Kyle Keck | Echo
The Taylor men and women's indoor track and field team hit its stride at the Indiana Wesleyan Wildcat Invitational on Saturday.
The Trojans garnered many accolades at the meet. While Taylor's team performance was impressive, the team also produced three Trojan Crossroads League Track and Field Athletes of the Week, including senior Kenny Higgins and sophomores Matt Hall and Anna Meyer.
During the men's meet, Hall torched the 5,000-meter run, placing first overall and clocking in at 15:37.72, which was six seconds before the second place finisher. Hall also provisionally qualified for the 5,000-meter run at the NAIA Indoor Track and Field National Championships in May.
Though Hall is pleased to see the early success, he still has goals in mind for the rest of the season.
"It's always really encouraging to see Taylor athletes receive the athlete of the week award," Hall said. "My goals for this year are to run to the best of my ability and make sure I'm doing everything I can to stay healthy and strong. God willing, I would love to run sub-14:55 in the 5K and compete in Indoor Nationals. For outdoors, I would love run sub 14:45 in the 5K and compete in Outdoor Nationals. I'm also interested in trying other events like the 10K."
Higgins put together a solid performance on the field, placing second in the weight throw with a 16.47-meter heave. The toss was short of the NAIA provisional qualification mark by 0.03 meters.
In addition to the weight throw, Higgins catapulted the shot put 14.39 meters, which earned him sixth place in the event. Earning a Crossroads League honor was a first for Higgins, but it was a different first-time experience that has helped him find success.
"The thing that has helped me have such a great start to the season is having a throwing coach," Higgins said. "This is my first year having a real throwing coach, and I think that has carried me to such a good start."
The women's team had NAIA Indoor National Championship qualifiers as well. Taylor's 4x800 relay team, featuring seniors Elaine Schmeltz and Jenna Norris, sophomore Anna Meyer and junior Sarina Oleson, placed third in the event with a time of 9:37.62, surpassing the NAIA "A" standard.
Meyer also provisionally qualified for Indoor Nationals in the 3,000-meter run with an NAIA "B" standard time of 10:31.56. Meyer's results contributed to her earning a Crossroads League honor. Coach David Neville is excited to see his competitors earn the awards.
"Those athletes who have received Crossroads League Athlete of the Week awards have been a tremendous booster to our program," Neville said. "I believe the other athletes see the success and desire to have those accolades as well. Therefore, they work harder in practice and dedicate themselves more to the craft."
Taylor will head to Anderson University tomorrow to participate in the Anderson Invitational at 3 p.m.Photograph by Cam Andry
