Mustangs Kick Off Outdoor Season in Memphis

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The Mount Mercy men's track and field team kicked off their outdoor season with a strong showing at the Rhodes Invitational, collecting event titles and top finishes in Memphis, Tenn., on March 14-15.

Day one saw success in the field events, with Nate Jones leading the way in the hammer throw, securing third place with a toss of 45.61m. Alex Paulson trailed Jones in eighth at 36.85m and Nels Fossum in tenth at 33.77m. Oscar Nielsen made his mark in the triple jump, securing ninth place with a leap of 11.20m. 

Heading into day two, the Mustangs continued to show some depth with top finishes across numerous events. Baylor Speidel claimed the 100m dash title at a time of 10.73 and finished second in the 200m at 21.81. Noah Valenzuela finished seventh in the 200m at 22.44. In the 110m hurdles, Perez Hemmings came in third with a time of 15.41. 

The 400m dash had Valenzuela finishing third at 49.29, Trevor Leitheiser in ninth at 51.62, and BJ Huggins rounding out the Mustangs in the event with a tenth-place finish at 52.45. Ryan Mitchell claimed a second-place finish in the mile with a time of 4:19.99 with Brady Cortez trailing in fifth at 4:22.13. 

The field events continued to find success as Nielsen took second in the high jump at a height of 1.80m. Jones finished sixth in the discus throw at 36.70m and led the Mustangs in the shot put with a second-place finish at 13.49m. Alex Paulson trailed Jones with a sixth-place finish at 11.99m and Fossum in ninth at 10.86m. 

The Mustangs will be back on the track on March 28 as they compete in the Washinton University Distance Carnival in St. Louis, Mo.