WPU Places Ninth at Heart Championships
Des Moines–A small yet mighty crew of Statesmen women’s track and field athletes performed admirably at the Heart of America Athletic Conference Championships Friday and Saturday.
WPU finished ninth out of 13 programs with 44 points, while Grand View claimed the team crown with 176 points.
Three individuals scored points in multiple events, led by a pair of bronzes from Katherine Hunter (Jr., Bloomfield, Iowa) in the hurdles. The junior hit the line in 15.76 seconds in the 100 and 1:06.90 in the 400.
Sprinter Shaniah Newby (So., Twentynine Palms, Calif., Nursing) was right behind Hunter in points, taking third in the 100-meter dash (12.90) and fourth in the 200-meter dash (25.97). Newby was much faster in the preliminary race, breaking her own school record at 25.01 seconds. Her previous mark of 25.27 came last month at the same track.
Horizontal jumper Abigaille Batu-Tiako (So., Plattsburgh, N.Y.) gathered several points as well as she finished fifth in the triple jump at 34-2.25 and sixth in the long jump at 16-10.5.
Kyleigh Guthridge (So., Bondurant, Iowa, General Accounting) was the final individual to post points for the Statesmen as she was fifth in the high jump at 4-10.5.
Each of William Penn’s three relays also scored points with the 4×100-meter relay squad topping the way in third (49.86). The 4×400 and 4×800-meter relays were both sixth as well, in 4:25.38 and 10:53.88, respectively.
Zena Cohuo (Jr., Carrollton, Texas, Exercise Science) guided a trio of athletes who also just missed scoring; Cohuo was 10th in the 1,500-meter run in a time of 5:24.13. Alexandra Rose (Fr., Quincy, Ill.) placed 11th in the 100 (13.06) and Michaela Kmiec (So., Centerville, Texas, Exercise Science) was 12th in the 400-meter dash (1:03.89).
“We had a rough first day, but finished strong on Saturday,” Head Coach Allen Friesen said. “I am proud of the way our athletes battled back in tough weather conditions.”
Next Up: William Penn may possibly compete in a Last Chance Meet in the upcoming days.
