More Standards Hit for Men’s Track at IWU Midwest Classic
MARION, Ind. — The Mount Vernon Nazarene University men's track & field team competed at the IWU Midwest Classic, hosted by Indiana Wesleyan University on February 3. The MVNU throwers competed at the Jud Logan "Light Giver" Open at Ashland University on February 2.
Top Performers:
Jonathan Backus, Isaac Ramseyer, Mason Hendrickson, Evan Hodkinson – NAIA A Standard – First Place – 4x800m – 7:49.78
Connor Williams – NAIA B Standard – First Place – 60m Hurdles – 8.32
Seth McCloskey, Bryce Wiles, Marcus Whaley, Liam Near – Second Place – 4x400m Relay – 3:24.84.
Hodkinson – Second Place – 3000m – 8:47.40
Whaley – Second Place – 400m – 51.25
Near – Second Place – 200m – 22.30
Coach Gallion's Thoughts:
"It was an exciting weekend for our men's program as part of our roster traveled to Ashland University, while the main group headed to IWU. Our throwers had an opportunity to compete at Ashland University. Micah Tuggle continues to be consistent in weight throw and we are excited for conference in a couple weeks. On the field event side at IWU, Chris Graber has been a consistent contributor all season in both long jump and triple jump and this weekend brought a fourth-place performance from triple. On the sprint side of things, Connor Williams gave us one of the biggest moments of the day. He won the 60 hurdles and while doing so stormed to a national standard mark. Connor has been working for this all season and it was a beautiful moment to see his efforts realized! Liam and Bryce also performed well in the 200 with season best runs and top six finishes, with Liam holding down second. Marcus has been building back in the 400 and it was great to see him hit a season best time and finish in second. This crew rounded out the day with a strong 4x4 finish to hold down second place. Our distance men continue to show strength as they were able to hit an A standard and event win in the 4x8 this weekend. The quartet of Jonathan, Isaac, Mason, and Evan ran to a time that has them sitting top five in the nation. It's a huge performance that is exciting ahead of conference. Evan followed up that run with another standout individual performance in the 3000 to finish second in the meet. It was a great weekend to test ourselves and we were blessed by the performances and opportunity to compete, we look forward to getting better and attacking conference in a couple weeks!"
What's Next:
The MVNU men's track & field team will compete at the Crossroads League Championships, hosted by Marian University on February 16-17.
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.