ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The Griffon Men's and Women's Indoor Track and Field teams will open their indoor season on Saturday, December 6 in Maryville, Missouri at the Mel Tjeerdsma Classic hosted by Northwest Missouri State University.
Field events are set to begin at 11 a.m., followed by running events at noon inside the Hughes Fieldhouse.
Interim head coach
Sean Gosewisch shared his thoughts before the Mel Tjeerdsma Classic, saying, "We're excited to open up the season and showcase the hard work the track athletes have been putting in all fall. It looks to be a large meet able to provide good competition, so we want to capitalize on that opportunity and get some good marks or qualifications early."
The Griffon women's squad will be well-represented across the track and field events.
Yesenia Carrillo is set to compete in the 400m, while
Maizie Hageman takes on the 600y.
Bailey Cutler will run the 1000m, and four Griffons
Abby Kinney,
Meagan Smith,
Brianna DeBord, and
Hailey McKinney are entered in the women's mile. Kinney will also double in the 5000m. In the jumps,
Abbey Henry will compete in both the long jump and triple jump. The throws group features
Makenzie Garr in the shot put and weight throw, along with
Kelsi Fair in the shot put. The women will also field a 4x400m relay team consisting of Carillo, Cutler, DeBord, and Smith.
The Griffon men's lineup features a strong distance and middle-distance group, starting with
Keelan Aita in the 800m and
Angelo Baez-Mahr in the 1000m. A deep roster of nine athletes will compete in the men's mile, including
Joshua Zachary,
Kayden Crigger,
Sam Shipp,
Dylan Stout,
Mason Orscheln,
Will Gessmann,
Adam Ducey,
Aidan Jumper, and
Levi Huber. Many of these same athletes will also race the 5000m, with entries from
Wimach Gilo, Zachary, Crigger, Orscheln, Shipp, Gessmann, Ducey, and Huber. In the field events, Jackson Sigrist is set for the triple jump, while
Dawson Miller will compete in the weight throw. The men will also run a 4x400m relay featuring Stout, Aita, Baez-Mahr, and Jumper.
Teams Entered:
• Baker
• Benedictine (Kan.)
• Columbia (Mo.)
• Drury
• Evangel
• Kansas Wesleyan
• MidAmerica Nazarene
• Midland
• Missouri S&T
• MoWest
• Northwest Missouri State
• Park U.
• Rockhurst
• Shocker Track Club
• Southwest Baptist
• St. Mary (Kan.)
• State Fair CC
• Truman
• UNAT–Evangel
• UNAT–Park U.
• William Jewell
Tickets for spectators will be available through the upper east side doors only. Admission is $5 and will be taken at the door by card only.
