Men's Track & Field

DMR SQUAD MAKES NATIONAL HISTORY

DMR SQUAD MAKES NATIONAL HISTORY
Posted: Feb 09, 2024

Pittsburg, KS – The No. 1 ranked team in the nation asserted itself as a force to be reckon with on Friday night as the Indian Hills Men's Track team made national headlines with a historic performance in the Distance Medley Relay.

Competing at the 9th Annual Gorilla Classic at Pittsburg State University, the Warrior DMR squad shattered the all-time National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) record with a time of 9:43.60, nearly three seconds ahead of the previous mark. Cole Reinders (Sarnia, Ontario/St. Patrick's Catholic), Chris Johnson (Houston, TX/Cypress Park), Terrick Johnson (Memphis, TN/Whitehaven), and Keveroy Venson (Linstead, Jamaica/Calabar) made up the Warrior quartet that cemented themselves as the fasest DMR squad in junior college history.

"This was a record that we had been talking about ever since the guys got to campus in August," stated head coach Brent Ewing. "We definitely knew breaking the record was achievable going into the race. I had a note in my phone for months with goal splits that I felt our guys could run. The special thing about this race in particular is that we only get to run it once or twice per year. That increases the pressure to go out there and perform."

Competing in the 4,000-meter event, the Warriors saw split times of 2:59 from Reinders and 46.7 from Chris Johnson before Terrick Johnson, this month's Indian Hills Student-Athlete of the Month, cruised to an 800-meter time of 1:49.9 in the third leg. Venson, the Indian Hills school record holder in the mile, closed out the night in dominant fashion with a 1,600-meter final leg time of 4:07.

"It's one thing to be capable of breaking it, it's another to actually go out there and do it," Ewing added. "This was a special night with a special group. We'll never forget this race."

Among a field of 24 participating teams, the Warriors placed third overall in the event on Friday. Pittsburg State, host of the event, placed first overall with a time of 9:38.49 which ranks fifth-best all-time in the history of NCAA Division II competition.

The previous DMR school record, set last year at Pittsburg State, clocked in at 9:53.83. Chris Johnson was also a part of that record-breaking performance and is a part of two school record relay teams. Prior to Friday night's historic performance, just one team in the history of junior college track had eclipsed 9:47.00 and only five teams had surpassed 9:50.00 in the event.

Friday's event was a part of an action-packed weekend for the Warriors that includes trips to both Pittsburg, KS and Topeka, KS for the Ichabod Invitational at Washburn University.