Track & Field Compete at Joe Gillespie Invitational, Kipkemboi Clinches First in 5000m
STEPHENVILLE, Texas – The East Central University track & field team performed at the Joe Gillespie Invitational, hosted by Tarleton State University, with both the men's and women's squads earning top-10 finishes and personal bests across several events.
Men's Highlights
Melvin Kipkemboi was the top performer of the weekend, taking 1st place in the 5000 meters with a stellar time of 14:56.43, leading a deep men's distance squad. In throws,
John Vaughan claimed 3rd in the discus with a career-best 44.08m (144' 7"), while
Mekii Bell (8th, 12.78m) and
Jaxon Merchant (9th, 12.67m) both landed top-10 finishes in the shot put with their new personal bests.
On the track,
Ronnie Mukwada stood out in the sprints, finishing 16th in the 100m (11.08) and 12th in the 200m (22.15) for a season-best time. The men's middle-distance crew was especially strong in the 800 and 1500 meters:
In the 800m,
Aidan Wells (7th, 2:00.31) and
Maverick Stephenson (10th, 2:00.98) paced a pack of six Tiger runners, with Wells clocking in a new PR in the 800m.
Wells doubled back for an 8th place finish in the 1500m (4:06.46), followed closely by
Michael Iyali in 9th (4:08.05). Stephenson added another strong showing, setting a new personal-best time of in 4:10.34 (11th), while
Harley Cobb (12th, 4:14.58),
AJ Gustin (16th, 4:19.93),
Joshua Robertson (18th, 4:24.83), and Ladon Vance (19th, 4:28.60) rounded out the showing of depth in the event.
Huston Holder also competed to close out the Tiger lineup.
In field events,
Cade Duvall added a 5th-place finish in the javelin (33.98m), while contributing alongside teammates in the discus throw.
Women's Highlights
Leading the women's team,
Madison Ham finished 4th in the 5000 meters with a time of 18:45.10, pacing the distance group with her season-best time. In the high jump, Lexii LeCrone cleared 1.57m (5' 1.75") to place 7th, while
Abigail Jones finished 7th in the discus (35.17m) and
Maecee Kirtley landed 8th in the shot put (10.73m).
On the track,
Carli Leforce ran a strong 1:02.84 in the 400 meters to place 12th and set a new PR. In the 800 meters,
Stephanie Ojo (2:31.75) and
Brylee Baird (2:42.40) both competed well, placing 17th and 19th respectively, with Ojo clocking in her fastest time this season.
Jolee McIntyre raced in the 100 meters (13.78) and also competed in the long jump.
