Steve Nafziger | Echo
Indoor track season came to a close following the NAIA Indoor National Championship in Geneva, Ohio. Sixteen members of the Taylor team competed, including 13 from the women's team.
"Competing well at Nationals is meaningful because the level of competition is so high," said men's coach Lance Vanderberg. "It is great to see our athletes respond competitively when they are challenged in new ways in their events."
Freshman Matt Hall, junior Jared Reed and senior Luke Currens represented the Taylor men's team as all of them set career or season bests.Hall broke the school record in the 5,000 meter run by less than a second, finishing with a time of 14:59. Vanderberg, who played a big part in getting Hall to Geneva, was the previous record-holder. Hall finished just short of advancing to the finals.
"The indoor season feels like a big stepping stone for me, and I finally feel like I am competing at my potential," Hall said.
Reed also had a record-setting day as he broke his own previous record in the 1,000 meter run by more than five seconds, finishing with a time of 2:27.62. Four hundredths of a second was the only thing that kept Reed from advancing to the finals, even though the time posted by Reed would have been good enough to win the championship in last year's event.
"I had not run at nationals individually yet, so it was a new experience," Reed said. "I was pleased with my performance, and even though I missed finals by 0.04 seconds, I still ran very well, and I know it was just a really fast year."
Currens posted a season-best 8.33 in the 60 meter hurdles, just missing his career best of 8.29. His time earned him a 17th-place finish and was just .01 seconds shy of hurtling him into the finals.
"It's an honor to be a part of Nationals, where the best get to compete against each other," Currens said. "It's a good experience going up against the best runners in the nation, and realizing that you're part of the top 25 in the country is humbling."
On the women's side, junior Elaine Schmeltz set a Taylor broke her old record for the mile run, posting a time of 5:06.25. Despite a slower start, Schmeltz was able to pick up the pace and snag a 13th-place finish.
Freshman Anna Meyer cracked the top 10 in the 3,000 meter run, finishing with a time of 10:13.46. Meyer crushed her personal best by 14 seconds and needed to finish just one spot higher to earn All-American honors.
"It felt good to have all of the hard work and sweat pay off in the form of a personal record and a good placing," Meyer said. "But the real payoff was having the opportunity to honor God and run for his glory."
The 4x800 relay team of Meyer, freshman Kerigan Riley and sophomores Sarina Oleson and Grace Carver shattered the old record by posting a time of 9:21.62. The team finished with the 11th-fastest time after finishing third in their heat, missing the finals by three spots.
Taylor's distance medley team of Schmeltz, junior Jenna Norris and sophomores Katie DeHaan and Jane Hawks broke their own school record with the time of 12:11.55. The group finished 11th overall and sixth in their heat, just three seconds short of advancing to the finals.
"We had some really good performances," White said. "The ladies ran well, but the competition is very strong, and we just weren't quite fast enough to advance to the finals and secure those All-American honors."
The NAIA Indoor National Championships brought the indoor season to a close. The focus now shifts to the outdoor season, which kicks off March 22 at the Rhodes Invitational in Memphis, Tenn.
Photography by Josh Adams
