Ryan Smith, a senior, picked up All-American honors on his way to a fifth-place finish in the 5000 meter at the NAIA Indoor National Championships this past Saturday in Johnson City, Tennessee.
While Goshen had seven members of its indoor track and field team competing throughout the weekend, Smith was the only Maple Leaf to be named an All-American. The 4×800 relay team and a pair of race walkers also competed.Smith’s result allowed Goshen to finish 41st out of 86 competing schools, putting Goshen in the top 50 percent of the competition.
The Leafs’ 4×800 team of Luke Graber, a senior, Abe Medellin, a sophomore, Darius Rawlins, a sophomore, and Steven Cranston, a first-year, ran their event in 8:11.65, which netted them a 23rd place finish but did not see them advance to the final relay.
Both of Goshen’s race walkers competed at the national championships and appeared to have claimed top 10 finishes.
Sawyer Biddle, a junior, and Siana Emery, a first-year, recorded times fast enough for a fourth and a ninth place finish with 14:28 and 16:02 respectively, but both race walkers were disqualified after the race after it was determined that each had both of their feet off of the ground simultaneously or had their plant leg bent before their body passed over it.
This is the first time since 2006 that Goshen did not have a race walker earn All-American status at a national meet.
With the indoor track season now finished, Goshen looks to the outdoor track and field season which will begin on Mar. 25 at the IWU Polar Bear Meet hosted by Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Indiana. The meet is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.
