MARION, Ind. – The Goshen College men’s track and field team placed 10th and the women placed ninth as both teams competed in the Crossroads League Indoor Championship over a two-day span this past Friday and Saturday at Troyer’s Fieldhouse on the campus of Indiana Wesleyan.
Leading the Maple Leafs efforts for the men was distance runner Vincent Kibunja, a sophomore, as he placed fifth in the 1,000-meter run with a time of 2:37.23, shaving nearly 12 seconds from his previous best. Ollie Smith, a sophomore, added points to the Maple Leafs’ overall score in the 600-meter run, taking eighth place with a time of 1:25.12.Four Leafs set personal bests on the track Friday as Irving Suarez, a first-year, placed 18th in the 800-meter race with a time of 2:15.02. Suarez capped off his day with another personal best in the 600-meter run with a time of 1:34.84, which was good enough for him to place 22nd. The other three personal bests were set in the 3,000-meter race. Salvador Escamilla, a first-year, placed 13th, with a time of 9:28.22. Max Burkholder, a sophomore, and Brandon Roe, a first-year, each took 10 seconds off of their PRs.
Jacob Gerber, a first-year thrower, also set two personal marks in the shot put and the weight throw. Gerber added nearly six feet in the weight throw, finishing 11th with a heave of 42-11½. In the shot put, he finished 15th with a throw of 40-3½.
As for the women, Suzette Rodriguez, a first-year, and Mara Beck, a junior, tallied Goshen’s lone team points. Rodriguez took fourth place in the weight throw with a personal best throw of 46-8¼. Beck added an eighth-place finish in the 600-meters with a time of 1:47.27.
Four more Maple Leafs set PR’s over the weekend as Natalie Omtvedt, a first-year, and Alyssa Arella, a sophomore, finished 17th and 23rd respectively in the 60-meter dash and 14th and 23rd in the 200. In the 3,000-meter dash, Jenae Stutzman and Siana Emery, both sophomores, set their own personal bests. Emery finished with a time of 12:17.65 and placed 18th, and Stutzman finished 19th with a time of 12:24.56.
The weekend marks the end of indoor competition for both men and women. The GC race walk team will wrap up their season as they host the Goshen College Race Walk this coming Saturday. The race is set to begin at 11 a.m. in the Roman Gingerich Rec-Fitness Center.
Both men and women will open their outdoor campaigns beginning on Saturday, March 24th as they travel to IWU once again to compete in the IWU Polar Bear Invitational. Start time for the event is still to be determined.
