It didn’t take long for Goshen College’s track and field teams to get off to a fast start in their 2017 season, as the opening weekend showcased a record breaking performance and a pair of national qualifiers.

Goshen College hosted the Doug Yoder Race Walk inside the Roman Gingerich Recreation-Fitness Center on Saturday morning, where Siana Emery, a first-year, and Sawyer Biddle, a junior, each earned qualifying bids to the national meet which will take place in Johnson City, Tennessee in early March. Emery finished third among women with a time of 16:01.62 and Biddle turned in a time of 14:31.04, which was good for fourth among men.

The rest of the team competed at Trine University in the Keith Turner Alumni Invitational on Saturday, where Lindon McDonald, a first-year, quickly made his mark. McDonald’s 7.18 second time in the 60-meter was enough to set the school record. While his record-setting time came in the preliminary round, McDonald’s 7.21 mark in the final earned him a first-place finish. McDonald also claimed first in the high jump. Ryan Smith, a senior, claimed first-place in the mile with a time of 4:25.64. McDonald and Smith’s top finishes were joined by the Maple Leafs’ 4×400 team of Luke Graber, a senior, Abe Medellin and Darius Rawlins, sophomores, and Josh Bustos, a junior, who claimed the top spot in that competition.

The Goshen women saw Caitlin Hughey, a junior, and Nora Rangel, a first-year, finish as the highest placing Maple Leaf individuals with fourth place finishes apiece: Hughey in the 300 meter with a time of 47.44 and Rangel in the 600 meter at 1:48.23. The Maple Leafs’ 4×400 relay team of Mara Beck, a sophomore, Chelsea Foster, a first-year, Rangel and Hughey claimed third place with a time of 4:38.88. Ginyce Haywood, a senior, recorded a personal best in the 60 meter with a time of 8.82, while Foster and Megan Graves, a senior, each set career bests in the mile with times of 5:38.68 and 6:07.92 respectively.

The Maple Leafs will be back in action this coming Saturday, Jan. 21, when they compete at the Mike Lints Alumni Open in Allendale, Michigan.