Quintet to Represent WPU at Indoor Nationals
William Penn University Athletics
by Wade Steinlage
Oskaloosa–Five Statesmen will fight for national crowns as they compete at the NAIA National Indoor Track and Field Championships this weekend.
William Penn will travel to Brookings, S.D. for the Championships, which will be held at Sanford Jackrabbit Athletic Complex Thursday through Saturday.
No navy and gold student-athletes are in competition Thursday, but Friday will be busy for WPU, beginning at 2 p.m. with Tristen Elmore (Jr., Ovied, Fla., Physical Education) and Mofiyinfoluwa Alade (So., Hoffman Estates, Ill.) both battling in the men’s high jump. Both jumpers have gone as high as 6-7.5 to tie for 17th nationally, while Jared Rabenberg of Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) heads the field at 7-0.25.
At 2:25 p.m., Kayla Music (Fr., Corpus Christi, Texas) will hit the track for the women’s 60-meter dash semifinals, while 10 minutes later, Chris Leiba (Jr., Olympia, Wash., Business Management) will run the same event on the men’s side. Music enters nationals ranked 37th at 7.83 seconds, while Devin Johnson of Wayland Baptist (Texas) is first at 7.49. Leiba is 13th overall at 6.85, while Kejavon Moore (Indiana Tech) is #1 at 6.71.
If Music finishes in the top eight, she will qualify for Saturday’s finals at 1:50 p.m. The men’s 60 finals will follow immediately at 2 p.m.
Sage Ehresman (Jr., Sully, Iowa, Exercise Science) will be in action Saturday as well, throwing in the shot put event at 1 p.m. Ehresman sits in 21st place entering nationals at 51-0, while Mitchell Soviak of Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) is the best in the NAIA at 59-2.75.
