Bethel Men’s track wins NCCAA Indoor National Championship,

CEDARVILLE, Ohio – The Bethel College track & field team are coming home with a banner for the second straight weekend, as the men’s team finished off their repeat of the NCCAA Indoor National Championship, overtaking host Cedarville (Ohio) on the final day of competition to earn their sixth NCCAA national championship. The women’s team held serve with a second-place finish by a wide margin.

All said, the Pilots hit eight NAIA standards, seven national championship performances, 19 All-American finishes (adding 31 more All-Americans to their program history), and a men’s track and field program record on the day—to add to their five NAIA standards, four national championship performances, ten All-American performances (with 22 All-Americans), and a women’s track and field record on Day One of the meet.

Men’s senior Jordan Downs was named the Outstanding Indoor Athlete of the Meet—just the second in program history—after setting a program record and NCCAA Indoor National Championship record with a 5.22m pole vault and another NCCAA Indoor National Championship record with a 7.84m long jump. The coaching staff was named the Men’s Indoor Coaching Staff of the Year for the fourth time in program history.

MEET VITALS

• NCCAA Indoor National Championship: Hosted by Cedarville University
• Location: Doden Fieldhouse | Cedarville University | Cedarville, Ohio
• NAIA National Track & Field Ratings Index: Men – No. 7 | Women – No. 16
• Standings: Men – 1st of 15 | Women – 2^ndof 14

NAIA STANDARDS

• Emma Jankowski | Women’s 800m | 2:16.81 (A)
• Jordan Downs | Men’s Long Jump | 7.84m** (A)
• Thomas Jackson | Men’s Long Jump | 7.37m (A)
• Jordan Downs | Men’s Pole Vault | 5.22m* ** (A)
• Zach Harrah | Men’s Pole Vault | 4.92m (A)
• Jordan Downs | Men’s 200m | 22.17 (A)
• Jonah Lester | Men’s Long Jump | 6.95m (B)
• Ezra Griffith | Men’s Heptathlon | 4,528 pts (B)

* Bethel program record

** NCCAA Indoor Championship Record

NATIONAL CHAMPIONS

• Women’s 4x800m Relay | Vanessa Steiner, Rebecca Maynard, Molly Campbell, Mariah King
• Queen Walker | Women’s Weight Throw
• Men’s 4x800m Relay | Jalen Alexander, Bailey Mott, Jack Fisher, Trevor Miller
• Ezra Griffith | Men’s Heptathlon
• Jordan Downs | Men’s Long Jump
• Travis Sperry | Men’s 400m
• Jordan Downs | Men’s Pole Vault

ALL-AMERICAN FINISHES – WOMEN

• Shot Put | Queen Walker, 3^rd
• 4x800m Relay | Vanessa Steiner, Rebecca Maynard, Molly Campbell, Mariah King | 1^st
• 800m | Emma Jankowski, 2^nd
• Weight Throw | Queen Walker, 1^st | Kirsten Hentschel, 3^rd
• 60m Hurdles | Bekah Spencer, 3^rd
• 4x400m Relay | Leah Gouwens, Emma Jankowski, Kayla Kunkel, Alexis Jackey | 2^nd

ALL-AMERICAN FINISHES – MEN

• Heptathlon | Ezra Griffith, 1^st | Philip Fox, 3^rd
• Long Jump | Jordan Downs, 1^st | Thomas Jackson, 3^rd
• Shot Put | Richard Parker, 3^rd
• Pole Vault | Jordan Downs, 1^st | Zach Harrah, 3^rd
• 4x800m Relay | Jalen Alexander, Bailey Mott, Jack Fisher, Trevor Miller | 1^st
• 60m | Corey Jones, 3^rd
• 400m | Travis Sperry, 1^st
• 200m | Jordan Downs, 2^nd
• 4x400m Relay | Travis Sperry, Bailey Mott, Jack Fisher, Jonah Lester | 2^nd

THOUGHTS FROM COACH NATALI:

• “Very excited for this group to be a part of our 11^thNCCAA national championship. To be able to go back-to-back is amazing. I’m also excited to see our women’s team get back into the top 2. They really did great this weekend as well. It’s been a great indoor season and we look forward to NAIA Nationals in South Dakota next.”

UP NEXT

• The Pilots will be traveling to Brookings, South Dakota to take on the NAIA Indoor National Championship beginning on Thursday, February 28.