CONWAY, Ark. -- Senior Cassidy Valenzuela and freshman Andrew Morton led the way with a pair of top podium finishes and senior Allika Pearson grabbed her first A Standard of the outdoor season as the John Brown University track and field team posted a new program record of six wins on Saturday (March 13) afternoon inside the Wise-Young Memorial Stadium.
Pearson breezed her way to a place in the NAIA National Outdoor Track and Field Championships later this spring with a 17:23.90 in the 5,000 and won the 38-competitor field.
Valenzuela captured the 100-meter dash in a time of 13.51 and also nabbed a 1:09:72 time in the 400-meter hurdles, earning her first career victories as a Golden Eagle.
Freshman Grace Mitchell vaulted her way to a 2.74 meter (8' 11.75") mark to land her first collegiate win as well.
Morton's first collegiate wins came in the 100 and 200 meter dashes. In the shortest event, he crossed the line at 11.25 seconds and later kept the same pace in the 200 with a time of 22.97.
The men also dominated the 5,000 meter event - grabbing four of the top six spots in the 30-man race. Freshman Josiah Petak's time of 15:54.39 earned him second place, while junior Jadin Whiting landed in third at 16:08.36.
Sophomore Jake Hagood and Matt Roehr earned the fifth and sixth place finishes, respectivel, with times of 16:26.89 and 16:35.08
The Golden Eagles return to the track next month, taking part in the Friends (Kan.) Spring Open, which is set to run from April 1-2 at the Adair-Austin Stadium in Wichita.
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