Men's Track & Field

MEN'S DMR, 4X400 SET SCHOOL RECORDS

MEN'S DMR, 4X400 SET SCHOOL RECORDS
Posted: Feb 13, 2023

Pittsburg, KS – The No. 3 nationally ranked Indian Hills Men's Track & Field squad closed out the regular season portion of its indoor season with a strong showing at the 8th Annual Indoor Gorilla Classic at Pittsburg State University on Saturday.

The Warriors used a pair of dominant relay performances to make a statement in the team's final tune-up before the postseason gets underway. The men's distance medley relay and the men's 4x400-meter relay team each set a new school record while both marks cracked the top-five in the nation this year.

The distance medley squad comprised of Rivaldo Marshall (Kingstona, Jamaica/Calabar), Chris Johnson (Houston, TX/Cypress Park), Tyrice Taylor (Linstead, Jamaica/Linstead), and Mohammed Al-Yafaee (__) ran to a mark of 9:53.83, shattering the previous Indian Hills school record by nearly 14 seconds. The Warriors' performance ranks No. 4 in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) this year.

Marsahll and Taylor teamed up with Woyn Chatman (Little Rock, AR/Little Rock Central) and Chris Giles (Columbia, MO/Rock Bridge) in the men's 4x400m to set a second school record with a time of 3:09.49. Chatman opened up the relay with a time of 47.47 followed by Taylor's 47.99. Giles posted a blistering 46.18 before Marshall anchored the quartet with a time of 47.81. The mark is currently ranked No. 3 in the NJCAA this season.

Sophomore Khalid Hornsby (Greenbelt, MD/Eleanor Roosevelt) took home first-place in the men's 200-meter dash with a time of 21.57. Hornsby outran a field of 78 individuals to earn his third victory in the 200m this year and fourth of his career.

Along with Giles' performance in the men's 4x400m, the freshman posted one of the top 400-meter efforts in school history on Saturday. Giles took home first-place in the event with a torrid time of 47.16, winning by .14 seconds. Giles' time is second only to former All-American and national champion Kenny Bednarek's time of 45.93 in 2018.

Freshman Traunard Folson (Jacksonville, FL/Andrew Jackson) set a new personal best in the men's 60-meter finals with a time of 6.76 to place third overall in the event. The time is the second fastest of the Warriors this year. Folson also placed ninth overall in the men's 200m with a personal best time of 21.71.

The 600-yard event saw four Warriors in the top-7, led by sophomore Dean Clarke's time of 1:11.85, a new personal best to finish second overall. Roneldo Rock (St. Joseph, Barbados/Grantley Adams Memorial) added a personal best time of 1:11.93 to place fourth followed by Kylen Crosby's (Alpharetta, GA/Alpharetta) fifth-place showing and Cole Reinders (Sarnia, Ontario/St. Patrick's Catholic) seventh-place effort.

Sophomore Damien Lewis (College Station, TX/Brenham) continued to excel in the men's 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.39 in the qualifying round. Lewis has surpassed the 8.40 mark in three consecutive meets for the Warriors.

Sophomore Jorge Becerra (Lawrenceville, GA/Mountain View) and freshman Brody Lucas (Norwalk, IA/Norwalk) added a pair of personal best times in the men's 800-meter event. Becerra notched a time of 1:58.24 while Lucas cracked the 2:00 mark for the first time this season, crossing the finish line at 1:59.35.

The Warriors are now set for the 2023 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region XI Indoor Championship February 17018 at the Lambert Recreation Center on the Buena Vista University Campus in Storm Lake, IA.