Warriors Compete in Pair of Meets

ORANGE CITY, Iowa / KEARNEY, Neb. — Midland University returned to action over the weekend, competing at both the Red Raider Open, hosted by Northwestern College, and the Loper Invitational, hosted by the University of Nebraska Kearney. The Warriors faced strong fields at both meets, highlighted by multiple top finishes and program marks.

At the Red Raider Open, a 16-team meet that included several Great Plains Athletic Conference programs, Josiah Meyer led Midland in the field events with a seventh-place finish in the javelin (49.08 meters). Jonathan Edberg added a fifth-place finish in the high jump (1.86 meters), while Brendan Walton placed 10th (1.81 meters). Tae Marks turned in a strong showing with a third-place finish in the triple jump (12.35 meters) and later added a top-10 finish in the 100-meter dash, placing eighth in the finals (11.47) after running 11.26 in the prelims. Pampa Raffin recorded an eighth-place finish in the pole vault (4.05 meters).

Marcos Riano highlighted the decathlon competition, recording multiple top-10 finishes. He placed 10th in the 100 meters (11.78), long jump (5.75 meters), and high jump (1.55 meters), while adding an eighth-place finish in the shot put (9.47 meters) and pole vault (3.30 meters). He also finished ninth in the discus (24.31 meters) and fifth in the javelin (40.27 meters). On the track, he placed fifth in the 110-meter hurdles (17.15) and fourth in the 1,500-meter run (5:17.99), moving into sixth in Midland program history in the decathlon.

"We started well, but as the conditions deteriorated, it was hard to get going," head coach Daniel Gerber said.

At the Loper Invitational, Midland capitalized on improved conditions and delivered several standout performances. Federico Migliano led the way with a first-place finish in the hammer throw (52.28 meters), while Kenny Johnson placed seventh in the shot put (10.56 meters).

The Warriors dominated the 3,000-meter steeplechase, sweeping the top three spots as Kevin Korir (11:02.36), Victor Vizcaino Fernandez (11:04.61), and Jorge Vizcaino Fernandez finished first, second, and third, respectively. In the 800 meters, Koen Steenblok placed third (1:51.63), followed by Lucas Hjortkjaer in fifth (1:52.62) and Braden Taylor in seventh (1:55.71).

Midland added depth in the relays, with Ja'Myri Bernard, Raheem Richards, Chris Medlock, and Steenblok finishing fourth in the 4x400 relay (3:27.67). The quartet of Hjortkjaer, Painter, Taylor, and Christian Olsen placed fifth (3:29.62).

"We had a lot of strong performances and took advantage of the conditions today," Gerber said.

Midland will conclude the regular season at the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, April 22-25, while select athletes will also compete at the Prairie Wolf Outdoor Invite in Lincoln, Nebraska, on April 23.