Springfield/Canton/Rolla, Mo - The Central Methodist Track and Field programs competed in a trio of meets over the weekend, beginning with the Missouri State Invitational Friday in Springfield, Missouri. CMU then split the squads Saturday at the Culver-Stockton Wildcat Open in Canton, and the Dewey Allgood Invitational hosted by Missouri S&T in Rolla.
Missouri State Invitational:
The Eagles dominated the hurdles events, beginning with a clean sweep in the men's 110-meter hurdles. Senior Wilton George led the way with a first-place finish in 14.43, followed by sophomore Logan Bass in second (15.07).
On the women's side, the Eagles were equally impressive in the 100-meter hurdles, claiming the top three spots. Freshman Akeelah Knox captured the title in 13.62, while teammates Tafaol Mohamed (14.09) and Haley Bellamy (14.22) rounded out the sweep. Central Methodist placed six athletes in the top 11 of the event.
George continued his strong day on the track with a runner-up finish in the men's 100 meters (10.59). He was joined by teammates Isaac Lawson (5th - 10.70) and Charles Young (6th - 10.71), giving Central three top-six finishes in a competitive field.
In the women's 100 meters, senior Zakiya Porter led the Eagles with a third-place finish (11.52), while Zyaire Robinson (10th - 12.00) and Bailey Arceneaux (11th - 12.10) also competed.
The Eagles distance group made its mark in the women's 800 meters, as Diane Ondobo placed fifth overall in 2:16.57 and Allena Rowland followed closely in sixth with a time of 2:16.83.
Central Methodist sprinters continued to excel in the 200 meters. On the men's side, freshmen Che Wickham (4th - 21.89) and Tyrone Summerall (5th - 21.92) led the way, while Bass finished 15th (22.48).
The women's 200 meters proved to be another highlight for the Eagles, as Knox secured her second victory of the day with a winning time of 23.75. Arceneaux (3rd - 24.19) and Porter (6th, - 24.39) also posted top finishes, contributing to a strong overall team performance. Central placed five athletes in the top 16 of the event.
Culver-Stockton Wildcat Open:
On the women's side, Shannon O'Neil led the charge with a dominant victory in the 400 meters, clocking a winning time of 57.32 seconds. The Eagles also saw a standout performance from Anaya Little, who placed second in the 400-meter hurdles (1:06.27) and added another runner-up finish in the triple jump with a mark of 11.35 meters.
Central showed depth in the 400 hurdles, with freshman Zoey Hannam finishing fifth (1:09.30) and Sha'Mir Smith taking eighth (1:14.05). Londyn Cage contributed in multiple events, placing fourth in the 100-meter hurdles (16.19) and eighth in the 200 meters (26.30). Macye Maness followed closely behind in in the 200 meters, finishing ninth (26.43).
In the field events, Natalie Calcaterra cleared 1.52 meters to finish second in the high jump, while also adding points in the triple jump with a sixth-place effort. The Eagles dominated the triple jump standings with four scorers: Little (2nd - 11.35m), Shelley Thompson (3rd - 11.28m), Emma Deana Paninka (4th - 11.12m), and Calcaterra (6th – 10.55m).
Distance events saw Ali Gutierrez lead the way in the 1500 meters with a 12th-place finish (4:59.22), while Madison Horn paced the 800-meter group (2:29.90).
On the men's side, freshman Ronald Cottle delivered one of the top performances of the meet, winning the 400-meter hurdles in 54.01. Fellow freshman D'Shawn Finney had a standout sprint day, placing second in both the 100 meters (10.83) and 200 meters (21.88).
Brady Trennepohl also impressed, finishing second in the 400 meters (49.40) and sixth in the 200 (22.18), while Aidan Jacobs finished the 400 with a seventh-place finish (51.76).
In the distance events, Dimitrios Gkantatsios turned in a strong third-place finish in the 1500 meters (4:00.47), and Tristan Hickman led the 800-meter group (2:00.52).
The Eagles continued their success in the field, where Brian Shine placed second in the triple jump (14.38m) and sixth in the long jump (6.55m). Wyatt Smith recorded a runner-up finish in the shot put (14.78m), while Myron Love cleared 4.05 meters to take third in the pole vault.
Additional scoring efforts came from Chase Vickrey in the 110-meter hurdles (4th, 15.11), Austin Foye in both the shot put (8th) and discus (7th), and Waisale Inoke in the high jump (5th).
2026 Dewey Allgood Invitational:
The Eagles were led by an impressive showing on the track, beginning in the 100-meter dash where senior Zakiya Porter raced to a first-place finish in 11.97. Freshman Deborah Martinez added a seventh-place effort in the same event.
Central also dominated the 100-meter hurdles, sweeping the top three spots. Freshman Akeelah Knox claimed the title in 14.02, followed closely by sophomore Zaria Jones (2nd - 14.21) and sophomore Tafaol Mohamed (3rd - 14.24), whose performance marked a new personal best and moved her to No. 20 in the NAIA this season.
In the 200 meters, sophomore Bailey Arceneaux placed second with a time of 24.91, while Maria Sahagun (6th - 25.42) and Deborah Martinez (7th - 25.55) added depth. Senior Diane Ondobo recorded a sixth-place finish in the 400 meters (58.17).
The 400-meter hurdles proved to be another standout event for CMU. Junior Allena Rowland won the event in 1:01.39, posting a personal best and moving to No. 10 in the NAIA. Sophomore Aroa Carballo followed in second (1:01.41), also a personal best and No. 11 nationally. Hannah Reed placed fifth (1:06.12).
In the field events, Haley Bellamy led the way with a first-place finish in the long jump (5.79m), achieving the No. 11 mark in the NAIA. Junior Annemarie Koerner placed second (5.70m - No. 17 NAIA). Bellamy (14th – 26.10m) and Koerner (7th – 33.48m) also contributed in the javelin alongside senior Joana Vakasobuduru (6th – 34.17m).
The women capped the day with a victory in the 4x100-meter relay, as the quartet of Porter, Knox, Arceneaux, and Sahagun combined for a winning time of 46.75.
On the men's side, Central Methodist saw several podium finishes and event titles. In the 100 meters, Che Wickham (3rd, 10.81) and Charles Young (5th, 10.90) led the way.
Wilton George captured first place in the 110-meter hurdles (14.64) and later added a seventh-place finish in the 200 meters. Freshman Isaac Lawson placed third in the 200 (21.47), continuing his strong debut season.
The Eagles claimed the top spot in the 400 meters, with freshman Tyrone Summerall winning in 49.10, while Logan Bass added an eighth-place finish.
Middle distance events were another highlight, as juniors Oliver Cabana and Corlando Chambers went 1-2 in the 800 meters, finishing in 1:52.69 and 1:52.71, respectively.
In the field, sophomore Azaan Stoughtenborough placed fourth in the triple jump (14.38m).
The men's 4x100-meter relay team of Wickham, Young, Lawson, and George delivered a strong runner-up finish in 41.01.
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