PITTSBURG, Kan. – The MACU Men's Track & Field team made some noise to open its 2025-26 indoor season at the Crimson & Gold Invitational hosted by Pittsburg State at the Robert W. Plaster Center this weekend. Sophomore
Jaden Rodriguez both started it and finished it by breaking the school records in the 5000-meter and 3000-meter runs while setting NCCAA National qualifying standards in each race while junior
Lucky Maila also set a national qualifying standard in the 5000-meter as well.
EVENT RESULTS
- 5000-Meter Run
- Mile Run
- 800-Meter Run
- 4x400-Meter Relay
- 3000-Meter Run
EVENT NOTES
- 5000-Meter Run
- Mid-America Christian opened the PSU Crimson & Gold Invitational with the 5000-Meter event on Friday night.
- Sophomore Jaden Rodriguez set the tone by immediately breaking his own program record, crossing the finish line in 15:11.28 to annihilate his own previous best mark of 15:30.40 set at last year's NCCAA Indoor National Championships in Cedarville, Ohio on Feb. 7.
- At the conclusion of the first week of competition, Rodriguez currently sits in second on the NCCAA qualifying list, only 0.48 seconds off from the top time.
- Competing in his first ever MACU indoor track race after notching NCCAA All-America honors during the cross country season, junior Lucky Maila also posted an NCCAA qualifying standard when he finished with a 15:46.18, making it the third-fastest time in MACU's indoor record book. It is also the seventh-best time set within the NCCAA qualifying standards at the conclusion of the first week.
- Aidan Collins and Canaan Motley also competed in the event, with both runners crossing the finish line with times of 16:35.15 and 16:37.83 respectively.
- Mile Run
- Sophomore Connor Gerth headlined MACU's competitors in the Mile event on Saturday afternoon when he finished with a time of 4:38.20, setting a new personal-best as well as notching the fourth-fastest time in MACU's indoor record book.
- Competing in his first ever MACU indoor track event, junior Daniel Ponce just barely missed making it onto MACU's top five list when he crossed the line in 4:42.95, only 0.17 seconds from notching the No. 5 spot in MACU's book.
- Freshman Canaan Motley also ran in his second event of the meet after competing in the 5000-meter, setting his first collegiate time at 4:49.05.
- 800-Meter Run
- Freshman Chase Cotarelo raised some eyebrows with his first collegiate race in Saturday evening's 800-meter event. By crossing the finish line in 2:02.65, he narrowly missed setting an NCCAA National qualifying standard by only 0.15 seconds while also marking the third-best 800-meter time in MACU's indoor record book.
- Sophomore Collin Seely also posted a personal-best time in the event, as his time of 2:05.94 ranks as the fourth-best time on MACU's indoor list, edging out teammate Cameron Pearson's previous mark by only 0.05 seconds set at last year's NAIA/JUCO Challenge in the same venue on Jan. 25.
- 4x400-Meter Relay
- After their solid marks in the 800-meter, Cotarelo and Seely each ran a leg in the program's first ever 4x400-meter relay event.
- Competing with redshirt senior Matthew Kletke and freshman Jonathan Avila, who were both making their MACU debuts, the squad finished with a time of 3:37.37.
- 3000-Meter Run
- With his record-setting time in the 5000-meter on Friday night, Jaden Rodriguez closed out the meet in the 3000-meter on Saturday night. Once again, Rodriguez bested his previous best time when he crossed the line in 8:43.66, finishing in fourth while beating out multiple NCAA D-I and D-II level runners.
- Rodriguez bested his previous record set at the Washburn Open on Feb. 1 when he notched a time of 8:46.98.
- At the conclusion of the first week of indoor competition, Rodriguez currently owns the fastest 3k time amongst all NCCAA National qualifiers by nearly two whole seconds.
UP NEXT
- Mid-America Christian will now rest and recover over Christmas break before resuming the indoor season on Jan. 16. The Evangels will be competing in two different meets, including the OU Owen Hewitt Invitational at the Mosier Indoor Track Facility in Norman, Okla. as well as the Arkansas Invitational at the Tyson Indoor Track Center in Fayetteville, Ark.
