Indoor National Championships, but make it 4
159 All-Americans, 18 National Champions, & 2 Packed Weekends
Hopefully all of this was worth the wait, and lives up to your expectations of what you expected this to be. Over the next few paragraphs, we’ll review the four collegiate national championships that took place earlier this month, and highlight all of the All-American finishers and the national champions as well. Buckle up because here we go!
NAIA Stock to the Moon📈
Two weeks ago in Brookings, South Dakota, the best of the best across the NAIA gathered at the Sanford Jackrabbit Athletic Complex, all with the same aspirations of earning the title, “All-American.”
Out of the large selection of Kansas programs that sent athletes, nine of the bunch had athletes and relays earn All-American honors, including a few national championships, runner-up and third place finishes.
The most decorated team at the meet, in terms of total All-Americans was Friends University, a program that walked away with seven All-Americans on the men’s side, and four on the women’s. The men were headlined by Emad Bashir-Mohammed, who finished 6th in the mile (4:10.81) and 5th in the 3000m (8:24.67). Bashir-Mohammed also ran a leg in the Distance Medley Relay (DMR), but the Falcons were unable to make it out of a very tough preliminary round. Joining Bashir-Mohammed on the men’s side was the race walking trio of Pablo Sanz-Rillo (13:24.68), Gage Carr (14:06.64), and Jadon Davis (14:44.71), who all finished in the top eight, placing 5th, 6th and 7th.
On the field, Chiante Stewart and Brayden Wells took care of business, as Stewart (47’ 5”) finished 8th in the triple jump and Wells (60’ 9.5”) finished 7th in the weight throw.
For the women, Aubry Donley had a very busy weekend, running the 800m, and a leg in both the 4x800m and DMR. In the open 800m Donley, the defending champion, took 3rd in a fast final, running 2:13.84, less than a second out of first. In the 4x800m, accompanied by Caroline Giles, Aileen Gurrola and Kourtney Warren, Donley and company finished 5th with a time of 9:24.18. The DMR squad was nearly the same as the prior, except Kaitlynn Massey replaced Warren for the 400m leg. The Falcons crossed the line in 12:23.84, good enough for 7th place, another All-American finish. The final Friends All-American was thrower Kortney Schutt, who finished 8th in the weight throw with a mark of 56’ 1.75”.
Trey Palmer, a sprinter from Bethel College was the lone Thresher to qualify for the indoor championships, but that didn’t have any effect on him as he came home an All-American. Palmer took 7th in the 60m dash, running 6.83 seconds, his fastest of the season.
Corey Lyons, five-time All-American, didn’t miss a beat in Brookings, taking 4th in the 400m in 47.34, along with anchoring the 4x400m to another All-American finish, with a school record time of 3:15.61. Torrey White, Mark Noel, and Jaylen Townes made up the rest of the 4x400m, as the four men will now shift their focus to the outdoor season. In the 5000m, Johnathan Bowen came just shy of the school record, running 14:40.93 to take 6th in the final. Luke Skinner, who already had an extremely long list of accolades and accomplishments added two more national titles during the championship meet. In the 1000m, Skinner held off a charging Senzo Sokhela of Westmont to win his 3rd indoor title in the 1000m, running 2:25.93 to Sokhela’s 2:26.43. Along with Skinner, Luis Perez, Chase Morstorf and Liam Neidig won the Distance Medley Relay, going under ten for the first time in school history, winning in 9:56.90.
On the women’s side, Alyssa Armendariz didn’t leave the meet empty handed, as she took 6th in the 5000m final in 17:20.65, just a half second shy of her fastest time ever.
Southwestern had a trio of all-Americans across the 400m, 600m, and high jump. In the 400m, Chris Moffett took 8th after setting a personal best to qualify for the final. Moffett covered 400m in 48.23, a hundredth of a second off his career best. In the 600m, Slavoski Wright placed 5th in 1:19.66, another personal best for the junior. In the high jump, Tony Kinser was the national runner-up, clearing 6’ 10.75” during the competition.
McPherson’s Dylan Templeman proved why he is one of the best throwers in the nation, taking 2nd in the shot put and 8th in the weight throw. His throws of 56’ 5.75” and 60’ 1.75” helped him comfortably finish as an All-American in both. These are Templeman’s fourth and fifth All-American honors, and his first ever in the weight throw.
