The UCA Bears track and field team came ready to compete at the Pittsburg State 8th Annual Indoor Gorilla Classic, beating three school records and 41 personal records over Friday and Saturday, Feb. 10-11.

Coach Josey Weaver said, “This was by far our best meet of the season. We are very excited to use this momentum rolling into our ASUN Conference championships in two weeks.” 

The Bears began their successes at the first event of the meet when junior Malik Beasley set the new UCA record for the men’s weight throw with a throw of 17.60m. This throw placed Beasley in 13th place overall.

On Saturday, graduate student Julian Haessner would also join the list of UCA record breakers when he finished the men’s 3000m with a personal record time of 8:18.84.

The third record was broken by the 4×400 women’s relay team consisting of freshman Grace Deshotels, sophomore Kamaria Russell, sophomore Zadie St. Louis and senior Kayla Scott who finished the relay with a record time of 3:48.64.

On top of the UCA record breakers, the first day of the meet ended with eight top-10 finishes and 22 personal records broken. The second day ended with 10 top-10 finishes and 19 personal records set.

Weaver said that the team’s strength was in the balance of the team. “I think we’re well represented across the board,” she said.

“We are starting to become a true team and not just a team with good individuals. We preach trust & supporting one another and that’s exactly what was displayed this weekend,” Weaver said.

“I want to commend our entire team for not only competing at a high level, but also for being great teammates and pulling hard for one another,” Weaver said.

Of Friday’s events, the Bears showed their balance as a team by getting top ten finishes in the high jump, pole vault, 60m hurdles, and 60m dash.

Freshman Robert Ricks finished 10th with a personal record jump of 1.82m during the men’s high jump.

Freshman Sophia Schrader placed seventh with a jump of 3.33m in the women’s pole vault with freshman Kylie Coleman finishing ninth with the same jump of 3.33m. Junior Parker Benefield placed second with a personal record jump of 4.62m in the men’s pole vault.

In the qualifying match for the women’s 60m hurdles, Scott finished first with a personal record time of 8.87 

In the qualifying match for the women’s 60m dash, senior Z’Kiah Kuykendall finished first with a time of 7.69, junior Ayana Harris finished sixth with a time of 7.782 and junior Ciara Tucker finished eighth with a personal record time of 7.788.

In the qualifying match for the men’s 60m dash, freshman Ty Juan Huffman finished third with a personal record time of 6.88 and senior Wesley Suen finished eighth with 6.91.

During Saturday’s events, the Bears placed in the top 10 for shot put, 3000m, 60m dash, 400m dash and the 4×400 relay.

During the women’s shot put, sophomore Kiara Williams placed ninth with a throw of 12.30m.

Julian Haessner placed seventh in the men’s 3000m with a personal record time of 8:18.84.

In the preliminary match of the women’s 60m dash, junior Kendelle McCoy placed sixth with a time of 7.67 and Kuykendall placed ninth with a personal record time of 7.68. In the final match, McCoy placed seventh with a personal record time of 7.66.

In the preliminary match for the men’s 60m dash, senior Kobe Gill placed fifth with a time of 6.81 and Suen placed seventh with a personal record time of 6.85. In the final match, Suen placed sixth with a time of 6.88.

St. Louis placed ninth in the women’s 400m dash final match with a personal record time of 57.29. 

Deshotels, Russell, St. Louis and Scott placed third with a time of 3:48.64 during the women’s 4×400 relay. 

Other members of the team also placed over the course of the two-day meet.

In the women’s weight throw, sophomore Jalyn Akins finished 33rd with a throw of 12.40m and freshman Aidan Patton finished 21st with a personal record throw of 16.58m in the men’s weight throw.

Sophomore Miranda Nichols finished 23rd with a personal record throw of 11.61m during the women’s shot put. Junior Malik Beasley finished 13th with a throw of 15.55m and Patton finished 24th with a throw of 14.56m during the men’s shot put.

Junior Natalie Louw finished 27th with a jump of 5.21m during the women’s long jump and sophomore Bryson Bailey finished 22nd with a jump of 6.45m during the men’s long jump.

