Men’s Track & Field Captures Third in HCAC Outdoor Championships

The Anderson University men's track and field captured third place in the three-day Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) Outdoor Championships, which concluded on Saturday in Lexington, Ky. Anderson recorded the program's best finish in the outdoor conference meet since the 2017-18 season.

Michael Sweigart was named the HCAC Men's Throws Athlete of the Meet and Chuck Foga was selected as the HCAC Men's Assistant Coach of the Year.

"This meet was a lot of fun to be a part of," Head Coach Nic Huffman said. "The weather cooperated, and there were some amazing performances across the conference in every event. I think it's the toughest and deepest the conference has ever been. There were a lot of huge accomplishments and many emotions. Our men and women really gave their best while supporting each other with all their heart. I'm proud of the effort, energy, and consistency throughout the season. It's tough, but it's worth it. I want to shout out my assistants, Tremayne Brown and Chuck Foga. A huge congrats to Chuck for earning Men's Assistant Coach of the Year. It is much deserved."

Sweigart was named HCAC Outdoor Thrower of the Meet for the second time in his career. He tallied 26 points after capturing his third hammer title. Sweigart also took second in both the discus and shot put. He currently ranks seventh in NCAA D-III in the hammer, 40th in the discus and 50th in the shot put.

"This was an amazing last outdoor season," Sweigart said. "I couldn't be prouder of our team and the growth we made this year. It was amazing to see. This team has been so much fun to be a part of all outdoor season and I look forward to watching them continue to grow together. The goal for the meet was to finish in the top three in conference and score as many points as we could while shooting for the thrower of the meet and we were able to achieve that. Now the goal is to try and bring home a hammer national championship. God Bless Go Ravens!"

Foga serves as Anderson's Throws Coach. Throws accounted for 48 of Anderson's 94 points.

"All glory to God and all praise goes to the athletes," Assistant Coach Chuck Foga said. "I am honored to be out here with these athletes and able to coach such a great group of young adults. It was a great meet. The women's team scored in all four throwing events, while the men scored multiple times in three of four events. Their hard work and dedication paid off. Michael is a great athlete and leader of our throws squad. It was great to be able to see him pick up his second outdoor HCAC Male Thrower of the Meet. We still have a few more meets left before the NCAA D3 Championship. The goal is to bring another championship back to AU. God Bless Go Ravens!"

TEAM STANDINGS

1. Rose-Hulman – 204
2. Manchester – 144
3. Anderson – 94
4. Hanover – 89
5. Franklin – 86
6. Mount St. Joseph – 44
7. Berea – 41
8. Transylvania – 32
9. Bluffton – 28
10. Earlham – 12

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES

• Michael Sweigart – Hammer – 53.92 meters (176 feet, 11 inches) – 1st Place – First-Team All-HCAC
• Josiah Marshall – Triple Jump – 13.53 meters (44 feet, 4.75 inches) – 2nd Place – Second-Team All-HCAC
• Michael Sweigart – Shot Put – 15.76 meters (51 feet, 8.5 inches) – 2nd Place – Season Best – Second-Team All-HCAC – Ranks 50th on NCAA D-III Leaderboard
• Michael Sweigart – Discus – 47.45 meters (155 feet, 8 inches) – 2nd Place – Second Team All-HCAC
• 4 x 400 Relay – Elijah Stires, Josiah Marshall, Caleb Savage and Dillon Pratt – 3:25.13 – 2nd Place – Season Best – Second-Team All-HCAC
• Hunter Isaacs – Pole Vault – 4.30 meters (14 feet, 1.25 inches) – 3rd Place – Personal Record – All-HCAC Honorable Mention
• Josiah Marshall – Long Jump – 7.02 meters (23 feet, 0.5 inches) – 3rd Place – Personal Record – All-HCAC Honorable Mention – Ranks 50th on NCAA D-III Leaderboard
• Garrett Isaacs – Pole Vault – 4.00 meters (13 feet, 1.5 inches) – 4th Place – Personal Record
• Qi'yam Simmons – Shot Put – 14.32 meters (46 feet, 11.75 inches) – 4th Place
• Qi'yam Simmons – Discus – 43.95 meters (144 feet, 2 inches) – 4th Place
• Isaiah Buchanan – Hammer – 48.16 meters (158 feet, 0 inches) – 4th Place
• Johnnie Behrends – 1,500 – 4:01.75 – 5th Place – Personal Record
• Kaleb Eldridge – 110 Hurdles – 16.04 seconds – 5th Place
• Isaiah Buchanan – Shot Put – 14.31 meters (46 feet, 11.5 inches) – 5th Place
• DaeQuan Viverette – Discus – 42.42 meters (139 feet, 2 inches) – 6th Place – Personal Record
• 4 x 100 Relay – Myles Davis, Adam Dunson, Kaleb Eldridge and Jaylan Seeko – 44.86 seconds – 6th Place – Season Best
• Johnnie Behrends – 800 – 2:15.24 – 8th Place Finals
• Johnnie Behrends – 800 – 1:58.79 – 1st Place Prelims – Personal Record
• Zaire Prioleau – Triple Jump – 12.76 meters (41 feet, 10.5 inches) – 8th Place – Personal Record
• Dillon Pratt – 200 – 23.69 seconds – Season Best
• Elijah Stires – 200 – 23.87 seconds – Personal Record
• Elijah Stires – 400 – 52.67 seconds – Personal Record
• Maxwell Cobb – 800 – 2:18.91 – Personal Record
• Maxwell Cobb – 1,500 – 4:37.30 – Personal Record
• David Lane – 1,500 – 4:52.84 – Personal Record
• Cole Koontz – 5,000 – 16:52.63 – Personal Record
• Joaquin Bautista – 400 Hurdles – 1:03.38 – Season Best
• Jaylan Seeko – Pole Vault – 3.55 meters (11 feet, 7.75 inches) – Season Best
• Joaquin Bautista – Long Jump – 5.68 meters (18 feet, 7.75 inches) – Personal Record
• Isaiah Buchanan – Discus – 39.81 meters (130 feet, 7 inches) – Personal Record
• Daniel Lopez – Javelin – 27.57 meters (90 feet, 5 inches) – Personal Record

UP NEXT

Anderson battles in the two-day Jesse Owens Classic hosted by Ohio State University, which begins on Friday, May 1 at 12 p.m. in Columbus, Ohio.