WICHITA – Several strong performances for the Kansas Wesleyan Indoor Track teams highlighted the team's day at the Friends University First Chance meet on Saturday at Wichita State's Heskett Center.
The Coyotes came away with event wins as Austin Hess (SO/Garden City, Kan.) had a breakthrough race in the men's 3000m with a 20-second personal best, picking up his first collegiate victory with a time of 9:19.98.
Eugene Dixon (SR/Plymouth, Minn.) won the men's 400m with a time of 52.60, just edging out teammate Nigel Davis (SR/Los Angeles, Calif.) in second with a time of 52.64.
Tabetha Deines (SR/Salina, Kan.) won the 800m with a time of 2:20.84, and Stephanie Martinez (SR/Horizon City, Texas) won the 3000m with a time of 11:00.66.
There were plenty of other strong performances for the Coyotes.
Marisela Hernandez-Castro (SR/Yuba City, Calif.) set a new school record in the weight throw, breaking her own record with a throw of 13.48m finishing second in the event. Nicole Holaday (JR/Gove, Kan.) finished second in the shot put with a toss of 11.55m.
The jumps were led by Eryk Kyser (SO/Caney, Kan.)'s second place finish in the long jump with a jump of 6.86m and Kalil Murphy (FR/Hollywood, Fla.) was third with a jump of 6.45m. Kalil Murphy was able to show his strength in the triple jump with his second runner up finish in the event this year with a jump of 13.85m.
The men's 4x400 team, one of three in the event, of Dixon, Conner LaRosa (FR/Herington, Kan.), Kamal Murphy (FR/Hollywood, Fla.) and Davis finished fourth with a time of 3:33.00.
Kylie Mouser (FR/Wichita, Kan.) placed fourth in the 400m with a time of 2:43.80. Daniella Gaona (SO/Clifton, Texas) finished fourth in the mile with a time of 5:57.53. In the men's mile, Giovanni Rios (FR/Temecula, Calif.) placed sixth with a time of 4:49.58.
In the men's 800m, Ty Davidson (FR/Lakin, Kan.) was seventh in 2:10.10, Roberto Apodaca (FR/Scott City, Kan.) was 12th in 2:13.69, Trey Bradley (SO/Colby, Kan.) was 13th in 2:14.98, and Jack Horacek (FR/Topeka. Kan.) was 15th in 2:19.73.
In the men's 400m LaRosa was ninth in 54.02, Kamal Murphy was 12th in 55.60, Darius Archuleta (FR/Liberal, Kan.) was 14th in 55.99, and Randall Thornton (SO/Salina, Kan.) was 17th in 60.48. In the women's 400m, Bailey Mann (FR/Ferris, Texas) finished eighth with a time of 65.51.
In the men's 1000m Gavin Tucker (FR/Wichita, Kan.) placed eighth in 2:49.65, and Shane Calvin (SO/Lakin, Kan.) was 13th in 2:54.31.
In the High Jump, Preston Rottinghaus (FR/Wichita, Kan.) finished seventh with a jump of 1.78m. In the women's 1000m, Regan Rhodes (JR/Mullinville, Kan.) was seventh in 3:31.11.
In the 4x400m relay the team of Archuleta, Trey Bradley, Davidson, and Shane Calvin finished sixth with a time of 3:48.65 and the team of Kalil Murphy, Apodaca, Tucker and Thornton finished ninth in 3:53.29.
Samiyah Walker (FR/Bakersfield, Calif.) was 11th in the 60m with a time 8.32, and Tiffany Pace (FR/Ferris, Texas) was 12th in 8.35. In the men's 60m preliminaries Dixon finished 17th in 7.16 and Kalil Murphy was 29th in 7.37.
In the women's 200m Pace was 16th in 28.56, and Walker was 17th in 28.58.
In the 3000m Cisco Alvarez (FR/Colorado Springs, Colo.) was 11th in 9:49.96, and Stevie Merrill was 13th in 9:59.85.
In the Long Jump Kamal Murphy finished 14th with a jump of 5.70m. Saffron Jacobs (SO/Johannesburg, South Africa) was 17th in the shot put with a toss of 7.22m.
The season continues on Saturday for the Coyotes at the Washburn Rust Buster in Topeka.