Cougars Close Indoor Nationals with All-Americans in Three Events

BROOKINGS, SD. - The Mount Vernon Nazarene University Men's Track and Field team competed at the 58th annual Men's Indoor Track & Field National Championships on March 2-4 at the Sanford Jackrabbit Athletic Complex.

MVNU wrapped up an indoor season to remember with All-Americans in the 4x400, 60m hurdles, and the shot put. The Cougars were able to finish in 26th place overall at South Dakota State University.

Performers

The relay of Marcus Whaley, Liam Near, Jaden Haldeman, and Erich Rhodeback competed in the 4x400 meter relay prelims on March 2nd. The group put together a massive effort in order to run a time of 3:13.67 to move into finals seeded fourth overall. Finals took place on March 4th, and the Cougars were able to get the job done as they ran an incredible race with a time of 3:14.08 to finish not only as All-Americans, but as the National Runner-up.

Erich Rhodeback competed in the 60 meter hurdles prelims on March 3rd. The sophomore had a great race to finish in seventh pushing himself onto finals with a time of 8.02. Finals took place the following day and Rhodeback put together another impressive race placing seventh with a time of 8.05 in order to become an All-American.

Kyler Dickey competed in the Shot Put finals on March 4th and the senior was able to compile an impressive group of throws to finish the day with his best throw being 16.30m. The fifth year took home eighth place, claiming his second indoor All-American honor for indoor.

Evan Hodkinson competed in the 1,000 meter run prelims on March 3rd. The sophomore ran an outstanding race from beginning to end to finish just shy of making finals. Hodkinson ran a school record breaking time of 2:27.71 in order to claim ninth in the event.

Jaden Haldeman competed in the Heptathlon on March 2-3. Haldeman started the series of events strong with his 60 meter dash performance, tying the National Heptathlon 60 meter dash meet record with a time of 6.98. Over the two days the sophomore was able to put together an outstanding effort to come away in ninth place with 4735 points.

The relay of Alex Jenney, Isaac Ramseyer, Evan Hodkinson, and Garrett Gemmaka competed in the 3200m relay prelims on March 2nd. The group was able to put together an impressive effort which led to an outstanding performance. The relay claimed 14th place with a time of 7:47.44.

Micah Tuggle competed in the Weight Throw finals on March 3rd. In a field of tough competitors, Tuggle was able to execute a strong performance. Tuggle took home 27th in the event after a throw of 16.35m.

Liam Near competed in the 200 meter dash prelims on March 3rd. The senior has had a tremendous season thus far and was able to carry that momentum into the event. Near was able to finish 29th with a time of 22.02.

Bryce Wiles competed in the 60 meter dash prelims on March 3rd. Wiles has had a series of injuries to overcome throughout the season, yet still managed to put together an impressive performance. Out of a tough group of competitors, Wiles was able to take home 38th place with a time of 7.00.

Coach Gallion's Thoughts

"Reflecting on this championship meet brings about several emotions and thoughts. We had a wide range of finishes and grew immensely as a team. We were blessed to go into this meet with veterans who have competed at this stage before and seen what it takes to be an All-American and they lead us well. We had others competing for the first time and they rose to the competition. And some others still that had been on this stage but were competing in new events. On day one the 4x8 crew of Alex, Isaac, Evan, and Garrett competed to their best ability. They accomplished a school record by over four seconds and while they didn't quite make finals their ability to show this type of output makes me excited for outdoor season. On day two Micah made his debut in weight throw. Even though the distance did not equate to a season's best he will walk away with valuable national experience and the knowledge that he belongs on this stage. Day two was also individual prelim day. Erich started the day off strong advancing to finals with a mature race in the 60 hurdles, in finals on Saturday he didn't get the race we wanted, but he still accomplished a massive goal of being All-American and we know exactly what we need to address in the outdoor season. He is hungry and we will be ready.

For our other sprint prelims, Bryce and Liam both competed well. Bryce brought massive energy into the 60 prelims and I can't wait to see what level he brings into the 100 and 200 outdoors. Liam got beautiful exposure competing in his first open event at nationals and we walked away with great growth points and I'm proud of the season he had in the 200. Those events were followed by the biggest near misses you can receive at a national meet. Evan ran a strong 1k race and led almost from start to finish. He was edged at the line and that resulted in a ninth place finish, but he ran a season best time and competed like a champ. He has grown leaps and bounds this year and this is another perfect opportunity to grow, and outdoors is going to be fun. Our other ninth place finish came from Jaden in the heptathlon. Jaden started the meet with a heptathlon record tying race in the 60. He used that momentum through the two days and almost pulled off an All-American finish in his first national showing in this event. The guts he showed through this weekend was special to witness.

On day three Kyler's national experience shined bright. He had great composure while throwing shot in a tightly packed field. This composure and consistency proved fruitful as he garnered an eighth place finish by 1cm. Finally, our 4x4 crew of Marcus, Liam, Jaden, and Erich helped us leave the meet with a high note. They were All-Americans outdoors in this event and we were hungry for more this indoor season. That hunger paid off as we raced an exhilarating final event of the meet to the tune of a second place finish. This is our highest relay finish ever and these gentlemen showed the type of composure and grit it takes to be at the top of this sport.

Ultimately, we have to measure our growth and ourselves against ourselves. If we can ask the question, did I give my best today, and we have a resounding yes, then that is a beautiful thing. Sometimes that results in ideal finishes and other times we don't quite hit the mark. But, I'm proud of our level of competition this weekend and how we represented our University and Christ in these days. Let's do that well, and we won't lose the race that matters most. Go Cougars!"

Upcoming Events

The Cougars will begin the 2023 Outdoor season on March 17, competing at the Blizzard Buster hosted by Miami University.

Mount Vernon Nazarene University is a private, four-year, intentionally Christian teaching university for traditional age students, graduate students, and working adults. With a 327-acre main campus in Mount Vernon, Ohio, MVNU emphasizes academic excellence, spiritual growth, and service to community and church. MVNU offers an affordable education both in-seat and online to nearly 2,000 students from 25 states and 11 foreign countries.