Men's 4x800m Breaks 33-Year Old School Record at GPAC, Qualifies for Nationals
(Mitchell, SD) – The men’s indoor track and field team competed at the GPAC Championships on Friday and Saturday hosted by Dakota Wesleyan, taking eighth out of nine teams.
(Mitchell, SD) – The men's indoor track and field team competed at the GPAC Championships on Friday and Saturday hosted by Dakota Wesleyan, taking eighth out of nine teams.
In the 4x800m relay, Hastings finished runner-up with a B-Standard time of 7:52.94 that broke a 33-year old school record in the event. The group was made up of freshman Evan Struss, freshman Parker Graves, junior Deshawn Burks, and junior Tyler Salter.
Junior Sam Wise posted another B-Standard mark in the 3000m race walk by taking second with a personal-record time of 15:25.11, fourth in school history.
Sophomore Rafer Severson competed well in the heptathlon, taking fifth overall. He had the second best pole vault mark (13'07.25") and third best 1000m time (2:56.81) in the competition. Severson was also top five in the 60m and long jump during the heptathlon.
Salter also took fifth in the 800m, finishing with a time of 1:58.24, while Struss was eighth in the event (1:59.59). Senior Brady Creech took sixth in the high jump, clearing 6'04.00" to tie with Doane. Freshman Spencer Hille also competed in the event, placing eighth (6'04.00) and junior Markus Vigil finished 15th (5'10.00").
In the 600m, Burks raced his way to a seventh place win with a time of 1:25.14. Freshman Parker Graves posted a ninth place finish in the 1000m with a time of 2:38.59. Competing in the 5000m run, senior Tatum Jelleberg took 10th (15:44.10), then was 16th in the mile (4:42.72). In the weight throw, senior Payton Lane was 10th with a throw of 52'05.25".
The Broncos placed 10th in the 4x400m relay (3:34.54) with a team made up of Burks, sophomore Zane Eggleston, Jelleberg, and Struss. Eggleston also took 14th in the 400m (53:00).
In the long jump, Severson took 12th (21'04.75"), Hille placed 16th (20'05.25"), and freshman Rayne Chavez-Major placed 18th (19'09.75"). Hille later finished 10th in the triple jump (42'09.00").
Up next, Hastings will have several athletes compete at the NAIA Indoor Track and Field Championships. The athletes that have qualified to compete there are Creech (high jump), Wise (3000m race walk), Salter (800m), along with the 4x800m team of Struss, Graves, Burks and Salter.
