MANHATTAN, Kan. - The Butler track and field team had five first-place and six runner-up finishes at the Region VI Indoor Championships, which were held Sunday at Ahearn Field House in Manhattan.
The Grizzly men finished fourth overall with 104 points, while the Butler women was sixth with 57 points.
Butler freshman Eli Hall-Thompson won both the men's 60-meter and 200-meter dash. Thompson, who was voted the Region VI runner-up athlete of the meet, ran a 6.76 time in the 60m dash and crossed the finish line in 21.48 seconds in the 200m dash.
Freshman Kristina Vujanic won the women's pentathlon with 3,059 points. Vujanic won the shot put and 800-meter run portions of the pentathlon.
Both the men's and women's distance relay teams also took first place. The men's quartet of Luis Aponte, Albert Meier, Luke Johnston and Shevon Blair finished with a time of 10:08.25, while the women's team of Lindi Young, Ona Giles, Kristina Vujanic and Terra Flores had a time of 13:17.22.
Runner up finishes were: Terra Flores, women's 3,000-meter run (10:48.90) and 5,000-meter run (19:50.34); Mohammed Abubakar, men's long jump (23' 0-3/4"); Albert Meier, men's 1-mile run (4.24.76) and 3,000-meter run (8:53.00); Shevon Blair, Luke Johnston, Kennedy Chumba and Albert Meier, men's 4x800-meter relay (7:54.58)
Third-place finishers were: Emmanuel Mwewa, men's 600-meter run (1:21.00); Emmanuel Mwewa, DeAndre Wade, Jalen Gillie, Lamarion Arnold, men's 4x400-meter relay (3:19.46)
Other top-five placers were:
4th – Rachael Buzanowski, women's pole vault (10').
4th – Kennedy Chumba, men's 5,000-meter run (15:49.21).
4th – Ona Giles, women's 200-meter dash (25.80 seconds).
4th – Mohammed Abubakar, men's triple jump (46' 7-1/2")
5th – Mikhail Micheaux , men's long jump (22' 3-3/4").
5th – Hayley Ribordy, women's 5,000-meter run (20:25.39).
5th – Lamarion Arnold, men's 200-meter dash (22.07 seconds).
Next up for the Butler track and field team is the NJCAA Indoor National Championships, which will be held in Albuquerque, N.M., on March 6 & 7.
