The track & field Bears maintained their record breaking streak at the Washburn Open Jan. 31-Feb. 1, making way for a promising season.
Head coach Josey Weaver said, “We went into this meet with a lot of confidence after our first meet of the year. I feel like we built on that confidence with some great performances.”
While finishing high up in the ranks, the Bears also saw their players and teams break personal and program records during the meet.
The men’s distance medley team finished in second place with a final time of 9:58:12, breaking the previous team record of 10:00.82 from 2021.
Many records were broken from the individual throwers as well, with senior Joy Nance breaking the program record for shot put with a 13.47m throw and senior Jaden Schneeberger breaking the men’s shot put record with a 16.48m throw.
Joy Nance said, “This meet made me feel more confident and comfortable with myself.”
“I just tried to remember what my coach told me and what I’ve been practicing during the meet; you never know how prepared you are going to be until you enter the ring,” Nance said.
Schneeberger said, “This meet really helps show that my goals are closer than I think, and each week I get closer and closer.”
“I just want to help represent the UCA Bears this season, and I’m always proud when I do,” Schneeberger said.
Sophomore Joia Perry set a personal record in weight throwing, pulling off an 18.69m throw that landed her in second place.
Perry said, “I wanted to enter the 19 or 20 meter group in weight throwing, but I’m happy with how close I got to it; my confidence in my consistency at practice and the meets definitely increased.”
Perry said that she is trying to relax and not be too hard on herself.
“A lot of my preparation outside the meets is just mental, and trying not to stress too much about results. I remind myself that by this point, what I’m doing is just muscle memory now,” Perry said.
Junior Aidan Patton placed first in weight throwing with a distance of 20.15m, making him the only competitor to surpass the 20 meter mark.
Weaver said he didn’t doubt his team for a second.
“I trust our team and have all the confidence in the world with them, they work so hard and always perform their best,” Weaver said.
In the women’s 5k, junior Madeline Hill placed in 5th out of 50 with a time of 17:21:87.
“I couldn’t be happier with the results of this meet. We broke four school records and walked away with many personal bests,” Weaver said.
Despite all the wins they walked away with, the teams aren’t satisfied and are preparing for the ASUN Conference Championship meet at the end of the season.
Schneeberger said, “My main goal is to gear up for the ASUN conference and keep this momentum to help give my team a conference title.”
Nance said, “I’m hungry for what’s next in this season; I don’t feel satisfied just yet.”
The Bears will run towards their next meet Feb. 14th at the Ichabod Challenge in Topeka and the Tyson invite in Fayetteville.
