Oskaloosa, Iowa - The Central Methodist men's outdoor track and field program finished as runner-up in the 2022 Heart of America Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships this weekend. 

The championships, which featured 13 schools from around the Heart, were hosted by William Penn University in Oskaloosa, Iowa Friday and Saturday. 

Central scored 110 total team points to finish second, while Grand View won the meet with 230 points. MidAmerica Nazarene placed third with 90 points. 

Individually, the top three finishers in each event are considered All-Conference athletes.

• First Place = First Team All-Conference
• Second Place = Second Team All-Conference
• Third Place = Third Team All-Conference
• Fourth, fifth and sixth place finishers in each event = Honorable Mention All-Conference

Senior thrower Taylor Bottomley scored the most points of any athlete at the meet with 28. He won the hammer throw with a mark of 56.11 meters and placed first in the shot put with a toss of 16.29 meters. In addition, the native of Harrisburg, Mo. finished second in the discus with a toss of 51.65 meters.

Alexander Ayala won the 400m hurdles in a time of 54.09, while teammate Reise Way finished third in 55.42 seconds.

Freshman Josh Henderson earned a third-place standing in the discus with a new PR of 49.32 meters, good enough to hit the 'A' standard. Jonathan Brown placed second in the high-jump with a jump of two meters flat. He also finished third in the long jump with a jump of 7.02 meters. 

Junior Parker Yager won the Heart Championship in the pole vault with a vault of 4.40 meters, while freshman Ethan Smith won the decathlon with 6128 points. The Kansas City, Mo. native claimed victory in seven of the 10 events, placing second or better in all 10. 

In the relays, the 4x100 team of Adam Trachsel, Ayala, Way, and Brennan Moots posted a second-place finish in the event with a time of 42.14 seconds. 

The 4x400 team of Trachsel, Jack Schiffhauer, Ayala, and Mohammed Nyaoga also finished second in 3:18.53. 

Central will turn its attention to the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships, set to take place May 25-27 in Gulf Shores, Ala. 

For full results from the event, please click here.

Fans can also purchase photos from the event by clicking here.

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