The Collegio Pittsburg's student voice since 1916
Nash Trumbly reporter
The Pittsburg State University Outdoor Track and Field teams traveled to meets across the region, once again claiming impressive individual performances. Athletes traveled to Texas to compete at the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays in Austin, as well as the Texas State Bobcat Invitational in San Marcos. A larger group of PSU athletes instead made the trip to Bolivar, Missouri to compete in the SBU Bearcat invitational.
In Austin, Juniors L.J. Kiner and Cordell Tinch once again showed off their individual prowess. Kiner once again broke his own PSU record in the triple jump with a mark of 53 feet, 10.25 inches. His mark remains at the top of the standings for the division this season.
Tinch, who managed to break the national division 2 record book for the indoor 60m hurdles just last month, continued his streak of dominance by clocking the second fastest time in D2 history in the men’s 110m hurdles with a time of 13.33. Both athletes were named the MIAA Track Athlete of the Week, an honor that PSU athletes have claimed every week since their outdoor debut.
In the 100m dash, freshman Xavier Carmichael posted the third fastest sprint in school history with a time of 10.28 seconds, ranking himself third in the division this season. Coming off an injury during his last season, he was thankful his recovery was finally complete.
“I think I did pretty well, it felt great to PR in the 100m this weekend, especially coming off of being injured during my senior year. I was just glad I finally hit that mark,” said Carmichael.
Carmichael also competed in the men’s 4x200m relay at the meet in San Marcos, and while he knows the season is far from over, he is thankful that his hard work is showing results.
“I would give a lot of credit to my coaches and teammates, I’ve been putting in so much work and I’m really seeing it payoff now… they always push me even when I’m slacking,” said Carmichael.
In other news at San Marcos, Tinch managed to beat his personal PR in the men’s long jump with a mark of 24.7.25, and Junior Erica Schamel beat her PR in the women’s high jump, clearing an impressive mark of 5-7.25. Schamel is currently ranked first in her event across the entire division this season.
A larger group of Gorillas headed to Bolivar, MO for the SBU Bearcat Invitational, recording several NCAA D2 qualifying marks. Sophomore Caleb Calvin, who beat her personal record in the javelin throw the week prior at the ESU Relays, once again broke his own record with a mark 239 feet, 8 inches. The mark is the third best in school history, and the second best for the division this season.
On the women’s team, Sophomore Rylee Garrett broke her personal record in the javelin throw with a mark of 144-7.
“I think I did great this weekend, I was finally able to move my PR a few feet, so seeing things that I was working on in practice translate to the runway felt amazing,” said Garrett.
Her mark also ranks her in the top 10 of her discipline for the division, and she credits her team and coaches for her improvement from last season.
“They have been so helpful at encouraging me every throw, and just having that confidence behind me has been so helpful… it was a great day for all of the Pitt girls, and we all have a lot more in us so stay tuned,” said Garrett.
The Gorillas will return to compete in their first home meet of the season at the 34th Annual Jock’s Nitch Relays on April 7.