The Fighting Scots indoor track team has had great individual performances all season long in preparation for the Midwest Conference Championships, which will take place Feb. 29 through March 1 in Jacksonville, Ill. In the most recent power rankings, the Fighting Scots men were ranked sixth and the women were 14th.

The men and women have been practicing hard these past couple weeks to prepare themselves for the MWC next weekend.

The Scots have been pushed by their coaches. Junior Shawn Allen thinks highly of coach Brian Woodard: “Coach Woodard is full of knowledge, and, comparing him to the ocean, we are the sponges, and we have learned everything from him.”

Allen contributes for the men in both the weight toss and shot put. “It is very nice to have Zack Wilson (a senior) helping me out with the throws.”

The Scots recently ran in a non-scoring, 19-team Nike/Impact Sports Meet in Platteville, Wis. Major contributors for the men’s team includea: senior pole vaulters Jonny Henkins and Peter Sprecher, freshman sprinter Logan Hohl and senior thrower Zach Wilson. Sprecher cleared the automatic height of 16’7-1/4, placing first, while Henkins vaulted 16’0-3/4, placing second. Both Henkins and Sprecher are atop in the Midwest Conference standings, and are currently ranked second in the nation.

Hohl finished tied for first in the 55-meter dash, clocking in at 7.74, but was later rewarded with second place by a judge’s decision. Wilson’s first-place weight toss of 60’4 was good for first place, and Barley missed the automatic mark by 2. Wilson also placed third in the shot put.

Peyton Lumzy, a freshman, received fifth in the shot put, throwing 47’0-1/2.  Senior Brad Gross placed seventh in the long jump (21’1-1/4) and sixth in the 200. Chuck Lief, a senior triple jumper, placed sixth, soaring 43’1-1/5.

In the 5000 meters, sophomore Clay Stanley ran a personal-best of 15:16.17 to finish second in the 5000. Stanley’s time leads the conference standings. Brad Begyn, sophomore, placed 10th with a personal-best 15:49.50, ranking him fourth in the MWC. Junior Jacob Stott placed second in the 400m with a time of 50.38. 

Hohl teamed up with Gross, juniors Aaron Daverin and Luke Reschke, to receive third place in the 4x200 relay with a time of 1:30.49.

As for the women, senior thrower, Jenny Babos contributed for two provisional national-qualifying marks in the weight toss and shot put. She placed third in the weight toss with 51’3-1/2 and third in shot put with a toss of 42 feet. Babos was named Midwest Conference Field Performer of the Week in women’s indoor track and field, which is already her second performer of the week honor this season.

Freshman Mary Kate Beyer broke Monmouth’s school record in the 3,000-meters, clocking in at 10:50.51, which was good for seventh place. Shannon Turczyn, a junior, finished third in the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 8.81.

Senior pole vaulter Jess White placed first with a vault of 12 feet. White also long jumped for the first time this season, placing ninth with a distance of 15’4-1/2.

Several freshman women have contributed greatly for the Scots, including Jae Moore, who finished fifth in the 55-meter dash at 7.67, and seventh in the triple jump 32’3. Sarah Stinson cleared a personal-best in the high jump (5’1), placing third. Whitney Didier finished eighth in the triple jump with a distance of 31’8-3/4. Morgan Leffel took fifth place in the triple jump, flying 33’0-1/2.

The team of Beyer, sophomore Jayme Ayers, freshman Michelle Nutting and sophomore Amy Aghababian placed third in the distance medley relay at 13:44.44.

“I think we did a great job. We were prepared last weekend, now hopefully these next couple of weeks will result in a good conference meet for us,” Allen said.

The Scots travel to Waverly, Iowa to participate in the Wartburg Invitation on Feb. 23 for the final meet before next weekend’s Midwest Conference Championships. “We have a chance to win this weekend, and it can only come from the hard work we have been committed to during this week’s practice,” Allen commented.

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