Track continues impressive season

Last weekend, the Monmouth College men’s and women’s track teams took advantage of the opportunity to better their own personal best in preparation for the Midwest Conference meet in a few weeks. They competed in the Illinois Wesleyan Keck DIII Select Invitational, which featured several strong teams to compete against. Both squads excelled against the tough competition.

On the men’s side, the 4x4 relay achieved a new season best time that leads the conference by several seconds. That team, made up of Stone Darrow, Alex Brock, Alex Cutright, and Zach Vancil, raced to a time of 3:27.18. Out in the field, the throws also came through for the Scots. Senior Joe Krall heaved the 6th best weight throw in the nation. The trio of Krall, Drew Thaxton, and Andy Bird are currently ranked 1st, 2nd, and 4th respectively in the event. The men’s field events were not done yet; however, as Darius Williams added a new personal best in the long jump. The newcomers also provided a spark for the Scots, as freshman Reed Wilson won the pole vault with a height of 14’1-1/4”.

The women also achieved personal bests in a variety of events. In the sprints, Cindy Ladner and Kenzie Baker both ran PR’s in the 60-meter dash, with times of 8.03 and 8.06 respectively, ranking 4th and 5th in the conference. In the throws, Hannah McVey placed 2nd in the shot put with a throw of 50’8-1/4”. Megan Gilstrap and Leigha Sebben also threw well, as they placed 4th and 5th respectively, in the same event. In the high jump, Aleeka Gentzler’s season best leap of 5’1” ranks 2nd in the MWC.

The Scots have two more meets to fine tune their events before the conference championships in Grinnell, Iowa. First is the Fighting Scot invite this weekend followed by the Hilltop Invitational at Illinois College next weekend.

Riley Dulin - Sports Editor