On Saturday, January 20, the Goshen College men’s and women’s track teams traveled to Purdue University Fort Wayne to compete in a meet with Trine University, Purdue University Fort Wayne, Indiana Wesleyan University and Wright State University.

Goshen performed well in a variety of events on both the men’s and women’s teams, and a few individuals excelled in their particular events.

In women’s weight throw, Willow Kenneda finished fifth, while Kaitlyn Johnson and Theresa Rodriguez placed 16th and 17th, respectively. Kassidy Faler placed fifth in the women’s pole vault with a height of 2.50 meters.

Evan O’Toole placed second in the men’s high jump with a height of 1.85 meters and first in the triple jump with a distance of 13.04 meters. “Being so early in the season, I am a bit off my personal bests,” O’Toole said. “To be able to perform well in both events was something I was hoping to achieve.”

In the women’s 1-mile run, Annika Alderfer Fisher placed fourth with a time of 5:20.54. The women’s 4×400 relay team, consisting of Annika Alderfer Fisher, Mercy Chebet, Naomi Ross Richer and Mia Wellington, placed fourth with a time of 4:28.03. In the women’s 800m,  Fisher placed first and Wellington placed third. Coach Rustin Nyce said, “It’s good to see [the teams] work hard and have it pay off.” 

In the men’s 60m, Danial Murphy, a first year, placed second with a school record of 6.97 seconds. “I’ve been working hard for the past few months,” Murphy said about his successful races. “[I’m] trying to do the best I can and to make my family and coaches proud. … I’m going to keep putting in the work, in class and in practice, to smash the other records in my events.”

In the men’s 800m, Mathew Keitany placed first with a time of 1:58.19, and Jordan Garlinger placed third with a time of 1:58.48. In the men’s 1-mile run, Drew Hogan placed first, Jacob Friesen placed second and Mathew Keitany placed fourth, coming in at 4:23.84, 4:24.36 and 4:34.57 respectively. 

Murphy placed second in the men’s 200m with a time of 23.14. In the men’s 4×400 relay, Goshen’s “A” team, consisting of Mathurin Allawai, Stephen Bandi, Friesen and Garlinger, placed third with a time of 3:36.53, and Goshen’s “B” team, consisting of Anthony Roberts, Kevin Liddell, Keitany and Hogan, placed fifth with a time of 3:43.34.

When asked about the success of the track teams, Coach Nyce said, “I just always hope that we continue to compete at a high level. “

“That’s a culture that’s been built in for the last 7, 8, 9 years … and so it’s existed and it will continue to exist,” O’Toole said. 

“Obviously getting to NAIA nationals is a dream,” he continued. The track teams have been achieving great success recently, and their hope is to continue that success all the way to the national championships.

 

A correction was made on January 26: In an earlier version, we misstated the weight throw placements of Kaitlyn Johnson and Theresa Rodriguez, while omitting Willow Kenneda’s. Additionally, we described Evan O’Toole’s 13.04 m triple jump finish as “1-1.04 meters.”