During the women’s 60m hurdles qualifying match, Louw finished 16th with a personal record time of 9.28 and junior Taylor Conway finished 30th with a 9.64 time. In the women’s preliminary match, Scott finished 18th with a time of 9.08 and Louw finished 26th with a time of 9.32.

During the 60m dash women’s qualifying match, Russell finished 28th with a 7.96, freshman Indiyah Aldridge finished 44th with a personal record time of 8.06 and Deshotels finished 57th with a personal record time of 8.17. During the women’s preliminary 60m dash, Tucker finished 17th with a personal record time of 7.80 and Harris finished 22nd with a personal record time of 7.84. 

Bailey finished 59th with a 7.18 during the men’s 60m qualifying match.

The UCA team consisting of sophomore Emma Selph, sophomore Isabel Lynch, sophomore Jewel Baer and sophomore Ali Nachtigal finished 14th with a time of 12:52.27 during the women’s 4000m Distance Medley and the UCA team consisting of sophomore Bresner Austin, sophomore Jackson Salsman, freshman Hayden Boyett and sophomore Johnny Cordero finished 20th with a time of 10:28.74 during the men’s 4000m Distance Medley.

During the women’s 200m dash, McCoy finished 15th with a time of 25.11, Russell finished 21st with a 25.31, Harris finished 22nd with a personal record time of  25.36, St. Louis finished 28th with a personal record time of 25.53, Scott finished 31st with a 25.67, Tucker finished 36th with a personal record time of 25.83, Deshotels finished 37th with a personal record time of 25.85, sophomore Symone Quiles finished 49th with a personal record time of 26.176, and sophomore Aubrey Elam finished 79th with a personal record time of 27.48.   

During the men’s 200m dash, Huffman finished 28th with a time of 21.99, Suen finished 31st with a 22.01, sophomore Preston Barker finished 35th with a personal record time of 22.07, sophomore Tyrone Luckett finished 49th with a 22.25, sophomore Jordan Johnson finished 50th with a personal record time of 22.30, and junior Bruce White finished 61st with a 22.63.

During the women’s 400m dash finals, Quiles finished 24th with a personal record time of 58.62. During the men’s 400m dash finals, graduate student Armonte Paulk finished 14th with a time of 48.64, Johnson finished 24th with a personal record time of 49.21, graduate student Shamal Sullivan finished 25th with a personal record time of 49.30, Luckett finished 47th with a time of 50.26 and White finished 58th with a 51.71.

In the women’s 800m, junior Anna Bommes finished 13th with a personal record time of 2:15.03, Selph finished 22nd with a personal record time of 2:19.19, Nachtigal finished 46th with a personal record time of 2:22.94, and Baer finished 58th with a personal record time of 2:24.90. During the men’s 800m, Austin finished 44th with a personal record time of 1:57.80. Cordero finished 52nd with a 1:58.46 and Salsman finished 69th with a personal record time of 2:04.29.

During the men’s 3000m, freshman Gavin Frick finished 16th with a personal record time of 8:29.62 and graduate student Philipp Haessner finished 19th with a personal record time of 8:32.53.

Sophomore Felisa Saheib finished 43rd with a time of 18:43.87 in the women’s 5000m. In the men’s 5000m, senior Thomas Cain finished 26th with a personal record time of 15:08.98, freshman Carlos Hernandez finished 45th with a personal record time of 15:29.62, junior Parker Jackson finished 54th with a 15:38.18, and sophomore Christian Tamura finished 55th with a personal record time of 15:39.62. 

Senior Hunter Henderson finished 51st with a time of 4:22.44 for the men’s mile finals.

In the women’s 4×400 relay, the UCA team consisting of Quiles, McCoy, Conway and Elam finished 18th with a time of 4:03.21 and in the men’s 4×400 relay, the UCA team consisting of Luckett, Barker, Suen, and White finished 14th with a time of 3:18.22.

The Bears are set to play their next meet at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas this Friday, Feb. 17.