Diaz-Lopez, Cortez claim track titles as Lady Tigers place 14th, men 18th at nationals
The Cowley College men and women's track and field teams each had an individual national champion at the NJCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships held Friday and Saturday in Pittsburg, KS. The Lady Tigers went on to finish 14th nationally, while the Tiger men placed 18th.
"It was a meet of ups and downs," Cowley head coach Cameron Rieth said. "Along with our national champions we also had some near misses."
Leading the way for the Lady Tigers was freshman Arantxa Cortez, who captured the national title in the pole vault. Cortez continues the stellar tradition of Cowley pole vaulters and follows in the footsteps of two-time national champion pole vaulter Thais Lindemayer Gomes (2017-2018).
"The pole vault has been one of the top events at Cowley thanks to coach (Mark) Phillips and it is something that coach Parker (Ray) and I want to continue to carry on," Rieth said.
Sophomore Kayla McClellan also earned All-American honors in the weight throw, while Kristen Wilson was named All-American in the 5,000-meter run.
"Kayla had a fantastic performance. It is tough to get on the podium in the throws' events," Rieth said. "We knew Kristen was capable of this. She ran a gutsy race and had about a 20 second personal best."
Tiger sophomore Adrian Diaz-Lopez repeated as the indoor national champion in the 3,000-meter run despite falling during the race and rolling his ankle.
"This was one of the highlights of the meet," Rieth said. "Falling did not phase him too much, if anything it woke him up a bit. This was a testament to Adrian's will and determination."
Freshman Luke Faulkner joined Diaz-Lopez as All-Americans on the men's side as he placed seventh in the pole vault.
"I am really proud of Luke," Rieth said. "He has been battling some things, so it was good to see him rise up."
South Plains (140 points) ran away with the title on the men's side, finishing 78 points in front of second place Barton County. Iowa Western (160 points) was nearly as impressive in winning the women's national title as they finished 62 points better than national runner-up New Mexico Junior College.
The Tiger track and field teams will open the outdoor season by competing at the Coffeyville Early Bird Invitational Friday at 9 a.m.
"We have got to keep the ball rolling and will use this national tournament experience to add fuel to the fire to get through the outdoor season," Rieth said. "We will mainly compete with just some outdoor specialists at Coffeyville and will use the time off to let some others get their minds and legs refreshed."
Cowley Results:
WOMEN
*Pentathlon – Lashae' Smith, 2,755 points, 13th.
*Pole vault – Arantxa Cortez, 11-6 ½, national champion.
*Weight throw – Kayla McClellan, 48-9, sixth, All-American; Alejandra Handie, 46-8, 10th.
*High jump – Bernesha Knowles, 45-7, 13th.
*Triple jump – Abby Rueschhoff, 34-9 ¾, 18th.
*Distance Medley Relay – Delicia Boothe, Layla Ingalls, Abigail Pinnock, Karissa Glover, 13:03.87, 12th.
*5,000-meter run – Kristen Wilson, 18:48.89, eighth, All-American.
*800-meter run – Pinnock, 2:22.99, ninth.
*3,000-meter run – Karissa Glover, 10:49.94, 13th.
*4x800-meter relay – Layla Ingalls, Pinnock, Wilson, Glover, 10:05.30, ninth.
MEN
*Heptathlon – Nathaniel Hubbard, 3,979 points, 14th.
*Pole vault – Luke Faulkner, 14-0, seventh, All-American.
*High jump – Gabe Maui, 6-3, 14th.
*Weight throw – Simeon Faagai, 49 ½, 11th; Abner Johnson, 47-7, 13th; Jaden Schneeberger, 47-6, 14th.
*Shot put – Johnson, 49-8, 15th.
*Distance Medley Relay – Tommaso Bruni, Adrian Diaz-Lopez, Edwin Olvera, Dawson Crawley, 10:53.99, 16th.
*5,000-meter run – Santiago Nunez, 15:33.40, 19th.
*800-meter run – Goran Duijsters, 1:55.13, 10th.
*3,000-meter run – Adrian Diaz-Lopez, 8:22.15, national champion; Nunez, 9:18.84, 25th.
*4x800-meter relay – Dawson Crawley, Diaz-Lopez, Duijsters, Dylan Roe, 8:02.16, 12th.
*Mile run – Diaz-Lopez, 4:17.45, 17th.