GovState Men's Outdoor Track Season Off to Strong Start At Opening Meet at North Central College
GovState Men's Outdoor Track Season Off to Strong Start At Opening Meet at North Central College
Head Coach John Niendorf with summaries from both the women's and men's team - Friday-Saturday in Naperville at North Central Collehe - Spring 2026 Outdoor Track Opening Meet.
"This weekend featured some excellent performances from our Jaguar athletes. The first meet featured mainly distance events on day one Friday and some of our sprinters, jumpers, and throwers competed Saturday for the two-day meet. Starting on the women's side, Ava Tomala beat her previous record in the 1500 meters. Yahaira Rodriguez was able to break 19 minutes in the 5k with her 18:57 performance. Kaylee O'Sullivan took 4th overall in the women's 5k with her 18:49. Sophia Flowers had a huge day at North Central this past Friday night. She qualified for Nationals and took 3rd place overall in the 10k distance. She currently holds the fifth best time in the country," Coach Niendorf said.
"On the men's side, we saw big performances put up from our middle-distance squad. Devon Hayes beat the school record and took 3rd overall in the 1500. He ran a 4:03 and will be trying the break 4 minutes the next time he runs. Antoine Morgan hit another big personal record with his 4:20 1500-meter effort. Mason Reyes and Harold Hunley III ran the 1500 for the first time. I thought they both put out excellent races and I am excited to see what they can do next time. On the long-distance side, Daniel Zavala placed 3rd overall and Alex Ortiz broke his previous pr in the 5k. Ortiz ran a 15:39, placing him 11th overall. Parker Griffin and Elija Jones also hit personal bests in the 5k distance, running 15:52 and 16:14 respectively. I loved the way that Andie Sima and Evan Stacy competed in the races. They both fought hard and Sima was able to hit a new pr for himself, while Stacy ran a season best. On the throws side, Sean O'Brien finished 8th overall in javelin and threw 42.20 meters. Clark Fremouw placed 3rd overall with his 44.33-meter throw in discus. For jumps, Steven Session placed 3rd overall in high jump with his 1.95-meter effort. Jayson Wold hit a season pr in the 400 with his 52 mark, placing him 11th at the meet. Devon Hayes did not hit his previous best in the 800, but did place 7th in the outdoor season opener. Overall, I was pleased with the opener and felt that we had a mixed bag of great performances and marks that fell short of expectations. The first outdoor meet is always a nice way to see where everyone is at fitness wise and I am excited to see how the athletes progress for the rest of outdoor season," said Coach Niendorf.
