ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – The Beloit College track and field teams traveled to Rock Island, Illinois over the past two days to compete in the Augustana Meet of Champions. Facing off against a massive field of regional powerhouses, the Buccaneers made their presence felt by securing an individual title, a slew of podium finishes, and a long list of personal records.
The standout performance of the meet belonged to Dylan Malmgren (Loves Park, Ill.), who put on a distance running clinic in the Men's 5000 Meters. Malmgren outpaced the competition to take first place overall, crossing the line in a season-best time of 16:10.12a. He wasn't the only Buc to find success in the event, as Leo Ramos secured a top-ten finish, taking 6th place with a time of 16:40.87a.
The distance success continued in the 1500 Meters, where Kembre Daniel (Chicago, Ill.) clocked a personal best of 4:08.85a to finish 7th. Anton Witzel (Erfurt, Germany) also joined the "PB" club in the 1500m, finishing in 4:27.77a.
In the throwing rings, Joshua Martinez Marte (Beloit, Wis.) had a career day. He earned a podium spot in the Men's Discus, launching a personal best toss of 50.32m to finish 3rd. He proved his versatility across the throwing disciplines, recording another personal best in the Hammer Throw with a distance of 50.08m and finishing the Shot Put with a mark of 14.25m.
The Buccaneer women also showed significant strength in the throws. Adelaide Schmitt (Aurora, Colo.) led the group with a personal best in the Discus (35.34m), while also competing strongly in the Hammer (37.06m) and Javelin (26.45m). Reagan Lamb had a breakout performance, setting personal bests in both the Shot Put (9.49m) and the Hammer Throw (32.67m).
Beloit's speed was on display in the 100 and 200-meter dashes. Josh Yearby (Hollywood, FL) led the Men's 100m squad with a time of 11.06a, followed by Ayouba Sumoaro (Las Vegas, NV), who clocked a season-best 11.46a. On the women's side, Allie Roberts was a bright spot, running a personal best in the 200 Meters at 26.98a and turning in a strong 1:04.48a in the 400 Meters.
Junior Haley Carlin (Sarasota, Fla.) was the ultimate utility athlete for the Buccaneers, competing in four different events. Her day was highlighted by a season-best 1:22.90a in the 400m Hurdles and a season-best clearance of 2.55m in the Pole Vault. She also recorded marks in the 100m Hurdles (19.43a) and Javelin (28.60m).
The personal records and season-best marks continued to roll in across the board for the Buccaneers. In the women's distance events, Simone de Montigny (Neenah, Wis.) led the charge by clocking a season-best 2:35.54a in the 800m alongside a 5:15.59a in the 1500m, while teammate Meghan Koning (Mt. Prospect, Ill.) secured a personal best in the 800m with a time of 3:01.07a. Cooper Rathmann (Milwaukee, Wis.) provided a strong showing for the men's middle-distance squad, navigating the 800m in a swift 2:05.39a. The vertical jumps also yielded impressive results, as Naomee Casey (Broken Arrow, Okla) cleared 3.00m in the pole vault and Magali Le Bas reached a height of 1.28m in the high jump. On the horizontal runway, Andrew Arhebun (Chicago, Ill.) leapt to a distance of 5.90m in the long jump, followed by Will Carrion Jr (Florida City, FL) who reached 5.26m. Finally, the Buccaneers' success extended to the javelin runway, where Ian Phillips (Machesney Park, Ill.) recorded a toss of 35.42m and Chris Andaya (Joliet, Ill.) secured a new personal best with a mark of 25.51m.
The Buccaneers head to the St. Norbert College Invitational next Saturday. Action from Donald J. Schneider Stadium in De Pere is set to start at 10:30am
