By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
CONCORDIA, Kan. – In their final tune-up before the 2019 installment of the MIAA Outdoor Championships, the Fort Hays State men’s track and field team competed at the Cloud County Invitational in Concordia, Kan. On the day, four events went to the Tigers alongside other strong, high-placing finishes.
Each of the first place finishes for the Tigers came in field events, led by Ryan Stanley and Mark Faber ending in a tie in the pole vault with a top jump of 14 feet, 11 inches. Gilbert Peters took the shot put with his throw of 51 feet, 9 inches, followed by Jacob Gaughan winning the discus at 146 feet, 9 inches. Hunter DeGarmo was the final first place finish for the Tigers as he won the hammer throw with a hurl of 170 feet, 10 inches.
Adrian Soto captured a third place finish in the 100-meters at 11.38 followed by an eighth place finish in the 200-meters at 22.90. Shane Finegan finished in seventh place in the 200-meters with a time of 22.77. Finegan also captured a fifth place finish in the 400-meters at 50.68, with Jack Pakkebier coming in eighth at 52.55.
In the 800-meters, Luke Oatney finished in sixth place at 1:57.65, Jorge Gallegos came in eighth at 1:59.85 and Robert Loeffler earned a 10th place finish at 2:01.52. Loeffler also earned a 1,500-meters fifth place finish at 4:13.14, followed by a sixth place finish by teammate Abraham Garcia at 4:13.74. In the 5,000-meters, five Tigers placed in the top-ten with Israel Barco (fourth), Kaleb Crum (sixth), Michael Eisenbarth (seventh), Garcia (eighth) and Peter Franklin (ninth).
In hurdles, Sabino Medrano captured two top-ten finishes as he earned third in the 100-meter hurdles at 16.05 and fourth in the 400-meter version at 55.74. In the 4×400 meter relay, Gallegos, Oatney, Loeffler and Garcia finished in second place at 3:35.12.
Moving to field events, Kolt Newell led the Tigers in the high jump with a second place finish at 6 feet, 7 inches. Lucas Broxterman earned third in the event at 6 feet, 5 inches and Blayne Godshall finished in sixth at 6 feet, 3 inches. In the pole vault, Jonathan Ball came in third at 14 feet, 5 inches, Brandon Ball earned fifth at 13 feet, 5 inches and Christopher Ball finished in seventh at 12 feet, 11 inches.
Godshall added a fourth place finish in the long jump and Sam Garrison earned third in the shot put at 49 feet, 2 inches. Trey Teeter captured a runner-up position in the javelin with a throw of 169 feet, 7 inches. In the hammer throw, Garrison added a fourth place finish at 132 feet, 10 inches and Seth Boxberger came in fifth place at 128 feet, 7 inches. In the discus, Peters finished in third (139 feet, 9 inches, DeGarmo earned fourth (132 feet, 6 inches), Garrison clocked a fifth place finish (131 feet, 2 inches) and Boxberger rounded out the event in eighth place (115 feet, 4 inches).
The Tigers will get a short break before competing in the MIAA Championships May 3-5 hosted by Central Missouri in Williamsburg, Mo.