Track Records Two NAIA Marks in Outdoor Opener
The Bethel track and field team kicked off the 2017 outdoor season on Saturday with a trip to Marion, Indiana, to take part in the IWU Polar Bear Invite. On the day, BC had two athletes reach NAIA qualifying standards while also landing seven event winners overall.
Both NAIA standards were reached by members of the BC men’s track and field squad with one coming on the track and one in the field events. Brett Baumgartner had a great showing overall by winning the 100-meter dash and the 200-meter dash while also helping the men’s 4×100-meter relay to a first-place finish. Highlighting his day was his NAIA qualifying time of 21.40 seconds in the 200-meter. Baumgartner took top honors in the race besting teammate Alex Moses who took second with a time of 21.7 seconds. In similar fashion, Baumgartner edged teammate Jamique Mitchell for the first-place finish in the 100-meter competition. Elias Micozzi wasted little time earning a trip to the NAIA national championships with a toss of 49.00 meters in the discus. Micozzi finished fourth on the day in the field of 23 athletes. Also picking up individual event wins for the Pilots were Travis Sperry in the 400-meter run (49.56) and Joel Hartman in the 1,500-meter run (4:04.29).
On the women’s side, BC landed two first-place finishes. Breann Fawcett won the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 13:15.45, and the 4×100-meter relay team of Alexis Jackey, Jessica Miller, Taylor Pennington and Chelsey Wakes finished their 400-meter race in 48.64 seconds. The Pilots were also represented well by a second-place finish by Pennington in the 100-meter (12.41)
Next weekend, BC track and field will make a trip to High Point, North Carolina, to compete at the two-day High Point University Invite on March 31st and April 1st
Men’s Results Top-5 Finishers
100-meters
1st Brett Baumgartner – 10.75
2nd Jamique Mitchell – 10.78
200-meters
1st Brett Baumgartner – 21.40
2nd Alex Moses – 21.70
5th Travis Sperry – 22.01
400-meters
1st Travis Sperry – 49.56
1,500-meters
1st Joel Hartman – 4:04.29
4×100 relay
1st Bethel – 42:01
Pole Vault
3rd Beau Beeson – 4.27
Shot Put
5th Kyle Ostrander – 15.12
Discus
4th Elias Micozzi – 49.00
Women’s Results Top-5 Finishers
100-meters
2nd Taylor Pennington – 12.41
100-meter hurdles
4th Jessica Miller – 15.46
5th Bekah Spencer – 15.71
3,000-meter steeplechase
1st Breann Fawcett – 13.15.45
5th Rebecca Maynard – 13:51.55
4×100-meter relay
1st Bethel – 48.64
Shot Put
4th Queen Walker – 12.19
Discus
5th Carissa Whitten -36.73