No. 11 Warriors Make Final Marks Before Conference Meet

WAYNE, Neb. – Midland University, who is ranked No. 11 in the most recent USTFCCCA NAIA Rankings, had a standout performance this weekend at the 2025 Bearcat Invite in Maryville, Missouri, and the Wildcat Indoor Classic in Wayne, Nebraska.

At the Bearcat Invite, Lucas Hjortkjaer finished eighth in the 1 Mile with a time of 4:16.59 which is the third-fastest in school history. He also claimed first place in the 1000m, winning with a time of 2:27.68. Henri Stoeckermann followed with a second-place finish in the 1000m at 2:29.81 and also placed eighth in the 800m with a time of 1:53.00. His 800m time reset his own school record in the event. Koen Steenblok ran a time of 1:54.57, placing 16th with the second-fastest time in Midland history.

The 4x400m relay team of Noah Sherman, Raheem Richards, Kenya Ford, and Shandon Reitzell broke the school record while finishing fifth with a time of 3:17.87. They also reached the NAIA B Standard.

At the Wildcat Indoor Classic, Robert Atwater had an exceptional day, taking first in both the pole vault (4.40m) and long jump (7.31m), while finishing second in the triple jump with a mark of 14.57m. He reached the NAIA B Standard in the triple jump and is now qualified for nationals in all four jumps. He also ranks third in school history in the triple jump.

Braden Taylor won the 800m with a time of 1:58.49. Andrew Nunez also competed in the 800m, finishing fifth with a time of 2:02.79.

The men's distance squad delivered solid results, with Jonathan Mahoney finishing second in the 3000m at 8:55.48 and Kelvin Korir placing eighth in the same event with a time of 9:22.59. Korir also finished fifth in the 1 Mile with a time of 4:41.28. Felix Grave secured a third-place finish in the 5000m with a time of 17:22.90.

In sprints, Aiden Mountain placed seventh in the 60m with a time of 7.15, and Chris Medlock took seventh in the 400m at 51.57. Medlock also competed in the 4x400m relay, where he teamed up with Blake Olbrich, Braden Taylor, and Andrew Nunez to finish fourth with a time of 3:34.02. Blake Olbrich also earned third place in the 600m with a time of 1:25.17, while Garrick Wilson placed eighth in the 600m with a time of 1:33.48. Mountain also placed 12th in the 200m with a time of 22.90 which is the seventh fastest in program history.

In hurdles, Evan Shepard earned second place in the 60m hurdles with a time of 8.40.

In the high jump, Jonah Martinez finished third with a clearance of 1.83m (judge's decision), while Garrett Guindon placed fourth at 1.73m and Hudson McCafferty took sixth at 1.68m. Nate Osness rounded out the field events with a ninth-place finish in the weight throw, recording a toss of 15.01m.

The Warriors will look to fine-tune their events in the coming week ahead of the 2025 Great Plains Athletic Conference Indoor Championships. The championship meet will be held on February 14-15 in Mitchell, South Dakota.