Sterling standout, Corrssia Perry, continues to light up the track, this time in the 200m and 400m. In the 200m, Perry ran the fastest of her life in the prelims to take 5th, and then improved her previous finish by moving up to 4th in the final. Perry’s 23.90 was her second fastest time in her career, and her second time going below 24 seconds. In the 400m, Perry ran a personal best in the final, running a 54.28 en route to a 3rd place finish.
The women of Benedictine had a fantastic showing at the indoor championships, heading back to Atchison with five All-American honors and a new personal record (PR) with each one! Alison Ambuul became an All-American in the 600m as she finished 5th in 1:34.30. Caroline Cobo also finished 5th, but this time in the 800m, running a new best of 2:15.74. The 4x800m squad made up of Cobo, Ashley Wurtenberger, Claire Zarybnicky and Tatiana Smith set a PR (9:30.04) in prelims, and finished 8th in the finals in 9:42.74.
Madison Sutton may be the most versatile thrower in the nation, after a runner-up finish in both the shot put and weight throw. In the shot put, Sutton launched a new personal best of 46’ 11”, less than seven inches away from a national title. In the weight throw, 58’ 0.25” was Sutton’s best mark, this time just 4.25 inches away from first place. However, even though she finished runner-up in both, I’d still argue she was the best thrower there. Allison Skala of Doane beat Sutton in the shot put, but fouled every throw in the weight throw. Catylynn Duff of the College of Idaho barely out-threw Sutton in the weight throw, and I think that successfully proves my point, that Madison Sutton is the best thrower in the NAIA.
Tabetha Deines of Kansas Wesleyan is no stranger to the national meet as this was her fourth time qualifying for the biggest stage, and her third time becoming an All-American. The past two national championships, Deines ran the 800m, placing 5th last March in indoor, and then 7th in May during outdoor. This year, the mid-distance star opted for the 1000m, which paid off as she finished 8th (3:08.63) in the nation and left with a PR (2:57.32) from the preliminaries.
The last Kansas All-American from the NAIA Indoor Track & Field Championships was MidAmerica Nazarene’s Kylar Brown. It was a busy weekend for Brown who also ran the 200m and a leg of the Pioneer’s 4x400m relay. Even though Brown didn’t become an All-American in those two events, she placed 6th in the nation in the long jump with a mark of 18’ 7.75”. This was the farthest jump in Brown’s career, along with a personal best in the 200m and a team best in the 4x400m.
CONCLUSION
National Champs, All-Americans and PR’s, Oh My!
Before this past weekend, I had never had the chance to attend an indoor national championship meet, as an athlete or a spectator. Let me tell you something! That was one of the most electrifying atmospheres that I have ever seen at an indoor meet, and the competition lived up to the hype as well, making for an incredible two days.
In Division II, Kansas has significantly less schools than the NAIA or NJCAA, but it wouldn’t seem like that to any “out-of-staters”, as four of the five schools sent athletes, and three collected All-American honors!
The Washburn Ichabods got on the bus back to Topeka with a runner-up and a 3rd place finish. Connor Last, a long jump specialist came oh-so-close to a national title, being edged out by Azusa Pacific’s Jermel Jones II, 25’ 6.75” to 25’ 5.5”. On the opposite side of the infield, Virgi Scardanzan, reigning runner-up in the pole vault at the last two national championships took 3rd, clearing 13’ 7.25”, the same height which was cleared by both finishers ahead of her.
Similar to Washburn, Fort Hays State brought a smaller squad than some programs, but that didn’t matter as the men took 15th and the women finished 35th. The pole vaulting duo of Ryan Stanley and Jacob Clark showed up and did what was expected of them, and then some! Stanley, the reigning outdoor national champion, took care of business, taking down a loaded field and setting a new personal best of 17’ 9.25” in the process, nearly clearing the 18’ 0” barrier on his final attempt. Clark, just a freshman, finished 6th and cleared a height of 16’ 10.75”, a six inch season best! Nolan Churchman, a freshman multi athlete had a great showing at his first national championship as an individual qualifier. Churchman totaled 5269 points over the seven events, with his best finish coming in the 60m dash, as he finished 3rd. Although the results have a DQ next to his name, in my opinion, Ethan Lang had a great weekend in the 800m. Coming into the championship meet, Lang was ranked 19th in the nation and from what I can tell, was one of the last athletes to get in after scratches from the initial qualifiers. That didn’t mean a thing, as Lang raced liked he was the top seed. In the prelims, Lang took 2nd in his heat to finish 6th, but in the finals, Lang had finished 4th before getting DQ’d. I watched the race, and I personally didn’t see anything that warranted a DQ, but then again. I wasn’t on the track as an official looking for a foul. Nonetheless, I thought it was a great weekend by Lang and I can’t wait to see him go after the sub 1:50 barrier in outdoor!
