Track continues success at Whitewater

It was an eventful road trip for the Monmouth College men’s and women’s track teams as they traveled to Whitewater, Wis., last weekend. First, the men competed Friday night against several nationally-ranked programs, and recorded some very impressive performances. Notably, Drew Thaxton heaved a personal record in the shot put that placed him third in the meet and 20th in the nation. Adding to the national rankings, senior Joe Krall threw for 59’4” in the weight throw, which puts him seventh in the nation. On the track, the men’s 4x200 relay team of Lucas Sondgeroth, Darius Williams, Luke Ditsworth, and Alex Brock won with a time of 1:33.17, which currently ranks 1st in the MWC. In the triple jump, Austin Pfau leaped to a distance of 45’8-1/2,” good for third overall.

Next, the women competed on Saturday, competing well against several tough opponents. In the sprints, Kenzie Baker raced to a 26.49 in the 200m dash, which currently leads the MWC. Another strong performance came in the 4x2, where the team of Baker, Vanessa Caldwell, Cindy Ladner, and Jamiya Johnson finished 3rd overall. The Scots also performed well in the mid-distance and distance races, where Arika Hofmann ran a personal best time of 2:21.98 in the 800. In the 5k, Caroline Young and Ezzie Baltierra-Chavez finished 6th and 7th respectively, separated by just tenths of a second with times of 19:28.27 and 19:28.52. The Scots’ field events were also solid, led by Aleeka Gentzler’s 6th place finish in the triple jump.

Next, the Scots will head to Illinois Wesleyan University for the Keck DIII Select Invitational this Saturday, Feb. 8.

Riley Dulin - Sports Editor