The Aquinas men's track and field team finished the 2022 WHAC Indoor Championships on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 19) in Alksnis Athletic and Recreation Building. The Saints finished day two in the same place they did in day one, placing fourth out of nine teams.
Indiana Tech won the 2022 WHAC Campionship with 218 points as Cornerstone came in second with 150 points. Siena Heights was the third place finisher with 117.5 points and AQ was not far behind with 101.5 points. Madonna (83 points), Rochester (20 points), Concordia (six points), Cleary (three points), and Lawrence Tech (two points) rounded out the rest of the standings.
The Saints had two individual WHAC Champions today along with one 'A' standard mark and one provisional finish in day two of the competition.
The first race winner was
Caleb Hodgkinson who took home the 800m crown with a time of 1:58.58. Hodgkinson made a big move on the last lap of the race, passing a Cornerstone runner and ended up winning by .70 seconds. He has already provisionally qualified for the national meet in the 800m after running a 1:54.8 last weekend. Along with Hodgkinson,
Will Finch also gained points with a fifth place finish at 2:01.32.
Also being declared a WHAC Champion was
Clayton Jones after winning the 1000m race at a mark of 2:29.27. This mark hit the 'A' standard for the national meet and is the 24th best time in the NAIA. Jones won the event over a strong Cornerstone competitor by over a minute. Jones was accompanied by
Ben Hylen who took home sixth at a mark of 2:34.10.
In the 60m hurdles,
Isaiah Jackson was fast enough on the 200 meter track to earn a provisional qualifier after running an 8.41 race. This was an improvement of the 8.64 he ran in the prelims to qualify for the finals, finishing sixth in the event.
Adam Bailey had a strong showing in the 400m dash against two tough Indiana Tech runners, taking third with a time of 50.18. He was also a part on the 4x400 team including Finch,
Will Westveer, and
Cyrus Prudhomme that placed third at a mark of 3:25.26.
The men had two runners in the 600m race that earned the team points with Westveer and
Zander Masten finishing third and fourth, respectfully. Westveer ran a 1:23.27, while Masten finished just behind him at 1:25.45.
There were three Saints that finished in the top eight of the 3000m run as
Connor Callahan (8:59.97),
Connor Clemens (9:00.31), and
Matthew Schieber (9:01.07) went fifth, sixth, and seventh.
In the mile, Hylen and Clemens went seventh and eighth with Hylen running a 4:24.94 and Clemens finishing at 4:25.06.
Edward Frey also earned points in the 5000m with an eighth place finish at 16:11.77.
During the awards ceremony,
Matthew Schieber was selected to the Champions of Character Team. These individuals were also named to the WHAC All-Academic Team:
Matthew Brines,
Mike Ciaravino,
Connor Clemens,
Ezra Faust,
Caleb Hodgkinson,
Ben Hylen,
Andrew Ireland,
Isaiah Jackson,
Clayton Jones,
Ben Peterson,
Bryce Platte,
Collin Pollatz,
Cyrus Prudhomme,
Brian Stump,
John Van Til, and
Josh Young. To make the all-academic team, the athlete must be at least a junior in the classroom, maintain a 3.25 cumulative GPA, and be at their school for at least a year.
Listed below were the rest of the individual awards that were handed out at the end of the meet:
Men's Newcomer of the Year: Jacob Harberts, Siena Heights (14.5 total points)
Men's Outstanding Performer of the Meet: Coby Bailey, Indiana Tech (NAIA #3 60m Dash)
Men's Most Valuable Performer of the Meet: Luke Pohl, Cornerstone (38 total points)
Men's Coach of the Year: Doug Edgar, Indiana Tech
Men's 2022 WHAC Champions: Indiana Tech
Those that have qualified will next compete at the NAIA National Campionships on March 3-5 in Brookings, South Dakota.
