WICHITA, Kan. – The Friends University Falcon indoor track & field programs sent a stout group to compete this past weekend at the Coach Wilson Invitational at the Heskett Center on the campus of Wichita State University.
The weekend started with Braeden Harris finishing sixth in the Men's Heptathlon with 4112 points, highlighted by a second-place finish and a PR-tying 7.33 in the 60 meter run.
On Friday, Aaliyah Ramirez helped get things started with a strong PR to reset her own school record in the Women's Pole Vault with a mark of 3.52m.
The Weight Throw events also netted the Falcons a pair of top three finishes, with Abigail Green (15.29m) finishing second on the women's side and Julian Winters (16.43m) for the men.
Saturday immediately saw a pair of PRs, as Darrian Cox posted a runner-up result (4.37m) in the Men's Pole Vault and Gabriela Millan (1.60m) equaled her best mark in the Women's High Jump.
Aneesa Sheppard kept things going with a victory in the Women's Triple Jump, hitting a winning mark of 11.46m.
In the Women's 60m Hurdles, Irian Padulles recorded a PR of 9.13m in the preliminary heat for the Falcons.
Carter Giittinger was also busy for Friends, finishing fourth in the Men's Triple Jump (13.83m) and sixth in the Men's 60 Hurdles (8.69).
Tiyna Ridge then produced a runner-up showing in the Women's 60 Meter run with a time of 7.78, with Tyson Wallace hitting a PR (8.45) in the Men's 60 Hurdles event.
The Men's 600 Meter run saw Jace Douglas stand atop the field by hitting a time of 1:25.44.
Naomi Vagher broke through in the Women's 400 Meters, coming in second with the best mark of her young career (1:01.91).
Eddy Rachedi also gave the Falcons a win in the Men's 400 Meter run with a time of 50.33.
The Women's 1000 Meter Run featured three PRs from Hailey Roberson (3:20.79), Hannah Cribley (3:21.27) and Grace Lee (3:22.47).
To cap off the weekend, the team of Rachedi, Daniel Castello, Spencer Hines and Chad Payne posted a second-place result in the Men's 4 X 400 Relay (3:27.80).
Next up on the indoor schedule for the Falcons is the Concordia Indoor Invite on Saturday (Feb. 7) in Seward, Neb.
Friends University track & field head coach Henry Brun on the Falcons performance at this weekend's Coach Wilson Invitational:
"This weekend was our last full-team tune-up before the KCAC Championships, and I was pretty pleased on where the team is trending. It is always a little rocky coming back from the Holiday Break and assessing where we are with our fitness and how to adjust our training. It was evident by many of the performances that things are starting to come together and we are connecting all the dots. We are starting to creep our way up the KCAC performance lists just in time for the conference meet, where point scoring is the goal. In addition to looking more prepared for the big meet in two weeks, there are a handful of athletes that really stood out:
Aaliyah is truly locked in with the PV. We improved her new school record and she is only 8cm from the national qualifying standard. I love that she is redefining what PV is here at Friends.
Darrian also had a great weekend in the PV. He has grown so much over the last three seasons and it's exciting to watch him be a contender for the KCAC title.
Tyrique (Scott) was battling some illness the last few days, but came out to the sand pits and had a great day in the LJ. He had a nice indoor PR to continue to lead the conference and he is now only 1cm away from qualifying for the NAIA meet. He has his eyes set on the KCAC championship record as well.
Gabby is really starting to put things together in the HJ. She had another great performance and is only one bar away from the NAIA standard.
Tiyna is getting into true form in the 60m. She ran 7.78 this past weekend and she continues to build her confidence and is piecing together all the technical aspects of the race. She will have a great shot at racing for the NAIA standard at the KCAC meet.
Irian had a lifetime best in the 60m hurdles and is really coming on strong to finish her final indoor season. I am excited to see what she can do at the conference meet in a couple weeks.
It was really nice to see the men's 400m group starting to all be on the same page, putting together a nice "double day" with the open races and a season-opening 4x400m relay. This group is still very young, but there is quite a bit of promise, and they have built a great bond with one another.
Now we do our final tune-ups for the KCAC meet. We can be top 3 contenders on both sides, and there could be a very good chance to bring home a team title on either side if we can put it all together on that weekend. We are also keeping our eye out on those flirting with NAIA standards to see if we can extend our season a bit longer. This is my favorite part of any season because I get to see the mentality of those who are hungry to prove that they are the best."
