second at 45-10.75, while Dejon Shaw (Fr., Highland Park, Mich., Mechanical Engineering) was third in the 55 (6.66) and tenth in the 200 (23.76).
WPU claimed a pair of high placings in the triple jump with Chris Gossett (Fr., Park Forest, Ill., Mechanical Engineering) in fourth at 43-9 and Joshua Rankin (Fr., University Park, Ill., Undecided) in fifth at 42-6.75.
Kenbea Walker (Jr., McKinney, Texas, History/Government) was also fifth in the 200 (23.17), while Markenson Charles (Fr., Lehigh Acres, Fla., Mechanical Engineering) crossed the line in sixth place in the 55-meter hurdles in 8.61 seconds. Jonathan Ward (Fr., Terry, Miss., Undecided) managed to be in the top ten as well, taking tenth in the 60 in 6.81 seconds.
Next: Foster, in the shot put, Sam Taylor (Jr., Eddyville, Iowa, Industrial Technology), in the 60-meter hurdles, and Alex Edwards (Jr., Knoxville, Iowa, Secondary Education), in the 600-meter run, will all compete at the NAIA Indoor National Championships in Geneva, Ohio on March 6-8.
