WINFIELD, Kan. — Southwestern's men's and women's track and field teams return to action Saturday as they travel to Arkansas City for the Mark A. Phillips Tiger Open, hosted by Cowley County Community College.
Field events are scheduled to begin at 11 a.m., with running events set to follow at 1 p.m. at the Mark A. Phillips Track and Field Complex.
Southwestern enters the meet coming off early-season performances at the Dean Pryor Invite, with several athletes establishing marks across multiple events.
On the women's side, Malia Pearson leads the Moundbuilders in the throwing events after recording a mark of 34.20 meters in the hammer throw and 10.71 meters in the shot put. Vanessa Mendoza has also contributed in both events, posting marks of 32.29 meters in the hammer and 9.29 meters in the shot put.
In the jumps, Abigail Eckert posted a long jump mark of 4.15 meters, while Lauryn Peterson recorded a time of 3:09.88 in the 800 meters to highlight the distance group.
The Southwestern men will look to build on performances across both track and field disciplines. In the jumps, Luke Peffer leads the way with a high jump mark of 1.87 meters and a long jump of 6.60 meters, while JJ Crawford has added depth with marks of 1.72 meters in the high jump and 6.17 meters in the long jump, along with a javelin throw of 37.64 meters.
In the throwing events, Anthony Mendoza and Emerson Williams have paced the Moundbuilders. Mendoza recorded a 34.66-meter throw in the hammer and 32.09 meters in the discus, while Williams added a 34.19-meter hammer throw and a 12.96-meter mark in the shot put.
On the track, Southwestern will feature Manuel Reyes in the 400-meter hurdles, where he posted a time of 1:00.38, along with Jack Titgemeyer in the 800 meters and Jamell Sanchez in the 1500 meters.
Saturday's meet will feature a full schedule of events, beginning with javelin, long jump, discus, high jump, pole vault, and shot put in the field before transitioning into a full slate of running events in the afternoon.
The Tiger Open provides another opportunity for the Moundbuilders to build momentum early in the outdoor season as they continue to develop marks across events.
