Goshen College’s men’s track and field athletes competed at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Indoor National Championships in Florida last week, facing top competitors from across the country during a three-day meet. Seven GC athletes qualified for the national meet.

One of the highlights for GC came in the distance medley relay, consisting of 400-meter, 800-meter, 1200-meter  and 1600-meter legs. The team of Max Estep, Jacob Friesen, Drew Hogan and Mathew Keitany broke the school record for the event, becoming the first GC team to run the event in under ten minutes, and advanced to the final.

Rustin Nyce, director of track and field and cross-country, said, “Those guys have put in thousands of miles of work for a race that lasts less than ten minutes.”

Hogan, a senior, had one of the busiest schedules of the meet: He competed in five races, including three on the final day. He helped the DMR team qualify for the final and then went on to the preliminary round of the mile, finishing third in his heat with a time of 4:12.88 to qualify for the final.

In the mile final, Hogan finished fourth with a personal record time of 4:09.13. He was seeded sixth based on times before the championships.

Hogan said his preparation leading up to nationals focused on staying relaxed and maintaining his usual routine.

“I’m just taking it day by day,” Hogan said. “Just eat well, get good sleep and go over there the next week.

“Physically, my body was ready for that intensity, but mentally, I just needed to get ready,” he said.

Hogan competed in the 3,000-meter final a few hours after the mile final. After running several races earlier in the weekend, the event proved to be one of the most physically demanding.

“I wasn’t going to win, but I just don’t quit,” Hogan said. “Just go all out.”

The DMR final was Hogan’s third race of the day. Before even reaching 100-meter mark of the 1200-meter leg, he was involved in a racing incident with another athlete. This made it difficult to recover and catch up with the lead group. Ultimately, the team finished 10th out of 10.

“This is a really good group of athletes,” Nyce said. “They work hard academically and athletically and they support each other really well.”

Several other GC athletes also competed at the national championships. Sam Sofolahan, a sophomore sprinter, ran 6.81 seconds in the 60-meter preliminary race. Sophomore Duncan Kogei finished 10th in the 5,000-meter race with a time of 14:41.42.

Seven GC athletes traveled to the national championships this year, which Nyce said is a strong representation for a college of Goshen’s size. The program has also maintained a consistent presence at national competitions over the past decade.

“We’ve been to every national championship since 2016,” Nyce said.

For Hogan, competing at the national championships for the fourth time was a meaningful moment in his collegiate career. “All the work that I put in finally paid off,” he said.

Although the indoor season has now concluded, the team is already preparing for the outdoor season, which will begin on March 20 at the Indiana Wesleyan University Polar Bear Classic. Coaches say the experience gained at nationals will help the team continue improving throughout the rest of the year.

“If an athlete can walk away from a competition knowing they gave their best effort, that’s what we want,” Nyce said.