Five Titles Nearly Lift William Penn to Team Gold at Heart Championship

Maryville, Mo.--The Statesmen men's track and field team was in contention all weekend, but could not hang on down the stretch as it finished with silver at the Heart of America Athletic Conference championship Friday and Saturday.

WPU placed second out of 12 programs with 127 points, while Benedictine claimed the crown with 137.5 points.  It is the highest indoor finish for the navy and gold since also taking second in 2017 (128 points).  Over the last three Heart Championships (indoor and outdoor), the Statesmen have been second twice and third once.

The Statesmen tallied points in 14 of the 21 events, including winning five titles and recording a grand total of 12 podium placings (top three).

D'Artagnon Beaver (Sr., Rockford, Ill., Human Services) had a major part in three victories, headlined by his individual triumph in the 3,000-meter run in 8:43.36.

The senior then helped both the 4x800-meter relay and distance medley relay crews to wins.  The 4x8 squad, which was also comprised of Andrew Miller (So., Le Claire, Iowa, Exercise Science), Gavin Huff (Fr., Mascoutah, Ill.), and Brandon Williams (Sr., Fountain, Colo., Engineering Technology), crossed the line in 7:52.17.  The DMR quartet, who finished with a time of 10:26.68, also featured Miller, Jaden Loveless (Sr., Des Moines, Iowa, Industrial Technology), and Ethan Varvelo (Sr., Channelview, Texas, Engineering Technology).

Xzavion West (Jr., Guthrie, Ky., Undecided) won the weight throw competition at 56-9.25, while Weaver was tops in the triple jump at 48-7.25.

Anthony Weaver (So., Demopolis, Ala., Mechanical Engineering) was not alone at the top as William Penn swept the podium positions.  Micah Mills (So., Houston, Texas, Psychology) was second at 47-5 to qualify for nationals with the 'B' national-qualifying standard, while John Webb (So., Dothan, Ala., Mechanical Engineering) was third at 45-1.75.

Weaver also earned bronze in the long jump (22-4.25).  West matched him as a two-time point-scorer by placing fifth in the shot put (48-8.25).

Showalter Johnson (Sr., Nassau, Bahamas, New Media) went home with a pair of silvers, doing so in the 60-meter dash (6.81) and the 200-meter dash (21.87).

In addition to their relay wins, Williams and Miller garnered individual second-place efforts as well.  Williams did so in the 1,000-meter run (2:29.53), while Miller claimed his runner-up medal in the one-mile run (4:24.98).  Williams was also fourth in the 800-meter run in 1:54.64.

Primes Brock (Fr., Shreveport, La., Civil Engineering) put up points twice, finishing fourth in the shot put (51-11.25) and sixth in the weight throw (51-9), while Nick Marshall (Jr., Glenpool, Okla., Human Services) took fourth in the weight throw at 53-9.25.

Kwabena Banahene (So., Fontana, Calif., Undecided) high-jumped to a seventh-place finish at 6-2, while the 4x400-meter relay team also scored a point by ending up eighth in 3:26.20.

"I am not going to lie, this one is bittersweet for us right now," Head Coach Victoria Vinokur said.  "It was not what our athletes nor us as a coaching staff were hoping for, but I am beyond proud of them for doing this together and putting up a battle and a half.  We had some gutsy performances that put us in position.  Watching this weekend unfold, it makes us excited for the future of this program.  They are creating a special dynasty and they are doing it together."

Next Up: William Penn's national qualifiers will travel to Gainesville, Fla. from February 27-March 1 for the NAIA National Championship.