Six Records Fall as WPU Has Strong Showing at Heart Championships

William Penn University Athletics

William Penn University Athletics

Crete, Neb.–While lofty expectations may not have been fully met, few can be disappointed with the overall performance of the Statesmen indoor track and field teams as they competed at the Heart of America Athletic Conference Championships Friday and Saturday.

The men placed fourth out of 13 teams with 88 points, while the women were ninth out of 13 with 33.5 points. Baker (Kan.) claimed the men’s crown (147) and Benedictine (Kan.) was the women’s champion (133.5).

Nearly every member of the navy and gold program went to battle in multiple events and while that may have led to some lower finishes, it did not prevent William Penn from breaking a half dozen school records (four women, two men).

Derek Seddon (Jr., Knoxville, Iowa, Physical Education) set one of those marks, breaking his own weight throw record with a winning toss of 59.7.75. The junior was also third in the shot put at 48-2.

Neiman Thompson (Sr., Rockville, Md., Physical Education) did not pick up a title over the weekend, but he was the team workhorse, placing in the top 10 in four separate competitions. The senior was third in the 200-meter dash (22.91 seconds), sixth in the 400 (51.19), seventh in the 60 (7.19), and 10th in the 600 (1:25.18).

CJ Watts (Sr., Rockville, Md., Physical Education) and Cornelius McCastle (Jr., McKinney, Texas, Industrial Technology) were three-time scorers as well. Watts did his work in the sprints, finishing third in the 600 (1:23.32), fourth in the 400 (50.84), and seventh in the 200 (23:15), while McCastle claimed bronze in the high jump (6-5), sixth in the long (21-5.25), and seventh in the triple (43-1.75).

A pair of third-place efforts came from Payton Busch (Jr., Centerville, Iowa, Secondary Education) in the 800-meter run (1:58.99) and the 1,000 (2:34.64). Shot putter Kalob Gist (Sr., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Business Management) was runner-up at 48-3.5, while Tyler Connelly (So., Trenton, Texas, Software Engineering) crossed the line in fourth in the 3,000-meter race walk (19:42.44).

Markenson Charles (Jr., Lehigh Acres, Fla., Industrial Technology) took home sixth place in the 60-meter hurdles (8.74 seconds) and Amani Richardson (So., Carrollton, Va., Exercise Science) was eighth in the 600 at 1:24.99. Derek Robinson (So., Jenks, Okla., Communications) gave WPU a second individual in the weight throw’s top 10 as he was 10th at 45-9.75.

The Statesmen also garnered points in the relays with the 4×800-meter crew snapping the old record with a time of 8:09.20 (third place). The 4×4 team ended up fifth at 3:31.00 and the distance medley squad was ninth in 11:50.70.

The middle distance events were where the women did the most damage on their record books. Tarah Alexander (Sr., Cedar, Iowa, Physical Education) not only knocked off her own school mark in the 1,000, but also won the race in a time of 3:04.98.

Addison Kepner (Sr., Cincinnati, Iowa, Biology) bettered Alexander’s previous record in the one-mile run with a new top time of 5:35.94 to take seventh place. The 4×8 (11:06.49) and DMR teams (15:05.74) also crushed the old best times, placing sixth and seventh at the Championships, respectively.

Meaghan Foster (Sr., Centerville, Iowa, Physical Education) was William Penn’s lone two-time point-winner by finishing second in the shot put at 41-0.25 and sixth in the weight throw at 47-11.25. Kristin Lastovka (Sr., Brooklyn, Iowa, Business Management) also got into the top 10 on two occasions as she was fourth in the shot (39-3) and 10th in the weight (40-7.75).

Alora Simmons (Sr., Newton, Iowa, Elementary Education) made it onto the board in the high jump as well (8th, 4-7.75).

“I am so proud of this team,” Head Coach Allen Friesen said. “The men and women battled in every competition, but we just ran out of gas at the end.”

Next Up: Select individuals will try one last time to qualify for nationals next weekend. William Penn will compete at the UNI Panther Open in Cedar Falls on Friday and at the Wartburg Invitational in Waverly on Saturday.

All-Heart Honorees
First Team (Place first in an event)
Tarah Alexander–1,000-Meter Run
Derek Seddon–Weight Throw
Second Team (Place second in an event)
Meaghan Foster–Shot Put
Kalob Gist–Shot Put
Third Team (Place third in an event)
Payton Busch–800-Meter Run, 1,000-Meter Run
Cornelius McCastle–High Jump
Derek Seddon–Shot Put
Neiman Thompson–200-Meter Run
CJ Watts–600-Meter Run
4×800-Meter Relay (M)
4×800-Meter Relay (W)
Honorable Mention (Place fourth-sixth in an event)
Markenson Charles–60-Meter Hurdles
Tyler Connelly–3,000-Meter Race Walk
Meaghan Foster–Weight Throw
Kristin Lastovka–Shot Put
Cornelius McCastle–Long Jump
Neiman Thompson–400-Meter Dash
CJ Watts–400-Meter Dash
4×400-Meter Relay (M)

Posted by on Feb 15 2016. Filed under College Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

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