FORT WORTH, Texas -- In just its fifth season of existence, history was made Saturday (April 26) at Karen Cramer Stadium as the John Brown University women's track and field team claimed its first-ever Sooner Athletic Conference outdoor track and field championship, storming back from third place after day one to edge Oklahoma City by a single point, 109-108, on the final day of competition.
The Golden Eagle women, who sat in third place (57 points) and eight points behind leader Nelson (Texas) after Friday's events, delivered a remarkable 52-point performance on Saturday to complete the historic championship run.
With the title hanging in the balance entering the final event, the women's 400-meter relay team of sophomore Emma Morton, senior Mikey Duncan, freshman Hannah Foster, and senior Anna Keys delivered in the finale, securing the critical fifth-place finish needed to clinch the title.
Keys provided a gutsy anchor leg, outpacing Oklahoma City's challenger down the final straightaway to ensure JBU earned enough points to stay ahead in the team standings.
The final push vaulted John Brown past Oklahoma City by a single point, with Langston (Okla.) close behind in third. With Langston winning the final relay and Oklahoma City finishing second, JBU's fifth-place relay finish secured exactly the four points needed to preserve their razor-thin margin of victory.
"We had so many outstanding performances today," head coach Peter Cunningham admitted after winning the SAC Women's Track & Field Coach of the Year honors. "From Anna outkicking Oklahoma City to win the championship to Nikki posting a massive personal best in the javelin and finishing second, higher than anticipated. Grace won the pole vault yet again, Olivia was a late addition in the 10,000 meters and picked up six crucial points, and Nikki added an extra point in the 100-meter hurdles as another late entry.
"And that's just a few of the key moments. Our women's team truly overperformed today. Winning the conference title wasn't even part of the conversation this year, and the ladies didn't even realize how close it was as the meet unfolded — they simply focused on executing their individual performances as they came."
The championship featured one of the closest team battles in conference history, with five teams finishing above the 100-point threshold. Just eight points separated the top five teams, with John Brown (109), Oklahoma City (108), Langston (106), Oklahoma Panhandle State (102), and Nelson (101) all within striking distance of the title heading into the final events of the competition.
The Golden Eagles secured seven podium finishes throughout the championship meet, with individual titles from Keys (800 meters), Scoles (hammer throw, shot put), and Mitchell (pole vault) leading the way. Ahnfeldt (5,000 meters), Basye (javelin), and the 800-meter relay team also secured crucial top-three placements that proved vital to the championship effort.
Keys delivered a gold-medal performance in the women's 800 meters, winning with a time of 2:19.93, the fourth-fastest mark in program history. Senior Mikey Duncan placed seventh in the same event at 2:27.33, posting the sixth-best time in program history. Freshman Hannah Foster ran 2:40.11 to place 13th, while sophomore Hannah Hawk finished 16th with a time of 2:50.39.
Junior Hope Ahnfeldt led the JBU contingent in the women's 5,000 meters, placing third with a time of 19:45.16. Senior Emma Brown and freshman Paige Andrews finished fifth and sixth with times of 20:15.15 and 20:21.74, respectively. Senior Olivia Scates ran 21:38.82 to place 11th, with freshman Anna Claire Orr finishing 13th at 21:56.68. Junior Naia Shepherd rounded out the JBU entries with a time of 24:04.75 for 14th place.
In the field events, junior Nikki Basye made program history twice, placing fourth in the triple jump with a program-record mark of 9.83 meters (32 feet, 3 inches) and second in the javelin throw with another program-record performance of 31.70 meters (104 feet). Senior Evie Scoles captured her second individual title of the weekend and repeated as SAC champion, winning the shot put with a program-record mark of 13.11 meters (43 feet).
In the sprints, Morton competed in the 100 meters with a time of 13.45 seconds to place 16th, and also ran 27.80 in the 200 meters for another 16th-place finish.
Cunningham added, "Coach Ledbetter and I said it to the team, and I'll say it here: 'The Lord has been on the throne, He still is, and we are not.' Nothing changes about who we are. We are loved by the King, and we're blessed to work hard alongside each other and to experience the Lord's joy.
"I'm incredibly thankful to have Coach Ben Ledbetter by my side, Coach Kaylee Marmion leading our pole vault crew, and Robyn Daugherty, our athletic director, for being such an amazing support. We keep rolling. Party on."
On the men's side, John Brown recorded several program top-10 performances on Saturday, finishing eighth in the team standings with 46 points.
Senior Andrew Morton highlighted the sprinting events with a seventh-place finish in the 100 meters, posting a time of 10.73 seconds that ranks fourth in program history. Morton also placed 10th in the 200 meters with a time of 21.75, establishing a new program record. Senior Nathan Dutil competed in both sprinting events as well, recording times of 11.88 and 24.05 in the 100 and 200 meters, respectively.
Junior Matthew Cook continued his strong weekend with a third-place finish in the men's 800 meters, clocking a time of 1:54.64 that ranks seventh in program history. Senior Andrew Janzen placed eighth at 1:57.68, while junior Hayden Landers finished 15th with a time of 2:04.10. Sophomore Henry Zedler ran 2:06.75 to place 18th.
In the men's 5,000 meters, senior Josiah Petak led JBU with a fourth-place finish in 16:03.93. Sophomore Zach Briscoe placed ninth with a time of 16:29.01, and freshman Josh Freeman ran 16:53.85 to finish 12th. Freshman Gabriel Pelkey posted a time of 17:46.29 for 17th place.
Freshman Noah Osterloh placed eighth in the men's triple jump with a mark of 12.92 meters (42 feet, 4.75 inches), the fourth-best performance in program history.
The men's 400-meter relay team of Janzen, Cook, Zedler, and Briscoe combined for a seventh-place finish with a time of 3:26.11, the second-fastest mark in program history.
The Golden Eagles produced nine women and two men that earned All-Conference recognition, led by four first-team selections. Scoles repeated as Sooner Athletic champion in the shot put and claimed her first career conference title in the hammer, solidifying her position as the league's top thrower and earning a first-team spot. Mitchell capped her career by winning the pole vault for the third consecutive season, also landing on the first team. Keys secured the 800-meter title to earn first-team honors and added runner-up finishes in both the 1,500 meters and the 4-by-800-meter relay to complete a standout meet. Keys was joined in the silver-medal relay effort by Calder, Chaffin and Duncan — each earning second-team recognition for the performance. Basye also landed on the second team after placing second in the javelin. Third-team selections went to Ahnfeldt in the 5,000 meters and Scates in the 10,000 meters after their third-place finishes.
On the men's side, Burkett raced to a title in the 3,000-meter steeplechase to claim first-team distinction, while Cook earned a third-team nod with a bronze finish in the 800 meters.
The Golden Eagles will now have one final opportunity to collect qualifiers for the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships as the Blue and Gold return to action on Friday (May 9) at the Arkansas Twilight at John McDonnell Field in Fayetteville.
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