Arkansas State sweeps SBC Indoor Track & Field Championships for the 4th straight season

For the fourth consecutive season, the Arkansas State track and field teams are taking home both team titles at the Sun Belt Conference Indoor Championships.

A-State becomes the first program to sweep four years in a row since Middle Tennessee did so in 2001-04. The men clinched the title with 174.5 points – the third-most in conference history – 48 points ahead of runner-up Louisiana (126.5), while the women finished with 106.5 points to top Coastal Carolina (76.5) by 30.

The Red Wolves have now won a combined 24 conference titles between men’s and women’s cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field under the watch of A-State Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Dr. Jim Patchell.

Pauline Meyer totaled 26 points on the week, including 16 on Tuesday. After winning the women’s 5000 meters on Monday, Meyer claimed gold in the mile with a meet-record 4:46.88 before finishing with bronze in the 3000 meters (9:37.47). Rahel Broemmel took silver in the mile behind Meyer with a time of 4:49.77 before claiming another silver medal in the 3000 meters.

Freshman Hannes Fahl took home a pair of gold medals in the mile (4:10.24) and 800 meters, with the Scarlet and Black sweeping the podium in the former. Ryan Parson took silver in the mile with a time of 4:11.15 while Grayson Young clocked a personal-best 4:11.33 to clinch bronze. Lasse Funck took silver behind Fahl in the 800 with a time of 1:51.32 that is sixth in school history, while Andrew Westphal and Handre Jonker added points at sixth and eighth place, respectively.

In the women’s 800 meters, Cheyenne Melvin took gold with a time of 2:10.99 – a season after earning a silver medal as a freshman.

On the straightaway, rookie Myles Thomas captured gold in the men’s 60 meters with a blistering 6.66, with Omari Walker finishing sixth in a season-best 6.84. In the women’s 60, Jonae Cook placed fifth with a mark of 7.45 before placing fourth in the 200 meters. Also in the sprints, Jermie Walker placed fifth in the men’s 400 meters with a time of 48.59.

Jacob Tracy hurled a career-best 17.16m (56-3.75) to win the men’s shot put, a mark that is eighth in school history. Willem Coertzen tossed the implement 16.96m (55-7.75) to take bronze. For the women, Selase Sampram placed sixth with a career-best 15.28m (50-1.75) with Evangelynn Harris following in seventh with a top throw of 15.09m (49-6.25).

A-State captured silver and bronze in the men’s 60-meter hurdles, with Will Glass breaking his own school record with a time of 7.76 and Colby Eddowes registering a time of 8.00. Eddowes later placed fourth in the men’s high jump with a clearance of 2.09m (6-10.25). In the women’s final, Tyra Nabors and Camryn Newton-Smith placed sixth and seventh, respectively.

Newton-Smith also took bronze in the women’s high jump, clearing 1.71m (5-7.25) with Sydney Lane following in fifth with a mark of 1.68m (5-6).

Meyer and Broemmel led a pack of Red Wolves that posted 17 points in the women’s 3000 meters. Behind the silver and bronze finishes of Meyer and Broemmel, Jaybe Shufelberger placed seventh with a time of 9:52.62 while Sophie Leathers recorded an eighth-place time of 9:52.81.

Jacob Pyeatt took silver in the men’s 3000 meters, as A-State’s men’s squad added 19 points in its final event on the track. Ethan Mychajlonka placed fourth with a career-best time of 8:28.37, while Young (8:31.99), Rylan Brown (8:33.55) and Parson (8:35.17) placed sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively.

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