OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD

Senior Reece Gibson headlined the Huntington outdoor track and field program by bringing home the Foresters’ only piece of All-American hardware from the 2024 NAIA National Track & Field Outdoor Championships held on the campus of Indiana Wesleyan University.

Gibson came into nationals as the 15th seed in the 3,000 meter steeplechase and left not only as an All-American having finished eighth, but also as the new HU all-time record-holder with his time of 9:12.48. The Fort Wayne native, new to steeplechase this season, topped Luke Diehl’s record of 9:12.73 that dated back to 2010.

Among a field of talented sprinters, Zach Collins broke his own school record in the 200 meters by clocking in at 20.97. The Spencerville native, who came in seeded sixth, finished tenth on Wednesday to miss the finals by one spot.

On Thursday, Collins was at it again. This time to run the 400 meters where his time of 47.82 was good for 19th place which proved ten spots better than his 29th seeding.

Kent Yoder finished his track career by running a masterful 10,000 meters to claim 11th in 30:48.28. He had a dark horse mentality, outrunning his 28th seeding by 17 spots. As the 11th seed, Austin Liepe also toed the line of the 25-lap race to take 17th in 31:05.83.

On the women’s side, Mackenzie Brewer wrapped up her sophomore season by taking 20th in the 3,000 meter steeplechase, five spots ahead of her seeding, with a time of 11:38.90.

Emily Tedder missed out on earning All-American status in the 1500 meters by one spot. The junior from Centerville ran a personal best 4:33.86 to claim ninth, grossly outperforming her 16th-seed designation. She also climbed from seventh to sixth in the HU record books.

Malarie Pinwar, seeded tenth, turned in a time of 4:43.51 in Friday’s 1500-meter finals to finish 12th overall. Pinwar also ran the 5,000 meters on Thursday where she placed 21st in 17:58.47.

Rounding out Huntington’s performances was Josey Reineman who tapped out in 19th place by clearing 1.65 meters in high jump where she was picked to finish tenth.

British Columbia ran away with the women’s title by racking up 137 points. Rounding out the top five included William Carey (83), Cumberlands (Tenn.) (41), Indiana Tech (41) and MidAmerica Nazarene (37).

On the men’s side, Cumberlands (Ky.) edged out Marian for the team title by two points with 64 points. The Knights’ 62 were followed by British Columbia (48), Madonna (43) and Oklahoma City (36).

HU WOMEN’S FULL RESULTS
1500m – Emily Tedder (9th, 4:33.86); Malarie Pinwar (12th, 4:43.51)
5000m – Malarie Pinwar (21st, 17:58.47)
3000m Steeplechase – Mackenzie Brewer (20th, 11.38.90)
High Jump – Josey Reineman (19th, 1.65m)

HU MEN’S FULL RESULTS
200m – Zach Collins (10th, 20.97)
400m – Zach Collins (19th, 47.82)
10,000m – Kent Yoder (11th, 30:48.28); Austin Liepe (17th, 31:05.83)
3000m Steeplechase – Reece Gibson (8th, 9:12.48)