Mustangs Deliver Strong Showing Across Two Meets in St. Louis

ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Mount Mercy made their mark at the WashU Distance Carnival, led by standout performances from their long-distance runners. In the men's 10,000 meters, Noah Gregoire turned heads by finishing 54th with a time of 31:22.49, marking the Mustangs' best result in this event.

Matthew Schaul paced the team in the men's 5,000 meters, crossing the line in 207th place with a time of 15:34.15. Close behind, Ryan Mitchell wrapped up his race in 245th place, clocking in at 15:49.49. Together, Schaul and Mitchell showcased the Mustangs' tenacity in the 5,000 meters.

The Mustangs also put on a strong performance at the SLU Billiken Invitational on Saturday, highlighted by Luke Czarnecki's impressive second-place finish in the high jump with a mark of 1.97 meters, and Owen McBride's third-place effort in the javelin, throwing 51.67 meters.

Baylor Speidel led the Mustangs in the 100 Meters, securing 11th place with a time of 11.06. He was followed by Jehmi Thompson in 38th at 11.53, Marquinn Davis in 49th with 11.77, and Levi Wilson-Bries in 62nd at 12.31. In the 200 Meters, Daylin Schaefer came in 22nd, clocking 22.87.

Noah Valenzuela paced the team in the 400 Meters, finishing 8th with a time of 49.56, earning 1 point. Trevor Leitheiser followed in 13th with 52.00, and Chris Canas placed 17th at 53.66.

In the 800 Meters, Seth Countryman finished 26th, running 1:58.15. Brady Cortez followed in 33rd at 1:59.48, with Jack Stamp in 38th at 2:00.92, and Josh Smith in 59th at 2:24.52. Ryan Mitchell excelled in the 1500 Meters, securing 5th place with a time of 4:03.17, adding 4 points to the team's total.

Cortez was 10th in the same event at 4:04.12, while Stamp was 14th with 4:06.94 and Matthew Schaul 24th at 4:14.79. Smith closed out the event in 44th place with 4:50.13.

Brayden Kolosick and Levi Wilson-Bries competed in the 110 Hurdles, finishing 14th and 15th with times of 16.57 and 17.61, respectively.

Czarnecki's high jump mark of 1.97m (6' 5.5") earned him 2nd place and 8 points. Oscar Nielsen followed closely in 4th, achieving 1.82m (5' 11.5") and earning 3 points. Schaefer shone in the Long Jump, capturing 4th place with a leap of 6.61m (21' 8.25"), adding 5 points.

In the Shot Put, Alex Oxendine finished 19th with a throw of 11.34m (37' 2.5"), while Isaac Hernandez was 26th at 10.37m (34' 0.25"). Nate Jones secured 20th in the Discus with a mark of 34.22m (112' 3") and placed 12th in the Hammer with 40.99m (134' 6"). McBride's 3rd place in the Javelin with 51.67m (169' 6") earned 6 points.

The Mustangs' 4 x 100 Relay team, featuring BJ Huggins, Baylor Speidel, Marquinn Davis, and Brady Marak, came in 4th with a time of 42.52, earning 5 points. The 4 x 400 Relay team, consisting of Huggins, Seth Countryman, Trevor Leitheiser, and Noah Valenzuela, also finished 4th with a time of 3:27.91, securing another 5 points.

Looking ahead, the Mustangs are set to host the Mustangs Distance Carnival and Open in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Friday, April 10.