On the women’s side, Mattie Rossi was the lone Tiger All-American, finishing 5th in the Pentathlon. Rossi scored a new personal best of 3766 points, with her best performances coming in the 60m hurdles (H) where she took 3rd, and the long jump and 800m where she finished 4th in both.
On the men’s side, Pittsburg State was the team to beat. They had held the top spot of the rankings for the last few weeks and had a ton of momentum following their MIAA victory. The women had recently been bumped out of the top five, but were a dark horse in terms of a podium finish for the team. Although, I can only imagine it must have been bittersweet for the men to finish 3rd and watch Grand Valley State hoist the championship trophy Something tells me that program isn’t satisfied with 3rd. For the women, they did better than the rest of the country expected, finishing in a tie for 5th and just nine points shy of 3rd. With 13 total All-Americans, the Gorillas were the most decorated Kansas team in the national championship.
Braylen Brewer had a heck of a weekend, as he finished 8th in the 200m (21.81), runner-up in the 400m (46.60), and the anchor of the runner-up 4x400m (3:10.81). Brewer did as much as he could and performed great, but I’m sure he still isn’t content with his performance. I don’t think that he should be too hard on himself, considering the guy that beat him in the 400m and the 4x400m is currently getting ready to compete at the 2022 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Belgrade, Serbia. Yes, that’s right. Trevor Bassitt, recently became the USATF Indoor champion in the 400m, taking down American and world record holder (600m) Donovan Brazier. Brewer could have ran an entire second faster, and still would have finished almost a sixth of a second behind. That’s not a knock on Brewer or his incredible speed, but an idea of how ahead of the field Bassitt was. Before I get off topic, let’s circle back to the 4x400m and give credit to Sam Tudor, Bailey Stone and Nizar Alarahshun, the three other legs that joined Brewer as All-Americans.
Like Brewer, Mason Strader had a busy, yet successful weekend, finishing 4th in the mile (4:09.01) and anchoring the DMR squad to a 5th place finish, in one of the fastest DII Distance Medley Relays in history! When I say the DMR was fast, I mean that five schools went sub 9:40 and it took a collegiate record to win. In addition to Strader, the DMR squad was made up by Bryce Grahn (1200), Graham Hudelson (400) and Connar Southard (800). The quartet finished 5th and ran just two seconds shy of their school record, earning valuable points for the Gorillas.
In the triple jump, L.J. Kiner won his first national title, jumping 53’ 2.75”, almost a foot farther than the runner-up. It also happened to be a personal best for the junior, and his first time clearing 53 feet! In the Heptathlon, duo Trey Mooney and Hunter Jones left it all out there, taking 3rd and 4th in the grueling event. For Mooney, his best event was the shot put, where he took 2nd, whereas Jones’ best event of the competition was the high jump, where he won. Mooney totaled 5585 points with Jones not far behind with 5494 points.
The Pittsburg State women had their fair share of All-Americans, five to be exact, including a national champion. Christine Williams took 4th in the 200m, crossing the line in 24.11, less than two tenths of a second off of a national championship. Trace Mosby, typically known for her skill as a multi athlete didn’t miss a beat in the 60mH (9.00), taking 7th in a deep field. In her first ever national championship appearance, freshman Kyla Davis, took down a strong slate of athletes, ultimately winning the meet by clearing 13’ 7.35” on her first attempt. In the Pentathlon, the Gorillas made up two-thirds of the top three, as Trace Mosby and Blakelee Winn finished 2nd and 3rd. Mosby wasn’t far off of her personal best, but nearly cracked 4100 points, ending the event with 4098. Winn, just a freshman, was able to break her personal best, scoring 3873 points. Mosby performed best in the 800m and 60mH, where she finished 1st and 2nd, while Winn had great showings in both the shot put and long jump, taking 3rd in each.
