WICHITA, Kan. — The Southwestern College men's and women's track and field teams will travel to Wichita this week to compete in the KCAC Indoor Track & Field Championships on Friday and Saturday, looking to build on a season highlighted by steady improvements across sprints, distance events, and the field.
On the women's side, sophomore Abigail Eckert has emerged as a key contributor in the short sprints and horizontal jumps. Eckert has posted a season-best time of 8.55 seconds in the 60 meters and a top mark of 29.00 seconds in the 200 meters. She has also led the Moundbuilders in the long jump with a best effort of 4.36 meters this season.
Senior Lauryn Peterson has anchored the women's middle-distance and distance events. Peterson recorded a season-best time of 2:57.38 in the 800 meters earlier this year.
In the throws, sophomore Malia Pearson has produced consistent results in the shot put, highlighted by a top mark of 10.75 meters. Senior Vanessa Mendoza has added depth in both the shot put and weight throw, with her best weight throw mark measuring 12.07 meters this season.
The Southwestern men enter the championship meet with strength in the sprints and field events. Senior Christopher Collier-Surly leads the way in the 60 meters with a season-best time of 7.04 seconds. Fellow sprinters Dominique Orosco and Dashawn Haskin have also contributed, with Haskin clocking 23.18 seconds in the 200 meters.
In the middle distances, junior Jack Titgemeyer has posted a top time of 1:40.51 in the 600 meters, while senior Jamell Sanchez has recorded a season-best of 2:26.67 in the 800 meters. Sophomore Derek Ponce-Gonzales has led the distance group with a best mile time of 5:12.24 and a 3,000-meter mark of 9:41.40.
Freshman JJ Crawford has been a standout in the jumps, recording a season-best mark of 6.54 meters in the long jump and 13.32 meters in the triple jump. Senior Lyrix Howard has led the high jump with a top clearance of 1.74 meters. In the throws, sophomore Emerson Williams has paced the men with a best shot put mark of 13.17 meters and a 12.10-meter effort in the weight throw.
Competition at the KCAC Indoor Track & Field Championships is scheduled to take place in Wichita at the Heskett Center, where the Moundbuilders will look to translate their season performances into strong conference results.
