SHAWNEE, Okla. – The MACU Track & Field team put together a remarkable outdoor season-opener at the OBU All-Comers Meet at the Hurt Memorial Athletic Complex on Saturday as the Evangels set six NCCAA National Championship qualifying standards and established seven school records.
 
*-denotes NCCAA National Qualifying Standard
^-denotes school record
MEN'S EVENT RESULTS

• 3000-Meter Steeplechase (8)
  • Aidan Collins – 5^th – 10:25.42*^
  • Jaden Rodriguez – 6^th – 10:25.72*
• 1500-Meter Run (40)
  • Cameron Pearson – 17^th – 4:15.70
  • Conner Gerth – 37^th – 4:43.17
  • Saulo Castro – 39^th – 4:55.73
• 100-Meter Dash (47)
  • Jagger Jay – 41^st – 11.46^
  • Sam Boyles – 44^th – 11.84
  • Matthew Kletke – 45^th – 12.04
• Pole Vault (4)
  • Jagger Jay – 2^nd – 4.75-meters (13 ft - 7.5 in)*^
  • Sam Boyles – 4^th – 3.85-meters (12 ft - 7.5 in)*
• 800-Meter Run (47)
  • Jaden Rodriguez – 24^th – 2:04.85
  • Collin Seely – 29^th – 2:06.00
  • Aidan Collins – 38^th – 2:08.84
  • Chase Cotarelo – 40^th – 2:09.77
• 5000-Meter Run (41)
  • Lucky Maila – 10^th – 15:24.30*
  • Kabelo Maja – 27^th – 16:32.39
  • Blake Jensen – 28^th – 16:41.25
• 4x400-Meter Relay (10)
  • Chase Cotarelo, Blake Jensen, Collin Seely, Conner Gerth – 7^th – 3:33.36^

MEN'S EVENT SUMMARY

• Mid-America Christian opened the day with a bang in its first ever 3000-meter steeplechase event. The tandem of Aidan Collins and Jaden Rodriguez both set NCCAA National qualifying marks with Collins's time of 10:25.42 setting the program record while Rodriguez narrowly finished behind with a mark of 10:25.72. At the conclusion of the weekend, the marks set the third and fourth-best thus far in the NCCAA.
• In the 1500-meter, Cameron Pearson paced the Evangels, crossing the finish line in 4:15.70 to place 17^th out of the 40 runners in the event.
• With the Evangels competing in their first ever 100-meter dash, Jagger Jay led the way for MACU, setting the program record time of 11.46 while Sam Boyles also notched a sub 12-second time with a 11.84.
• The pair then went to go compete in the pole vault event, which ended up being eventful for both Jay and Boyles. After both cleared the initial mark of 3.70 meters, they each managed to clear the bar at the 3.85-meter height with Boyles getting it on the final try, which qualified them for the NCCAA Championships. Jay continued to come up huge down the stretch, clearing the 4.0-meter and then getting over the 4.15-meter mark, making him only one of two vaulters to clear that height and set the fourth-best height in the NCCAA this season.
• After setting a strong mark in the 3000-meter steeple, Rodriguez posted MACU's best time in the 800-meter, crossing the finish line in 2:04.85 to place 24^th out of the 47 runners in the race. Collin Seely didn't finish far behind, posting a 2:06.00.
• Following a sensational indoor campaign, Lucky Maila continued to raise eyebrows with his run in the 5000-meter, posting the second-fastest 5k time in MACU's record book with a 15:24.30, narrowly missing the record by 0.3 seconds. Not only did he put together a top 10 finish out of 41 competitors in the event, but his mark easily set the NCCAA National qualifying standard as well.
• The Evangels wrapped up the meet with their first ever 4x400-meter relay race. The four-man squad of Chase Cotarelo, Blake Jensen, Collin Seely, and Conner Gerth finished fourth with a time of 3:33.36, setting the fourth-best time in the NCCAA so far in the early season.

WOMEN'S EVENT RESULTS

• Women's 1500-Meter Run (38)
  • Kaia Henry – 38^th – 7:01.36^
• Women's 100-Meter Hurdles (17)
  • Cora Eyler – 13^th – 17.69^
• Women's 400-Meter Hurdles (15)
  • Cora Eyler – 14^th – 1:14.57*^

WOMEN'S EVENT SUMMARY

• Kaia Henry was the lone Evangel running in the 1500-meter run as the MACU made its women's outdoor track and field debut as her time of 7:01.36 set the mark to beat in the program's record book.
• Cora Eyler competed in both 100-meter and 400-meter hurdle events, setting the records in both events with a 17.69 time in the 100-meter. In the 400-meter that followed later in the day, Eyler crossed the finish line in 1:14.57, which set an NCCAA Qualifying standard as she aims to become MACU's first competitor in the women's NCCAA Outdoor National Championship.

UP NEXT

• The Evangels will have a few weeks before they go to compete at Golden Grizzly Invite hosted by Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kan. from Apr. 10-11.