Outdoor Track: Red Wolves Take RSC Title
RIO GRANDE, Ohio - Another historic day for the Indiana University East women's track team.
After winning its first River States Conference Indoor Championship back in February, IU East won its first outdoor league title at the University of Rio Grande on Saturday, May 2.
IU East led the way with 210 points as the Red Wolves topped the host RedStorm (172) in the 10-team event. With 119 points, the IU East men finished fourth as the Red Wolves trailed Rio Grande (280.5), IU Kokomo (162) and Shawnee State University (124.5).
Vanessa Temple headlined the overall effort by the Red Wolves as she found the top spot on the podium four times on Saturday. She posted a NAIA National Qualifying "B" Standard time of 1:02.92 in the 400-meter hurdles as she established a new meet record. Earlier in the day, she won the triple jump with a distance of 10.33 meters. Temple added a seventh-place finish in the 200 at 26.91.
Temple was also a part of two championship relay squads. In the first track event of the day, Brooklyn Taylor, Temple, Esther George and Mackenzie Rohde grabbed the medals in the 400-meter relay with a time of 49.42 seconds. Temple led off the 1,600-meter relay in the final race of the two-day meet with George, Hunter Gardner and Rohde finishing first in 4:05.33.
Emilee Earl earned all-conference honors as she set IU East records in two events finishing second in the women's discus (42.64 meters) and third in the shot put (12.55).
While also setting a school record, Kayci Hill was all-conference in the women's 1,500 with a time of 4:45.79 to take third.
Others making all-conference individually were George (women's 100 hurdles, second, 15.77), Rohde (women's 400, second, 59.13), Naleya Kinney (women's triple jump, second, 10.08), Emily Fleming (women's 800, third, 2:21.95), Jaiden Crowell (men's 200, third, 22.60) and Thomas Hogan (men's 5,000, third, 15:13.10).
The men's team had both relay squads make the all-conference list by taking second place. The 400-meter relay group of Antaviyon Reed, Crowell, Miguel Mendez Jr. and Tristan Thomas had a time of 42.56. In the 1,600-meter relay, DeAndre Hall, Max Kline, Crowell and Conner Walser finished in 4:05.33.
Hunter Allen had an IU East record of 4:00.58 to finish fourth in the men's 1,500.
The post-season awards were also announced by the RSC as Dom Hudson was named the Women's Coach of the Year. Hudson also received the honor after the indoor season. Hunter Gardner and Zach Kiracofe were named to the RSC Champions of Character Team.
Scoring for the Red Wolves were:
Mackenzie Rohde (women's 200, fourth, 26.10)
Emily Fleming (women's 1,500, fourth, 4:48.18)
Esther George (women's 200, sixth, 26.89)
Kayci Hill (women's 800, sixth, 2:24.79)
Owen Beachler (men's 110 hurdles, sixth, 15.83)
Mylee Shatto (women's 400 hurdles, sixth, 1:13.13)
Gavin Ashby (men's 800, sixth, 4:02.44)
Richard Bower (men's 5,000, sixth, 15:21.13)
Althea Clifford (women's 5,000, sixth, 19:17.44)
Kendra Shipman (women's 400 hurdles, seventh, 1:13.26)
Akot Tong (men's 800, seventh, 1:59.23)
Max Kline (men's 800, seventh, 4:03.52)
Hunter Allen (men's 5,000, seventh, 15:24.12)
DeAndre Hall (men's 400, eighth, 51.63)
Aliecia Brooks (women's 400, eighth, 1:03.44)
Conner Walser (men's 400 hurdles, eighth, 1:01.26)
Beck Wilson (men's 800, eighth, 2:00.24)
Lily Hart (women's 1,500, eighth, 5:08.30)
Chloe Scales (women's 5,000, eighth, 19:26.32)