By Grace Malec, Sports Editor
The Men’s 4×400 meter relay earns All-American honors – Photo by Aquinas Track and Field
The Aquinas College Track and Field team entered the postseason for indoor season in Gainesville, Fla. Members of the team competed at the NAIA Indoor Track and Field championships from Feb. 28 to March 1, sending 12 student-athletes to nationals.
On day one of the championships, the team competed in two rounds of preliminary competition and relays. Marcus Mitchell, Jake Van Tassell, Keiton Fase and Nathan Iacona set a new school record for their 4×400 meter performance, finishing in 3:12.30 and putting the Saints in second place in their heat.
Ella Koons, Amber Koole, Cadence Schultz and Lauren Wooer also posted a season record on day one of the competition, finishing the 4×800 meter in 9:23.69 and putting them in 12th place overall. Shaily Baynes participated in the pole vault final and finished in 16th place.
With a successful first day at nationals, the spotlight was handed to Maelie Hope, Wooer, Van Tassell and Iacona, athletes who have already had a successful season themselves. Hope was named All-American after her personal best performance in the weight throw. Finishing the first day of competition by securing a spot in the final competition with her personal best of 58-3 ¾. This performance would lead Hope to a sixth place finish.
Even with Hope’s success in the weight throw competition, she notes areas improvement and how to continue bettering herself. “I received All-American in weight throw, but my warm-up throws could’ve placed me in the top three, but, can’t stay in the past, you just have to use it as a learning experience and move on,” Hope said. “But as a whole, the Aquinas team did pretty well. Personal bests were made, school records were broken and out of 12 athletes, we came out with five All-American athletes.”
Van Tassell competed in the 60 meter hurdle competition, qualifying for the final competition with a time of 8.02, placing him in eighth place. Iacona finished the 400 meter race with a time of 48.12, placing ninth while Wooer competed in the 1,000 meter race, posting a personal best with a time of 3:02.12 and an 18th place finish.
The NAIA championships concluded on a high note for the team, with Van Tassell being named All-American for his performance in the 60 meter hurdle competition. He returned to the competition alongside Mitchell, Fase and Iacona to finish up the team’s efforts in the 4×400 meter relay, where they were also named with All-American accolades.
The Aquinas College Track and Field team ended their indoor season on a high note in Gainesville, Fla. With several athletes being named with All-American honors, the team is ready and motivated to begin their outdoor season.
The Saint 