86% Isn’t Too Shabby
Down in Birmingham, Alabama, at the Birmingham Metro CrossPlex, Kansas State, Kansas, and Wichita State sent down seven individual athletes total, and six of them came back All-Americans. The Jayhawks sent high jumper Rylee Anderson, and the pole vaulting duo of Zach Bradford and Clayton Simms. The Wildcats sent the trio of Kassidy Johnson, Taishia Pryce, and Tejaswin Shankar. Johnson qualified in the 800m, while Pryce qualified for the long jump, and Shankar in the high jump. The lone shocker was Michael Bryan who qualified in the weight throw.
Anderson came into the championship as the 7th best high jumper in the nation, and finished just one spot back, placing 8th and becoming a first team All-American. Anderson cleared 5’ 10” but couldn’t clear 6’ 0” on her three attempts. Along with Anderson, four other athletes cleared 5’ 10” and not 6’ 0”, resulting in a five-way tie for 8th. This was Anderson’s first indoor first team All-American finish.
Simms and Bradford entered the meet the number three and fourteen vaulters in the nation. The pair finished 7th and 8th, with Bradford clearing 18’ 2.5” and Simms clearing eighteen feet for the first time in his career, with an official clearance of 18’ 0.5”. For Bradford, this is his fifth first team All-American finish, while Simms earns his first honors in his first national championships. One of the most impressive traits of this duo is the dominance they displayed throughout the season. In all but one meet, the pair went 1-2, as Bradford led the way and Simms consistently improved over the course of the season. Simms started his collegiate career in December with a height of 16’ 1.25”, and he ended the season at 18’ 0.5”. Nearly a two-foot improvement in the span of a little over a month. Another season goes by where Kansas proves to have one of the best vaulting programs in the nation.
Just like their in-state rival, the Wildcats had three All-Americans as well. Tejaswin Shankar, one of the most accomplished high jumpers in Kansas State history added yet another All-American finish to his résumé. Last weekend, Shankar finished 6th in the high jump, matching his season best of 7’ 2.5”. His 6th place finish marks his fifth All-American finish, going along quite nicely with his 2018 outdoor title, his runner-up finishes in outdoor in 2019 and 2021, and his third place finish in 2021 during the indoor season. I’m not sure what Shankar plans are for the outdoor season, but I’m sure he’ll again be in the running for the top of the podium.
While Shankar was jumping vertically, Taishia Pryce was jumping horizontally. Pryce, a long jumper, placed 6th in the event, ending with a mark of 21’ 3.5”, her second farthest jump on the year. This is Pryce’s second time earning All-American honors, the last time coming at the indoor championships a year ago.
Kassidy Johnson, the sixth and final in-state All-American was the only athlete to earn her medal on the track, doing it over the span of 800m. Out of everybody, Johnson’s story may be my favorite from this season. She was always one of the runners in the state that I believed needed the perfect race to show off her talent, and with the depth of the NCAA this year I knew it was going to have to be a fast one to qualify for the “big dance. That race ended up coming in the finals of the Big 12 Indoor Championships, where Johnson ran 2:04.00, a new school record and personal best by roughly half of a second. It was also good enough for a 1.5 second season best, and just what she needed to get herself into a qualifying position. Johnson went into the meet ranked in the mid-teens but put down any doubts by taking 4th in the prelims, and then 5th again in the finals, earning an All-American honor. Johnson’s time of 2:03.93 re-broke her own school record again and capped off an amazing indoor season.
More All-Americans Than I Can Count
Where do I even start with this recap? Kansas junior colleges had 14 3rd place finishers, 13 runner-ups, and 13 national champions. I mean, holy cow, that’s just absurd! I think that those statistics alone prove that Kansas has the best JUCO track & field presence in the nation. I know that California has their separate division for their long list of schools, but I still think that based off of depth and talent, Kansas has them beat. I don’t think that’s a hot take, but I’m not sure how the California readers will view that. If that for some reason offends you, I’m sorry.
