By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
MARYVILLE, Mo. – The Fort Hays State men’s track and field team ended a successful weekend at the 2019 installment of the MIAA Indoor Track and Field Championships with a 6th place team finish. Alongside the strong team performance, multiple Tigers completed record-breaking and high-placing finishes. The event last Feb. 22 – 24 and was hosted by Northwest Missouri State in Maryville, Mo.
Among the highlights for the team on the weekend was the distance medley relay team claiming the title in their event. The quad, consisting of Brett Meyer, Israel Barco, Malcom Gardner and Seppe van ‘t Westende completed the relay with a new school and MIAA record time of 9:52.80. This also gives the Tigers the 10th-best time in NCAA Division II.
Meyer defended his previous MIAA title in the mile with a time of 4:09. 98, followed closely by van ‘t Westende in fourth place at 4:12.01 and Oscar Carmona clocking a seventh place finish at 4:16.26. Philip Landrum completed his weekend with an upset in the 60-meters with an NCAA Division II qualifying time of 6.83 to win the event.
Matthew Pieper earned a new school record in the decathlon with a fourth place finish by accumulating 5,083 points. This total also gave Pieper an improved provisional. Kolt Newell earned an NCAA qualifying mark in the high jump by finishing in the runner-up position with a jump of 6 feet, 11 inches. This was also a personal best for Newell. Lucas Broxterman finished the high jump in eighth
place.
In the 5,000-meters, Carmona clocked a fifth place finish with a time of 14:57, while teammate Layton Werth captured eighth place at 15:01. Landrum documented a fourth place finish in the 200-meters with his time of 21.73, an NCAA provisional.
In the pole vault, Ryan Stanley finished in seventh place with a mark of 15 feet, 5 inches.
Up next, the Tigers await their fate at the 2019 NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships. The event runs from March 8-9 at Pittsburg State University.