Men's Track & Field

WARRIORS UP FOR THE CHALLENGE AT GORILLA CLASSIC

WARRIORS UP FOR THE CHALLENGE AT GORILLA CLASSIC
Posted: Feb 10, 2022

Pittsburg, KS – The nationally ranked Indian Hills Men's and Women's Track & Field squads will get a firsthand look at the site of the 2022 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Indoor National Championships as the Warriors head to the Robert W. Plaster Center for this weekend's Gorilla Classic.

The Warriors are set to compete at the Seventh Annual Gorilla Classic, hosted by Pittsburg State University. A two-day meet, the Warriors will compete at the same facility that will host this year's NJCAA National Championship March 4-5.

DETAILS

Action gets underway at 2:00 PM Friday with field events followed by track events at 3:00 PM. Competition begins at 11:00 AM Saturday in both the track and field events.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

For fans looking to follow live: SEVENTH ANNUAL GORILLA CLASSIC LIVE RESULTS

For fans attending, admission is $5.00

WARRIORS UP AGAINST THE BEST

One of the top competitions across all levels of collegiate track and field this weekend, the Warriors will match up against more than 60 teams and over 1,350 student-athletes. The loaded field features five of the top-20 nationally ranked NCAA DII programs on the women's side, including No. 2 Azusa Pacific and No. 3 Pittsburg and seven top-25 NCAA DII men's programs.

While a number of high-level NCAA programs will compete against the Warriors, Indian Hills will be able to flex against a handful of top-tier NJCAA programs as well, including No. 5 Butler, No. 9 Coffeyville, No. 11 Cowley, and No. 12 Fort Scott. All four squads are from the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference.

The Butler men and women currently rank No. 1 in the 60-meter dash event while Indian Hills ranks second on the men's side and fifth overall on the women's side. An exciting day of sprints on Saturday should provide insight into what's ahead at the national championships in March for these programs.

WHERE THE WARRIORS STAND

Heading into the team's final regular season tuneup before postseason action gets underway, the Warrior women are ranked No. 6 in the USTFCCCA national poll and No. 2 in the Midwest region while the men rank No. 3 nationally and No. 3 in the Midwest region.

On the men's side, the Warriors boast nine top-10 average marks in individual events, including the No. 1 mark in the men's 1,000-meter, led by Rivaldo Marshall's NJCAA best and school record 2:27.92. The Warriors also rank second in the 60-meter dash, the 200-meter dash, and the 800-meter run.

The women claim three top-5 average marks in three separate events. Backed by sophomore Kahliyah Anderson's school record 24.65, the Warriors rank second in the 200-meter dash. Anderson also sports the top team mark in the 400-meter dash as the team ranks fifth nationally.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Both sides for the Warriors have continued an unprecedented run of school record marks and national qualifiers each week of the indoor season. Expect a number of record-breaking performances over the course of the next two days.

Heading into the final meet before the NJCAA Region XI Championship, the Warriors have set 18 school records thus far this season along with 53 top-five all-time school marks. The women have qualified for nine separate events with nine different individuals in the upcoming national championships, including the 200-meter and 400-meter events by Kahliyah Anderson and the 600-meter and 800-meter events by Aliyah Simmons.

The men's side has qualified 11 individuals for the national championships and three relay events. Damoy Allen, Aurel Tchanbi, Isiah Thomas, and Justin Walden have each qualified in both the 60-meter dash and the 200-meter dash while Rivaldo Marshall has qualified for three events – the 600-meter, the 800-meter, and 1,000-meter events.

Keep an eye on these Warriors who look to make another push towards reaching the qualifying standards for the national championship:

EWING'S NOTES

Head coach Brent Ewing, along with assistants Noah Larrison and Jesse Miller have guided the Warriors to new heights in 2022. Ewing sees the Gorilla Classic as a pivotal meet to prepare for the upcoming NJCAA Region XI and NJCAA National Indoor Championships.

"This is probably the most competitive meet we will see all year from a shear numbers standpoint," Ewing stated. "The time standards/marks that it took to get accepted into the meet were very tough. This is the type of meet where everything is set up for some impressive marks. It's a great facility with top notch talent. I expect we will walk away with some school records and plenty of top-five all-time marks in program history. This is also the same facility that hosts nationals so it's a great opportunity for our athletes to gain some familiarity with the track."

WHAT'S NEXT

Following this weekend's competition, the Warriors will prepare for the upcoming NJCAA Region XI Indoor Championships, set for Feb. 18-19 in Storm Lake, IA on the campus of Buena Vista University. The Warriors will then head to the NJCAA Indoor National Championships back in Pittsburg, KS on March 4-5.