SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – In the final tuneup before the Crossroads League Championships, the Spring Arbor University men’s and women’s track & field teams took part in the Otterbein University Twilight Invitational on Friday.
Both squads finished in third place in the team standings with the women totaling 117 points and the Cougar men scoring 108.5 points, finishing only half of a point behind Otterbein for second place.
Leading the way for Spring Arbor on the women’s side was sophomore Bethany Kuenzer. Kuenzer earned a second place finish in the pole vault, clearing a career-best 11’ 11.75” (3.65m), which ties the school record in the event. Not only did she match the school record in the pole vault, but she smashed the program’s previous all-time best mark in the 100 meter hurdles on her way to a third place finish. Kuenzer initially broke the record with a 15.42 in the prelims, but would blow that time away with a 15.38 in the finals.
Katrina Tovar and Katherine Hiller also scored for SAU in the hurdles with Tovar running a personal-best 15.82 and Hiller clocking in at 16.41. Hiller and Tovar would go on to score in the 400 meter hurdles as well earning a second and fourth place finish, respectively.
Mycah Ridder would grab a fifth place finish in both the 100 and 200 meter dash. Ridder turned in a personal-best 12.50 in the 100, a time that ranks second all-time at SAU. Jaydn Fuerst and Kayla Kilgore also had impressive performances in the sprints with fourth and eighth place finishes in the 400 meter dash. Fuerst finished in 1:01.01 while Kilgore followed in 1:03.87.
Jennifer Coffell and Victoria Harper came in seventh and eighth in the 1500 meter run. Coffell completed the race in 5:03.81 with Harper a step behind in 5:04.74. In the 5000 meter run, Caitlin Clark earned fifth place with a time of 19:35.38 and Hannah Hoffmann followed in eighth in 19:59.17.
Liz Brueggeman captured an event win in the triple jump with a career-best leap of 34’ 4” (10.46m). Kuenzer was right behind her in second with a mark of 33’ 6” (10.21m).
The Cougars placed three in the top five in the long jump with Tovar leading the way in second place jumping 17’ 2.75” (5.25m). Brueggeman and Ridder took fourth and fifth place with marks of 15’ 7.75” (4.77m).
Leslie Tanis, Sarah Sixberry and Shoshannah Smith all hit personal-best marks in the javelin throw on their way to a top 10 finish. Tanis grabbed fourth place with a throw of 103’ 6” (31.56m) while Sixberry placed seventh with a 95’ 11” (29.25m) and Smith 10th with an 88’ 2” (26.88m).
The men’s side was highlighted by Joshua Smith’s performance in the 110 meter hurdles. After earning All-American honors at the NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships, Smith will have the chance to showcase his ability on the national stage one more time as he hit the NAIA B standard to punch his ticket to the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships. Not only did he hit the qualifying standard, but finished in first place with a time of 14.88 – a time that ranks second in program history. Smith would also take second in the 400 meter hurdles with a personal-best 56.82.
Smith was not the only Cougar on the men’s side to claim an event win as Alex Lodes took first place in the 200. Lodes turned in the third-fastest performance in school history, clocking in at 21.86. Austin Hickerson also took home the top spot in the 400 with a time of 50.61.
Lodes, along with Sam Ellis, would also earn points in the 100. Lodes came up just short of a school record in the event, but his time of 10.75 now ranks second in program history. Ellis finished fifth in 11.10.
Kevin Smith led the way in the field events earning first place in the triple jump with a leap of 43’ 2.50” (13.17m). He would also place fifth in the long jump with a mark of 21’ 0.75” (6.42m).
Three Cougars landed in the top 10 of the javelin. Josh Rhodes placed fourth with a throw of 137’ 0” (41.76m). He was followed by Kenan Swihart in eighth with a mark of 127’ 8” (38.93m) and James Viers took 10th with a 120’ 5” (36.72m).
The Crossroads League Championships are slated to begin on Thursday, Apr. 28 at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Indiana. The two-day meet will conclude on Friday, Apr. 29.
