WICHITA, Kan. — Southwestern College wrapped up competition at the 2026 KCAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships, hosted by Friends University, with the Moundbuilders' men finishing 13th with five points and the women tying for 11th with Bethany College (Kan.) after scoring two points.
Freshman JJ Crawford accounted for all five points on the men's side with a pair of scoring performances in the horizontal jumps. Crawford placed sixth in the long jump with a top mark of 6.89 meters (22-7.25) to earn three team points, then added two more with a seventh-place finish in the triple jump at 13.29 meters (43-7.25).
Crawford's efforts highlighted the men's meet for Southwestern, which also saw contributions across the track and field events. Manuel Reyes turned in a strong showing in the hurdles, finishing 11th in the 110-meter hurdles prelims (15.83) and placing 18th in the 400-meter hurdles (1:00.42). Ben Patkowski and Dominique Orosco competed in the sprints, while the 4x100-meter relay team of Patkowski, Logan Churchill, Reyes, and Orosco placed ninth in 51.01.
In the distance events, Derek Ponce-Gonzales and Jamell Sanchez led the way in the 1500 meters, while Jack Titgemeyer and Sanchez competed in the 800 meters. Field event competitors Emerson Williams and Anthony Mendoza represented Southwestern in the throws, highlighted by Williams' 17th-place finish in the discus (34.94m).
On the women's side, sophomore Malia Pearson provided the lone scoring performance, placing seventh in the discus with a throw of 37.13 meters (121-10) to secure two points. Pearson also competed in the shot put and hammer throw, while Vanessa Mendoza added a 14th-place finish in the discus and 12th in the hammer.
Elsewhere for the Moundbuilders, Abigail Eckert competed in multiple events, including the 100-meter dash, long jump, and javelin, and Lauryn Peterson ran the 800 and 1500 meters for Southwestern.
Southwestern will look to build on the experience gained at the conference championships as the season continues for select student-athletes at a Last Chance Qualifier to be announced early next week.