The Barton County Cougars had a successful showing at the division’s biggest stage, totaling 22 All-Americans, and three national champions. The first of the three is Kelsie Murrell-Ross, winner of the women’s shot put. Murrell-Ross was comfortably ahead of her competition, throwing 49’ 11”, nearly four whole feet ahead of the next finisher. That was Murrell-Ross’ best toss since January, and a personal best as well. Joining his teammate as a national champion was Shakwon Coke, the nation’s top long jumper. Coke’s distance from the next competitor wasn’t as large as Murrell-Ross’, but more than enough to be at ease with his performance. Coke jumped 25’ 8.25”, his longest of the season. The third Cougar national champion was Daylin Williams, winner of the 60mH. Williams PR’d twice during the weekend, running 7.84 in the prelims, then 7.80 to win the final and his first ever national title. Joining Murrell-Ross, Coke, and Williams were joined by nineteen other All-American performances out of Barton County.
Ashantae Harvey — 400m🥉
Lashanna Graham — 600m🥉
Kayan Green — 600m/1000m
Graham, Green, Harvey, Morgan — 4x400m
Green, Graham, Lowe, Nembhard — 4x800m
Nia Robinson — High Jump, Long Jump🥈, Triple Jump🥈
Kelsie Murrell-Ross — Shot Put🥇
Jada Sewell — Shot Put
Efe Latham — Weight Throw
Deborah Lowe — Pentathlon
Elijah Mosley — 400m🥈
Daylin Williams — 60mH🥇
Bradford, Gillard, Mosley, Small — 4x400m
Shakwon Coke — Long Jump🥇, Triple Jump🥈
Anthony Woods — Long Jump, Triple Jump
Giovanni Gutierrez — Shot Put🥈
Brandon Lloyd — Shot Put🥉
Like Barton, Cloud County had a long list of All-Americans, complimented by two national champions in Mohamed Ahmed and the women’s 4x800m. Ahmed took the crown in the men’s weight throw, out-throwing the runner up by roughly 3.5 feet. Along with the win, Ahmed picked up a new personal best in the process, ending the indoor season on maybe the best note an athlete could. The women’s 4x800m, made up of Sicely Jackson, Abigail Fisher, Melody Ochana and Ludjenie Mondesir, edged out Iowa Central, 9:28.56 to 9:28.99. Along with Cloud’s pair of national champions, many Thunderbird athletes refused to go home empty handed, earning All-American honors.
Miracle Thompson — 60m, 60mH
Vimbayi Maisvorewa — 400m🥈
Leonie Beu — 400m
Pamela Milano — 600m🥈
Passion Crews — 800m
Lucy Ndungu — 5000m
Apkup, Beu, Milano, Maisvorewa — 4x400m🥈
Crews, Fisher, Milano, Mondesir — 4x800m🥇
Crews, Maisvorewa, Ochana, Mondesir — DMR🥉
Vanessa Mercera — High Jump, Pentathlon🥉
Maggie Armstrong — Pole Vault
Mallory Calihan — Weight Throw
Hollie Stewart — Shot Put🥉
Emmanuel Wanga — 600m🥉
Timothy Nyinguan — 600m
Wanga, Nyinguan, Igish, Tansi — 4x400m
Reid, Patton, Iyali, Cheney — 4x800m🥉
Ben Okraska — Pole Vault
Timothy Nyinguan — Long Jump
Mohamed Ahmed — Weight Throw🥇
Andrew Betton — Heptathlon🥈
Anson Moses — Heptathlon
Butler Community College took care of business in the sprints, as they had the men’s 60m and the women’s 200m champions, along with four more All-Americans in the two events. Kiara Brown clocked her first ever sub 24 200m, winning the national title along the way in 23.99. In the men’s 60m, Jerod Elcock crossed the line in 6.60 seconds, and just like Brown, he set a personal best in the same race. Brown and Elcock were joined on the podium by seven of their teammates and two relays.
Kiara Brown — 200m🥇
Shawnakay Peart — 200m
Kirstin Jones — 400m
Jerod Elcock — 60m🥇
Caleb Jackson — 60m
Joe Williams — 200m
Morgan Jamison — 200m
Zach Trotter — 800m
Victor Jumo — 3000m, 5000m
Leiba, Williams, Elcock, Jamison — 4x400m🥈
Muyoboke, Sylvester, Tullis, Trotter — 4x800m
The Coffeyville Red Ravens had their fair share of All-Americans, along with a 200m and shot put national title from Antoine Evans and Dennis Ohene-Adu. Evans made up for a 3rd place finish in the 60m by running 20.84 over 200m. This was Evans’ first ever individual national title, but second overall as he and the Coffeyville 4x100m relay took the crown in outdoor last spring. Ohene-Adu handily won his first national title, out-throwing the field by over four feet with a toss of 60’ 1.75”. Both Evans and Ohene-Adu each earned multiple All-American honors, joined by four of their teammates as well.
