On Feb. 14 and 15, both women’s and men’s indoor track teams participated in the Crossroads League Championship. The women’s team finished in 10th place, while the men’s team tied for eighth place. 

Head Coach Rustin Nyce mentioned the numerous successes that the team found: Jaylah Leggett, a sophomore, and Sam Sofolahan, a first year, were two such standouts. 

“We had a lot of people run their personal best, or throw or jump their season or personal bests. So those were highlights, and then watching the team be supportive of each other while the others were competing was also a pretty cool highlight to see,” Nyce said.

After months of practice, the team made its way to Taylor University, located in Upland, Indiana, eager to do their best. 

Some notable performances included the women’s 4×800 relay team placing 6th, Evan O’Toole placing 5th in long jump and Sofolahan beating the school record in the 60 meter dash for the third time this season with a time of 6.90 seconds. 

The end results for day one concluded with the men’s team being in eighth place, and the women’s team in 10th place. 

On day two of the competition, Goshen College’s athletes continued to deliver quality performances. Leggett tied the school record for the 60 meter dash and placed 7th with a time of 7.91 seconds. 

The day also included achievements from the distance runners to improve the overall tone of the meet. 

Jordan Garlinger, a senior, took fifth place in the 800 meter dash with 1:57.23. 

For the women’s team, Mercy Chebet, a senior, also secured fifth place with a time of 10:43.71. 

Coach Nyce complimented the players on the progress they made and spoke highly of their initiative towards working to the fullest extent while competing. 

“From the first [meet] to this one, everybody seemed more ready. They were. They competed better than they have competed all season. A lot of them had their season or personal best again. And they all just seemed more ready, more comfortable, and performed at a higher level,” Nyce said.  

Though the indoor season has come to an end for most, several athletes have qualified to compete in the NAIA national championship in Gainesville, Florida. 

The qualifier are: Anthony Roberts for the 1000 meter and the mile, the 4×800 men’s relay team of Charlie Aldrich, Kevin Liddell, Bruno Kipsang and Jordan Garlinger and Mercy Chebet and Stephany Claudio for the 3,000 meter. 

The track and field team will return for their outdoor season starting March 21 at the IWU Polar Bear Classic.