Two More Qualifiers Added to List

Fayette, Mo./Pella--The William Penn men's track and field team qualified two more individuals as it split its squad Friday and Saturday.

WPU competed at the Central Methodist Invitational on Friday and Saturday, where it recorded both of its national qualifiers, while also in the field at the Central Invitational Friday.

At Central Methodist

Xzavion West (Jr., Guthrie, Ky., Undecided) headlined the Statesmen by improving upon his provisional qualifying standard in the hammer throw.  The junior won the event with a toss of 184-11.

He was also fourth in the shot put at 50-0 and fifth in the discus at 138-11.

Anthony Weaver (So., Demopolis, Ala., Mechanical Engineering) and Showalter Johnson (Sr., Nassau, Bahamas, New Media) also hit qualifying marks at the Invitational.

Weaver hit the provisional standard with a runner-up finish in the triple jump at 48-10.25, while taking fifth in the long jump at 23-2.75.

Johnson finished third in the 100-meter dash with a 'B' standard of 10.42 seconds; the senior was also eighth in the 200-meter dash in 21.55 seconds.

Nick Marshall (Jr., Glenpool, Okla., Human Services) topped the rest of the throwing crew, beginning with second place in the javelin at 165-9.  He was ninth in both the shot put (45-9) and discus (119-8).

Primes Brock (Fr., Shreveport, La., Civil Engineering) also had a trio of top-10 finishes, doing so in the discus (fourth, 148-6), javelin (fourth, 145-4), and shot put (eighth, 46-9).

Fredrick Kolla Nquimdo (So., Wheaton, Md., Secondary Education) took sixth in the hammer as well with a sixth-place toss of 142-6.

Kwabena Banahene (So., Fontana, Calif., Undecided) notched a bronze in the high jump at 6-3.25, while Bennett Polite (Jr., Kearney, Mo., Fine Arts) was sixth at 5-11.25.  Polite was 23rd in the 200 (22.27) as well.

Micah Mills (So., Houston, Texas, Psychology) placed 15th in the long jump at 21-0.5, while Travaughn Robbins-Hall (Fr., Lauderhill, Fla., Software Engineering) and Christopher Smith (Sr., Chicago, Ill., Business Management) were both two-time top-half placers.

Robbins-Hall was 24th in the 100 (10.88) and 26th in the 200 (22.39), while Smith was 25th in the 100 (10.90) and 27th in the 200 (22.41).

"We had some really solid performances, including lots of PRs and national qualifications," Head Coach Victoria Vinokur said.  "Considering how early we are in the season and the fact we still have adjustments to make, having this type of success shows how strong this team is shaping up to be."

At Central

Brandon Williams (Sr., Fountain, Colo., Engineering Technology) and D'Artagnon Beaver (Sr., Rockford, Ill., Human Services) both came away with titles in Pella.  Beaver was first in the 800-meter run in a time of 1:58.83, while Beaver won the 5,000-meter run in 15:42.07.

Williams was also fourth in the 1,500-meter run (4:13.97).  Andrew Miller (So., Le Claire, Iowa, Exercise Science) matched Williams with a fourth-place finish in the 5,000 in 16:05.06.

Carson Springer (So., Grimes, Iowa, Business Management) took eighth in the 5,000 (17:00.52), while Gavin Huff (Fr., Mascoutah, Ill.) and Ethan Varvelo (Sr., Channelview, Texas, Engineering Technology) were two-time top-half placers.

Huff placed 10th in the 800 (2:03.48) and 17th in the 1,500 (4:20.94), while Varvelo ended up 18th in the 800 (2:05.03) and 19th in the 1,500 (4:21.97).

"It is never ideal to have 30-plus mile-per-hour gusts when trying to run fast," Assistant Coach Caleb Drake said.  "We had to adjust our expectations a little bit, but that did not change how well we competed.  I thought we looked strong as a team given the conditions.  These guys are ready to show off the work they have put in, but we need to be patient for the right day--weather and meet--to do so."

Next Up: William Penn travels to Mount Vernon next Saturday to compete in the Cornell Invitational.