Men's Track & Field

PREVIEW: WARRIORS SET TO OPEN 2024-25 CAMPAIGN

PREVIEW: WARRIORS SET TO OPEN 2024-25 CAMPAIGN
Posted: Dec 05, 2024

Topeka, KS – The Indian Hills Men's and Women's Indoor Track & Field squads are set to kick-off the 2024-25 campaign this weekend with the Washburn Alumni Invitational at the Washburn Indoor Athletic Facility in Topeka, KS.

DETAILS: Washburn Alumni Invitational

Saturday, December 7  |  9:00 AM

Topeka, KS  |  Washburn Indoor Athletic Facility

LIVE RESULTS: Washburn Alumni Invitational

WATCH LIVE ($): Washburn Alumni Invitational

Meet Records  |  Meet Information

A new season opens up Saturday morning for the Indian Hills Men's and Women's Track & Field squads as a veteran group of sophomore leaders look to build on a record-breaking season from a year ago. The men are coming off a historic season that saw the Warriors capture the program's first-ever national championship in Gainseville, FL. The women head into the new year with a group that set new standards in the outdoor season and look to continue that momentum into the new indoor season. In total, the Warriors will send 44 student-athletes to this weekend's season opener at Washburn.

"Our coaching staff and athletes are very excited to open up our season this weekend at Washburn," stated head coach Brent Ewing. "Our main focus for these early season meets is to get a baseline of where we're at.  The numbers we've seen in practice tells our staff that we're in a great spot. It's just a matter of working through race execution and learning how to perform in a competitive collegiate setting."

MEN'S NOTES

A remarkable run through the 2023-24 season culminated in the first-ever track & field national championship for the Warriors last year, and the program has their sights set on raising the standard once again.

  • The Warriors captured 17 All-American honors last year at the indoor national championship, including six runner-up finishes to put the Indian Hills Track & Field program on the map.
  • Ewing and his staff will look to a talented sophomore core to continue to raise the bar.
    • Triston Miller returns as a four-time All-American as a freshman, including three indoor honors after finishing third in the heptathlon, sixth in the high jump, and seventh in the 60-meter hurdles.
    • Tate Joens re-wrote the record books in his freshman campaign, earning a national runner-up finish in the weight throw and an All-American performance in the shot put.
    • Michael Etuma adds veteran leadership from the throws group after earning All-American honors in the shot put at last year's national meet.
    • In total, Ewing's roster features 13 sophomores returning from last year's national title team.
  • The Warrior roster features 32 newcomers that will look to build off of last year's success.
    • Sophomore transfers Cayde de Waal (Colby) and Nichalas Power (Cloud County) bring All-American honors to Indian Hills from their previous institutions last year.
    • Kaden Banks joins a solid throwing squad for the Warriors after a standout freshman campaign at Southern Utah University
  • The Warriors have set six meet records at the Washburn Alumni Invite over the past two seasons, including Triston Miller who set the 60mH record at 7.86, also the Indian Hills school record.

Ewing on the men's track & field squad:

"Our men understand what the goal is - to win another national championship. I believe we have the talent to be in that conversation. We will lean on sophomores like Tate Joens and Triston Miller, who were a part of last year's national title team. However, we are very young. A big part of our ability to contend will come down to our large incoming freshman class. I expect athletes like Damor Miller, Harry Momolu, Domictress Robinson, Elijah Morris, Raynier Galvez, Jaquan Coke and others to play a major role in our team's success at the national level. We have a few key transfers who will bring some veteran experience as well. Cayde de Waal and Nichalas Power were both NJCAA All-Americans at other NJCAA institutions last year.

WOMEN'S NOTES

An experienced sophomore group that saw tremendous growth throughout the year last year will guide the revamped Warriors into the season-opener in Topeka on Saturday.

  • Six returners earned national qualifier bids to last year's indoor national meet, four of which built on that success to earn All-American honors during the outdoor season.
    • Sophomore Dymonde Nave, a two-time school record holder, took the national runner-up finish during last year's outdoor championship to build momentum heading into her sophomore campaign.
    • Destiny Mitchell, Nyla Norman, and Zekira Snow all earned multiple national qualifying berths last year to set the tone entering the 2024-25 season.
    • Arriana Johnson returns for her sophomore campaign after setting a school record in the pentathlon to earn a national qualifying bid.
  • 10 freshmen round out Ewing's roster this year, a group that features Cynthia Albertwho will look to kickstart the women's throws program under assistant coach Elijah Barnes.
  • Assistant coach Caleb Cowles will look to lead a talented jumps program heading into his second year on the staff.
  • The Warrior women own two meet records at Washburn, including Dymonde Nave's 60mH mark of 8.93 set last year.

Ewing on the women's track & field squad:

"Our women have significant sophomore experience. Kenyatta Grate, Zekira Snow, Laurie Louis, Nyla Norman, Dymonde Nave and Destiny Mitchell all know what it's like to compete at the national level. In my opinion, this may be the most talented sophomore group we've had since I've been at IHCC. What I'm most proud of is our sophomore's ability to lead and set the tone in practice and in the classroom. They are very dependable student-athletes who have bought into the standard we've set. I believe freshmen Cynthia Albert and Tiffani Koonce are incomers who have the ability to help us at the national meet in events (throws and distance) that we haven't had national scorers from in the past. I'd really like to see our ladies make a run for a top 10-12 finish at the national meet this year."

WHAT'S NEXT

Both squads return to action December 14-15 to close out the calendar year with the Iowa State Holiday Invitational in Ames, IA. The Warriors return in 2025 with the Nebraska Graduate Classic January 17-18 in Lincoln, NE.

Looking for Indian Hills Athletics information straight to your inbox? Subscribe to our newsletter and mobile alerts to receive news, scores, highlights, and more in real-time: INDIAN HILLS ATHLETICS NEWSLETTER