David Sheets reporter
Pitt State hosted the tenth Annual Russ Jewett Indoor Gorillas Classic over this past weekend, where the Gorillas’ track and field teams showed up and showed out throughout the days. Multiple Gorillas would end the day with first place finishes, the most impressive of which being the Distance Medley Relay (DMR) teams. Not only would both the men’s and women’s teams officially qualify for nationals with their first-place victories, but the men’s team also claimed the second fastest DMR time in NCAA Division II history with 9:34.14. This record was achieved by redshirt sophomore, Dylan Sprecker; sophomore, Nate Watson; junior, Jordan Kilonzo; and grad student, Mason Strader.
“It feels really good,” Strader said. “My teammates on the relay and I all worked really hard, and we knew we had a good time in us. We’ve dreamed for a long time about chasing a DMR together, and to put that on the track was a blast. As special as it is to get that high up on the ranking, it’ll just be a matter of time till other teams run faster. Being out there together was a great feeling and we look forward to more of them come this season.”
The women’s DMR team finished with a time of 11:25.92, coming in first place in their respective race. The squad featured sophomore, Paige Mullen; junior, Olivia Lowrey; redshirt senior, Claire Bruening; and redshirt senior, Kate Strader. “We’ve been trying to put a DMR together for about four years now to qualify to nationals, and so to finally put it all together and to be a part of it was super special. I was blessed to be a part of that. I remember just watching (Paige Mullen) go by and seeing that she was running the perfect time she needed, and then (Olivia Lowrey) was running her perfect time, and then (Claire Bruening), and then the handoff was put into my hands. We all just made it happen,” said Strader.
JUMP!!!
Outside of the DMR, several individual performances stood out for the Gorillas. On the men’s side, Nate Watson earned another first-place finish, this time in the 400 meters with a time of 46.48. Senior, Tre Betts, took first place in the triple jump with a leap of 51 feet, 2.25 inches, marking his season best performance. Redshirt senior, Cole Sample, won the shot put with a throw of 57 feet, 7 inches. The men’s 4×400 meter relay team also delivered a first-place finish, crossing the line in 3:07.80. The relay squad featured senior, Dapriest Hogans; senior, Woyn Chatman; sophomore, Caden Williams; and Nate Watson, who contributed another standout performance to his already impressive meet.
As for the women, Kate Strader claimed the top spot in the 800-meter race with a time of 2:09.89. Mullen added to her successful meet with a first-place finish in the mile run, clocking in at 4:54.48. Grad student, Erica Schamel, recorded a season best performance in the high jump, clearing 5 feet, 10 inches for the victory. Pitt State’s women also shined in the pole vault where senior, Kyla Davis, cleared 14 feet, 2.5 inches to claim the top spot in the event. Grad student, Auna Childress, rounded out the field event wins for the Gorillas, earning first place in the triple jump with a mark of 40 feet, 9.25 inches. The women’s 4×400 meter relay team capped off an exceptional meet for Pitt State, finishing in first place with a time of 3:41.87. The winning squad featured redshirt junior, Maddie O’Neill; senior, Jamiya Morgan; junior, Kinleigh Hall; and Olivia Lowrey.
The Pitt State track and field teams will travel down to Fayetteville on Friday, Feb. 21, to compete in the Arkansas Qualifiers before heading to Marysville the following weekend for the MIAA Indoor Championship.