The indoor track and field championship season concluded Mar. 14, with SVSU placing 10th at the NCAA Division II National Meet. Now, athletes look forward to the outdoor season.
Sawyer Moloy, a sophomore computer science major, won the high jump, tying the SVSU school record of 2.20 meters he had previously set. He narrowly beat out Marcus Gelpi, a GVSU high jumper who outplaced him at the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Indoor Track Championships earlier this month.
After his GLIAC championship performance, Moloy noted that he was both nervous and excited.
“It’s the same clearance [at Nationals], so I’m really excited.”
Moloy stated that he was hoping to take first place but would be happy with top three as well.
Sophomore Xavier Santiago placed fourth in the high jump, clearing a height of 2.17 meters. He and Moloy scored a combined total of fifteen points for the team, more than a fourth of the men’s team’s total points.
Andrew Quinn, a senior nursing major, finished fifth in the shot put. He threw 18.28 meters, just shy of his school record of 18.54, set earlier this month at the GLIAC Championship meet, where he took first.
The school record throw had placed Quinn as the seventh furthest-throwing shot put athlete in NCAA Division II, though after this performance, he mentioned that he’s not sweating it.
“I know I’ve still got a little left in the tank, so I’m not really too worried about the rankings right now,” he said. “I just want to show up at Virginia Beach, have fun, throw far, and not really worry about anything else.”
Quinn is excited for the outdoor season. “I normally throw further outdoors,” he stated. “I’m looking forward to the concrete, being out in some good weather, and some fresh air”.
The final athlete representing SVSU at the national meet was Dominic Suliman, a senior exercise science major. Suliman ran a 4:07 mile in the preliminaries.
The National Championship was not the only meet of the championship season. During the GLIAC championships, hosted by SVSU on Mar. 1 and 2, a number of other athletes placed highly.
Grace Collett, a graduate business student, won the 60-meter hurdles with a personal record of 8.66 seconds. “[The GLIAC title] means a lot,” she said. “I’m a fifth year, so I’ve been around the block a lot, and it felt good to finally put the pieces together.”
Zachary Harlan, a freshman computer information systems major, won the GLIAC title for the 60-meter dash. The placing surprised Harlan.
“I knew I had the capabilities of getting second or third… but I just didn’t think it was going to happen.”
Darryl Carter, a freshman business major, won the GLIAC 400-meter race with consecutive personal bests in the prelims and finals. After his final race, he reflected on the win.
“It feels great, you know. First GLIAC as a freshman, can’t get nothing more like that.”
Carter hopes to continue improving in the outdoor season.