Antoine Evans — 60m🥉, 200m🥇
Nolton Shelvin — 60m
Dakari Charlton — 60m, 200m
Garrian Betts — Triple Jump🥉
Dennis Ohene-Adu — Shot Put🥇, Weight Throw
Calvin Bostic — Weight Throw
Colby Community College had a national champion as well, as the men’s DMR took home the gold medal over the competitive field. The quartet of Luke Sundberg, Donte Sol, Mohammed Baghati and Ricardo Barbosa. Colby led four schools under ten minutes, and held off Monroe College in the end to win 9:51.92 to 9:53.31. Along with the DMR squad, three individual athletes also left as All-Americans.
Luke Sundberg — 1000m
Ricardo Barbosa — Mile🥈, 3000m🥈
Sanele Masondo — 3000m, 5000m🥉
Sundberg, Sol, Baghati, Barbosa — DMR🥇
Cowley College had five All-Americans, and two of them were national champions. Arantxa Cortez won the women’s pole vault by clearing 11’ 7.75” in one less attempt than the runner-up. Cortez ended her indoor season on a hot streak, winning the 7th Annual Indoor Gorilla Classic and the Region VI Indoor Championships, on her way to a national title. On the men’s side, Adrian Diaz-Lopez successfully defended his 3000m title from a year ago, winning the title in 8:22.15. It was an extremely close finish, as the top nine athletes finished within five seconds of one another. In addition to Cortez, two Cowley women also earned All-American status, with one more male athlete joining Diaz-Lopez
Kristen Wilson — 5000m
Arantxa Cortez — Pole Vault🥇
Kayla McClellan — Weight Throw
Adrian Diaz-Lopez — 3000m🥇
Luke Faulkner —Pole Vault
Vincent Nchogu, of Northwest Kansas Technical College, was the final national champion from Kansas, winning the 5000m title in 14:18.88, just barely a second slower than his personal best. Nchogu is not new to the national scene, as he was the reigning indoor 5000m champion from a year ago, and also the double champion in the outdoor 5000m and 10,000m. Nchogu was joined by two of his teammates in the top eight in the 5000m, as Enock Kimutai and Oliver Kiptoo finished 5th and 6th.
Even though Fort Scott CC, Garden City CC, Highland CC and Hutchinson CC didn’t have an individual national champion, they had more than enough All-Americans, and here they all are.
Fort Scott CC
Yaria Akers — 60m
Jones, Sneed, Lewis, Howard — 4x400m
Bernal, Corbitt, Doris, Martin — 4x800m
Damazvia Dames — Long Jump, Triple Jump🥉
Kaliah Gilmore — Long Jump
Jackson, Johnson, Asmerom, Deboest — 4x800m
Ramirez, Williams, Deboest, Navarro — DMR
Enoch Antwi — Triple Jump
Garden City CC
Valentine Lagat — 7th
Dennis Mutai — Mile, 3000m🥉
Highland CC
Calleisha Chance — High Jump🥉, Pentathlon
Dayjahney Hibbert — High Jump
Santornya Ralliford — Shot Put🥈
Jazmyn James — Shot Put
Shakera Williams — Shot Put
Christopher Brown — Shot Put
Ricardo Smith — Heptathlon
Hutchinson CC
Louise Cocking — 3000m
Kiana Brown — Pole Vault
Violet Martinez — Pole Vault
Dimetre Browne — Long Jump
Antonio Cooper — Shot Put
It is now officially time to shift our focus to the outdoor season, and we get to look back on the amazing indoor season and top tier performance from every athlete across the state! I can’t wait to see what they all produce in the coming months!
Sooner or later I’ll get this all into a consistent and well-oiled machine, but for now you are going to have to hang on and hope for the best. Next week’s edition should be back to its regular scheduled time, noon on Friday. Have a great weekend and if you can find some (I suggest the world championships), watch some track & field for us!