Methvin, Gates Lead Charge for Choctaws at Pittsburg State Invitational

PITTSBURG, Kan. — Mississippi College men's and women's track and field teams delivered strong performances at the Pittsburgh State Invitational on Saturday at the Robert W. Plaster Center.

On the women's side, Katie Gates highlighted the meet with a personal-best performance in the 60-meter hurdles, securing a mark that places her second in the Gulf South Conference standings. Hilary Udechukwu posted a time of 25.50 seconds in the 200-meter dash, while freshman Brookelyn Bidinger clocked in at 2:28.22 in the 800-meter run. Junior Taylor Benoit ran a stellar 5:07.12 in the women's 1-mile event.

The women's distance team also had an impressive showing in the 5,000-meter run, where junior Ava Wardlaw placed fifth with a time of 18:30.67, followed by freshman Kathryn Finch in seventh (18:43.72) and junior Shana Sellers in eighth (18:56.07). The women's 4x400-meter relay team, consisting of Anna Cobb, Livia Fischer, Taylor Benoit, and Udechukwu, finished third with a time of 4:03.27.

In the women's long jump, sophomore Hanna Jackson finished 10th with a mark of 5.19 meters (17.04 feet), just missing the finals. Sophomore Kennedy Thompson had an eighth-place finish in the women's weight throw, recording a distance of 15.43 meters (50.58 feet).

For the men, junior Braedon Methvin placed first in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 8:27.56. In the 5,000-meter run, junior Cooper Parmer took second place (14:57.24), followed by freshman Gabriel McElwain in third (14:57.92). Junior Wyatt Whipp finished ninth with a time of 15:22.96.

In the men's 1-mile race, senior Brock Kelly earned third place with a time of 4:09.06, while junior Christian Balcer finished fifth (4:11.75) and junior Baxter Friedman came in seventh (4:15.55).

The men's 400-meter dash saw junior Oliver Ollesch take 12th place with a time of 48.61 seconds. Samuel Hodson, in the 800-meter run, placed ninth with a time of 1:54.74.

Mississippi College's men's distance medley relay (DMR) team of Christian Balcer, Baxter Friedman, Sidney Stegall, and Carson Smith delivered a strong performance, placing third with a time of 9:59.81. The men's 4x400-meter relay team, consisting of Damone Daniels, Jonathan Bunch Jr., Ollesch, and Liam Wilkerson, finished 10th in 3:23.45.

In the men's field events, sophomore Bryan Puckett placed fifth in the shot put with a distance of 16.08 meters (52.73 feet). Junior James Miller finished 11th in the weight throw with a mark of 16.28 meters (53.47 feet), followed by Puckett in 12th (16.15 meters - 53.00 feet) and senior Steven Conrad in 13th (16.08 meters - 52.73 feet).

Mississippi College's track and field teams will look to build on these performances as they prepare for their upcoming competition at the UAB Vulcan Invitational on Friday, Feb. 7, starting at 9 a.m. at the Birmingham Crossplex in Birmingham, Alabama.