The UCA track and field teams crushed the competition at the Atlantic Sun Conference indoor championship, snagging 17 championship titles and setting several records in Louisville, Kentucky, Feb. 27-28.

The men’s team ran away with a whopping 213.5 points, with junior weight thrower Aidan Patton, freshman pole vaulter Nathan Uptagrafft and freshman high jumper/sprinter Jeremiah Boudreaux placing first in their respective events.

Patton set a new program record by more than half a meter with his 21.07m throw and set an ASUN Indoor Championship record.

Uptagrafft said his only goal going into the meet was “to finish it.”

Uptagrafft said, “With a recently acquired SI joint dysfunction and 11 events to compete in, I was not confident I could complete even half of them. I ended up drastically exceeding my expectations for the meet, finishing first in pole vault, third in the heptathlon, and sixth in the 60m hurdles.”

Uptagrafft earned 19 points total for his team. He attributes that success to the support of his teammates, coaches and athletic trainer.

“A back brace, KT tape, massage gun, and a lot of Advil also made it possible,” Uptagrafft said.

Earning 26 points for UCA and three medals, Boudreaux was named the most valuable performer at the championship. 

Boudreaux said he felt that the team performed well but has a lot of work to do.

“I believe this is only the very beginning of what UCA has to offer, not only this season but in the oncoming years. We are a very young and hungry team that actively pursues excellence and will not be satisfied by mediocrity,” Boudreaux said. “I am extremely honored to be a part of such an incredibly unique and driven team; we are truly leaving our mark. If anything, this meet serves as preparation for our outdoor season, where the Bears will be coming full force.”

Graduate student Kobe Gill said he “couldn’t be more proud” of Boudreaux.

“Boudreaux came in as a freshman with his head on straight and took care of business in four different events while achieving the MVP award. [I] couldn’t be more proud of that guy.”

Gill also earned first place in the Men’s 60m dash.

The women’s team raked in 154.5 points, with sophomore weight thrower Joia Perry and freshman pole vaulter Bailee Villavaso bringing in first-place wins.

Perry beat Austin Peay State University’s Emma Tucker by 2.16m, throwing a 19.95m shot.

This throw set a new program record by more than half a meter, set an ASUN Indoor Championship record and broke into the national top 50 for Division I throws this season.

Villavaso, also having recently set the program’s new indoor record, posted a 3.80m vault, snagging first place.

Coach Josey Weaver said there were “too many to list” of athletes whose performances stood out to him.

“We had 30 men and 30 women who came together to put up a championship effort. We had conference champions, all-conference performers, point scorers and athletes pulling for their teammates. None of this is possible without them all,” Weaver said.

The team prepared long and hard to secure their victories at the championship.

“We have been preparing for this meet for the past two years. Ever since arriving on campus, we had a vision and belief that we could get our teams to this point. I’m so proud of all the work that our coaches and athletes have put in to get to this point.”

The conference named Weaver the indoor track and field coach of the year for both the men’s and women’s teams. This is his third season as head coach for UCA.

Weaver said the teams’ wins will help them going into the outdoor season.

“We will use this to build off of,” Weaver said. “[We’re] going to celebrate this one for a few days before getting ready for outdoor track.”

Track and field’s next big event, the NCAA Indoor Championships, will take the Bears all the way to Virginia Beach, Virginia, March 14-15.