PITTSBURG, Kansas --- Mississippi College's men's and women's track and field teams both showcased impressive performances at the Rumble in the Jungle Invitational, held at Pittsburg State University on January 24, 2025. 

For the men's team, one of the biggest highlights came in the 3000 meters. Brock Kelly dominated the event, crossing the line first with a time of 8:23.56, narrowly edging out his teammate Christian Balcer, who claimed second with a time of 8:25.87.

In the 60 meters, Grayson Foster had a solid performance, finishing with a time of 7.03 seconds in the prelims. He would later return for the 200 meters, where he finished in the top 10 with a time of 21.85 seconds.

The men's team also had a strong presence in the 400 meters, with Oliver Ollesch finishing in the top 15 with a time of 49.29 seconds and Samuel Hodson clocking in at 50.31 seconds.

In the 800 meters, Cole Benoit continued to impress, finishing 3rd overall with a time of 1:51.26, while his teammate Evan Wrights finished just behind in 10th place with a time of 1:53.41.

The men's 4x400 meter relay team was another highlight, securing a thrilling first-place finish with a time of 3:13.53, edging out UT Tyler by just a fraction of a second. The team—made up of Ollesch, Wrights, Hodson, and Foster—demonstrated excellent teamwork and speed in a race that ended in dramatic fashion.

In the field events, Bryan Puckett was a standout in the shot put, earning 3rd place with a throw of 16.24 meters. Steven Conrad was close behind, finishing in the top five with a throw of 15.91 meters. Meanwhile, in the weight throw, James Miller earned a solid top-10 finish with a throw of 16.16 meters, contributing to the team's strong showing in the field events.

In the 200 meters, Hilary Udechukwu ran with determination, finishing in 10th place overall with a time of 25.62 seconds.

Udechukwu also competed in the 400 meters, where she finished in 13th place overall with a time of 57.78 seconds.

The 800-meter finals featured Taylor Benoit, who delivered a standout performance, finishing in 3rd place overall with a time of 2:16.16. Benoit's strong finish in this middle-distance event placed her on the podium with a podium finish.

In the field events, Hannah Jackson had an impressive showing in the long jump finals, finishing in 7th place overall with a leap of 16-10.75 .

The weight throw featured Keva Thomas and Kennedy Thompson, who both delivered solid performances. Thomas finished in 12th place overall with a throw of 48-04.00, while Thompson was close behind, finishing in 13th place with a throw of  48-02.75.

Both teams head into the next competition at the Pittsburgh State Invitational on February 1, 2025.