CARBONDALE, Ill. – The UNI men’s track and field team captured its third-consecutive and 10th outdoor conference title at the Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Championships on Sunday in Carbondale, Ill. with 167.50 points, while the women finished fifth overall with 82 points. The Panthers brought home six gold medals and posted a total of 19 All-Conference finishes on the weekend. Head coach Dave Paulsen was named MVC Men’s Coach of the Year and graduate student Darius King was named Men’s Most Outstanding Field Athlete.
The men’s 4×100-meter relay team of senior Michael Santi, graduate student Elijah Hicks, senior Dan Blocker, and freshman Parker Kiewiet clinched gold, clocking a time of 40.49. On the women’s side, the 4×100-meter relay team of junior Rylan Santi, freshman Libby Wedewer, graduate student Taylor Raines, and freshman Paishence Johnson posted a time of 45.31 to place second, shattering a UNI school record that has stood for 27 years.
Redshirt senior Aleenah Marcucci garnered a second gold medal to match her women’s long jump victory after clocking a personal best time of 13.65 in the women’s 100-meter hurdles. Senior Isaiah Trousil tied his personal best in the men’s 200 meters, posting a time of 10.54 to earn silver. In addition to the silver medal she took home from the women’s 4×100-meter relay, Raines collected bronze medals in the women’s 100 meters (11.84) and 200 meters (24.00, PR)
Graduate student Thomas Yezek posted a personal best mark of 55.76m in the men’s discus to land first and was joined on the podium by King, who placed third with a toss of 52.72m. Earlier in the weekend, King earned medals in the men’s shot put (first, 20.08m) and men’s javelin (third, 56.53m, PR).
UNI went 1-2-3-4 in the men’s decathlon, with sophomore Zack Butcher posting 6490 points to place first. Following Butcher, freshman Carter Morton finished second with 6440 points, sophomore Thai Thompson posted 6369 points to take third, and freshman Matt Davis rounded out the group with 6310 points to finish fourth.
Graduate student Kyler Yodts posted a personal best of 65.16m in the men’s hammer throw to finish second. In the men’s long jump, sophomore Jack Sumners and Kiewiet took second and third with leaps of 7.25m (outdoor PR) and 7.23m, respectively. Senior Cameron Cantrall saw the podium after finishing second in the men’s high jump with a mark of 2.03m and junior Cierra Laux took third in the women’s pole vault (3.70m),
The Panthers will look ahead to the NCAA West Prelims in College Station, Tex. The top 48 declared student-athletes will be accepted for individual competition and the top 24 declared relay teams will be accepted for competition at each preliminary site. Selections will be announced one week before preliminary action.
Currently in the West Regional standings, King is fifth in the men’s shot put category, Yodts is 26th in the men’s hammer throw, Yezek is 33rd in the men’s discus, and senior Anna Hoyman is 40th in the women’s hammer throw.
