MIRAMAR, Fla. — The Hesston College track and field teams delivered a strong performance at the Continental Athletic Conference Championships, with the men’s team placing fifth with 70 points and the women’s team finishing third with 35 points.
The Larks were dominant in the distance events, particularly the men’s 3000-meter steeplechase. Nathan Lewis (Fr., Wichita, Kan.) captured the conference title with a time of 11:18.74, while Ethan Thompson (So., Hesston, Kan.) placed second in 11:43.53. Seth Crouse (Fr., Chapman, Kan.) added a third-place finish, Landon Lunsford (So., Newton, Kan.) took fourth and Sebastian Pavlovich (So., Lindsborg, Kan.) finished sixth, giving Hesston a major point boost in the event.
In the 5000 meters, Jonah Krumme (Fr., Wichita, Kan.) led the way with a third-place finish in 16:44.11. Thompson added a fifth-place finish, followed by Jack Hunter (So., Abilene, Kan.) in sixth, Lunsford in seventh and Pavlovich in eighth, continuing the Larks’ depth in distance races.
Krystina Clemons (Jr., Morrilton, Ark.) had a standout meet for the women, sweeping both the 100 and 200 meter dashes. She won the 100 in 13.01 and followed with a first-place finish in the 200 in 26.69, accounting for 20 team points.
Crouse also contributed on the track with a fourth-place finish in the men’s 400 meters (52.49) and added a third-place finish in the steeplechase. In the 1500 meters, Lewis placed sixth with a time of 4:22.16.
In the field events, Keira Rankin (Fr., Frazier Park, Calif.) led the women with a second-place finish in the discus (32.10m) and added a sixth-place finish in the shot put (8.84m). Ellie Smith (Fr., Canon City, Colo.) contributed with a seventh-place finish in both the shot put (8.48m) and discus (26.10m).
On the men’s side, Zachary Graham (Fr., Derby, Kan.) placed sixth in the discus with a throw of 29.16 meters, while Hunter added a seventh-place finish (22.16m). Nick Win (Jr., Yangon, Myanmar) contributed in multiple events, including a ninth-place finish in the long jump and an eighth-place finish in the triple jump.
The Larks also scored in relay events, with the men’s 4×100 meter relay placing fifth (46.56) and the 4×400 meter relay finishing fifth (4:03.60).
Hesston showed depth across multiple events throughout the meet, combining distance strength, sprint success and field event contributions to produce a strong finish on both the men’s and women’s sides.
The Larks will return to action on May 9 at the ESU Last Chance Meet hosted by Emporia State.
