New Orleans, La. - After opening the indoor season with three strong meets, the Central Methodist men's indoor track and field team came in at No. 14 in the first installment of the 2021 NAIA Men's Indoor Track & Field National TFRI, released Wednesday afternoon by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). 

In the second edition of the Graceland Indoor Winter Series back on Jan. 22 in Lamoni, 15 different Eagles placed in the Top-3 or high in their respective weight class.

Shawn Kiptoo competed in his first-ever collegiate race in the 3000m run, placing second in a time of 9:21.54. The 4x400m relay team of Hayden Hackman, Curtis Johns, Brock Jackson, and Colyer won the even in 3:32.87. 

Other standout performances for Central included; freshman sprinter Brennan Moots, who placed second in the 55m hurdles in 8.28 seconds, just four-tenths off a first-place finish. Nehemiah Colyer took home the top spot in the 400m dash while fellow teammate Brock Jackson placed third. 

Highlighting the field events for Central in 2021 has been senior thrower Taylor Bottomley, who has set and broken his own school records in both the shot put and weight throw. As a result, the senior from Harrisburg, Mo. has earned Heart Men's Indoor Field Athlete of the Week honors for three-straight weeks. 

Senior sprinter Curtis Johns also took home Heart Indoor Track Athlete of the Week honors after taking home first place in the 60m dash with a PR of 6.97 seconds as well as the top spot in the 200m dash in a time of 23.05 at the Friends University Invite.

Central will next compete in the Herschel Neil Invite hosted by Northwest Missouri State University Saturday, Jan. 30 in Maryville, Mo. 

To view the complete rankings for the 2021 NAIA Men's Indoor Track & Field National TFRI, please click here. 

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