MOUNT VERNON – Iowa Wesleyan College took the top two spots in the men’s 55-meter dash, one of several highlights for the Tigers at the Hilltop Invitational hosted by Cornell College on Saturday.
Xavier Shields (Fr.-St. Albans, N.Y.) and Nigel Talton (Fr.-Fort Valley, Ga.) placed first and second, respectively, in the 55 dash finals, emerging from an initial field of 52 contestants. Shields finished in 6.52 seconds, while Talton was second in 6.56 seconds.
Both posted their fastest times of the season, and Shields improved on his third-best time in school history while Talton moved into fourth on IWC’s all-time indoor list. Shields also met the NAIA national ‘B’ qualifying standard with his time, meaning he is currently on standby to qualify for the national championships depending on how many athletes nationally meet the ‘A’ standard.
Freshman Ridge Hobbs (New London, Iowa) also made his mark on the Wesleyan all-time list on Saturday with his second place finish in the long jump. Hobbs posted a best of 21-8 ¼ (6.61 meters), which ties for the second-best jump in school indoor history. He was just 1 ¼ inches off the top mark of all-time, set by Junior Chukukere in 1989.
The Tiger men also got top 10 finishes in the shot put and 200. Richard Silva (Fr.-Kirkland, Wash.) was seventh in the finals of the shot put with a best of 46-5 ¼ (14.15m), and Shields placed ninth in the 200 in 23.67.
The IWC women sent a limited team to Cornell and were led by Caitlyn Jones (So.-Cornell, Ill.) in the 800. Jones finished 13th with a time of 2:34.99. Kate Krzystofiak (Jr.-Mount Pleasant, Iowa) was 25th in the event, clocking in at 2:46.62.
Outside of the 800, Wesleyan’s best event was the 55 hurdles, where Mariah Montgomery (Fr.-Cedar Rapids, Iowa) timed in at 9.59 and Serina Reyna (So.-Selma, Calif.) finished in 10.20.
Team scores were not kept at the meet. The Tigers now get ready for the Midwest Collegiate Conference indoor championships coming up next Saturday in Sterling, Ill.
For more information regarding the IWC men’s or women’s track programs or any of the Tiger athletic teams, contact sports information director Adam Glatczak (319-385-6306 phone; 319-385-6384 FAX; aglatczak@iwc.edu e-mail) or log on to IWC's athletics web site at www.iwc.edu/athletics.
Men's Results
Women's Results
