Carbondale, Ill. / Topeka, Kan. - The Central Methodist Track and Field program opened indoor season at both the SIUC Saluki Fast Start and the Washburn Alumni Invite this weekend. The meets took place in Carbondale, Illinois and Topeka, Kansas.
At the Saluki Fast start, the Eagles were represented by Haley Bellamy, Annemarie Koerner, Joana Vakasobuduru, and Shannon O'Neil in the women's pentathlon. Bellamy won the event after tallying 3,711 total points, while Vakasobuduru finished fourth with 3,362 points.
Koerner (3,353) and O'Neil (3,351) finished fifth and sixth respectively. All four Eagles qualified for the NAIA Indoor National Championships in Gainesville, Florida.
Additionally, Bellamy earned national qualification in both the long jump (5.61m) and high jump (1.66m), hitting the 'B' standards in both events.
At the Washburn Alumni Invite Saturday, senior Cortney Watkins led the Eagles with a dominant victory in the men's 60-meter hurdles, winning the event in 7.76 seconds and breaking a 10 year old school record. He also qualified for nationals in his first race of the year.
The women's mid-distance group put together an impressive showing in the 600-yard run, where Allena Rowland and Diane Ondobo delivered back-to-back finishes in fourth and fifth, clocking 1:24.49 and 1:24.59, respectively. Both qualified for the indoor national championships.
In the women's 1000 meters, senior Ali Gutierrez added a strong fifth-place finish in 3:10.70, continuing CMU's momentum on the track. In field events, junior Ta'Mya Davis earned a fifth-place finish in the women's triple jump with a mark of 11.54m (37-10.50), hitting the 'B' standard for national qualification.
The Eagles closed the meet with a standout performance from the women's 4x400m relay, as the quartet of Aroa Carballo, Deborah Martinez, Hannah Reed, and Tafaol Mohamed raced to a fourth-place finish in 3:59.25.
Central will continue early season action at the Concordia Early Bird Invite beginning Friday, Dec. 12 in Seward, Nebraska.
SIUC Saluki Fast Start Results
Washburn Alumni Invite Results
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