STERLING, ILL. – Xavier Shields (Fr.-St. Albans, N.Y.) finished second in the 55-meter dash and again improved on his third-best mark in Iowa Wesleyan College history, leading the Tiger indoor track and field teams at the Midwest Collegiate Conference Indoor Championships on Saturday.
The freshman finished in a virtual tie with Gabriel Green of William Penn for first in the dash with a time of 6.51 seconds, improving his NAIA ‘B’ qualifying standard time. A photo finish revealed Green as the winner at the line, but Shields still helped the Tiger men finish with 30 points, placing sixth of the seven teams competing. St. Ambrose University won the men’s championship with 183 points, well ahead of Grand View University (146 ½ points) in second and Ashford University (133 ½ points) in third.
Shields was joined by teammate Nigel Talton (Fr.-Fort Valley, Ga.) in the dash, as Talton was close behind with a fourth-place finish in 6.55 seconds. Talton and Shields also teamed up to score points for IWC in the 200, with Talton finishing fourth with a time of 23.38 and Shields following in sixth in 23.67. Talton’s time puts him fourth on Wesleyan’s all-time indoor list in the 200.
Others making a mark for the Tigers included freshman Ridge Hobbs (New London, Iowa), who placed fifth in the long jump with a best leap of 21-7 ¼. Richard Silva (Fr.-Kirkland, Wash.) also placed in the shot put with a top throw of 45-8, down from his top mark of the season of 48-5 1/2 but good for sixth at the conference championships.
The men’s 4 x 400 relay also scored points by placing sixth with a time of 3:51.06. Running the relay for Wesleyan were Shields, Talton, Jason Amy (Sr.-Lake Elsinore, Calif.) and Bayquon McDonald (Sr.-Bronx, N.Y.).
The IWC women finished with four points to place seventh in the conference championships. Grand View won the women’s title with 203 points, followed by St. Ambrose with 171.
Caitlyn Jones (So.-Cornell, Ill.) was the lone individual to score for the Tigers, placing seventh in the 600 meters with a time of 1:48.47. The 4 x 400 relay team of Jones, Mariah Montgomery (Fr.-Cedar Rapids, Iowa), Serina Reyna (So.-Selma, Calif.) and Kati Krzystofiak (Jr.-Mount Pleasant, Iowa) accounted for the Tigers’ other points. The foursome finished sixth with a time of 4:49.03, just .33 behind William Penn University for fifth.
The Wesleyan track teams are in competition again this coming weekend at the University of Dubuque Invitational in Dubuque.
For more information regarding the IWC 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.
MCC Indoor Championships Results
