Mississippi College’s track and field teams posted strong performances over the weekend at the UAH Rocket City Invitational and the Georgia Tech Invitational, earning several school records and NCAA provisional marks, according to school officials.
At the UAH Rocket City Invitational in Huntsville, the women’s discus throw saw Rebekah Zweerink set a school record with a personal-best 44.87 meters (147 feet, 3 inches), which ranks first in the Gulf South Conference this season. On the track, Matias Vasquez recorded an NCAA provisional time of 52.17 seconds in the men’s 400-meter hurdles, ranking 17th in Division II. Samuel Hodson posted a personal best of 1:49.33 in the men’s 800 meters, meeting the NCAA provisional standard and moving to second all-time at Mississippi College.
The meet also featured multiple event wins for the Choctaws. James Miller took first in the men’s hammer throw with a toss of 55.75 meters (182 feet, 11 inches), and Mallory Dial won the women’s high jump with a season-best clearance of 1.68 meters (5 feet, 6 inches). On the track, Catherine Wallace finished second in the women’s 1500 meters in 4:39.82, while Tristan Jusino-Lansing captured the men’s 110-meter hurdles in 14.41 seconds.
Additional top performances included Jacob Keesee finishing second in the men’s hammer throw with 55.62 meters (182 feet, 6 inches), and Steven Conrad setting a personal best of 51.94 meters (170 feet, 5 inches), ranking third in the GSC and fifth all-time at Mississippi College. On the women’s side, Keva Thomas placed third in the hammer throw with a personal-best 46.68 meters (153 feet, 2 inches), moving into third all-time at the school. Baxter Friedman posted a personal best of 9:10.20 in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase, ranking fourth in the conference.
In sprint events, Elyse Dorris finished second in the women’s 100 meters with a personal best of 11.91 seconds and third in the 200 meters with 24.90 seconds. The women’s 4×400 relay team finished second with a time of 3:56.85, and the men’s relay also placed second in 3:13.61. Ethan Belcher cleared a personal-best 4.58 meters (15 feet, 0ΒΌ inches) in the pole vault.
At the Georgia Tech Invitational in Atlanta, the Choctaws set school records and achieved NCAA provisional marks in distance events. Bre Bell won the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase in a personal-best 10:30.14, ranking ninth in Division II and first in the Gulf South Conference. Lauren Wallace also broke her own school record in the women’s 1,500 meters with a time of 4:21.92, which ranks tenth nationally.
Christian Balcer finished third in the men’s 1,500 meters in 3:45.66. The teams will continue their outdoor season next weekend at the Mike McMillan Alumni Twilight Meet at Mississippi College.
