PITTSBURG, Kan. – The Oklahoma Baptist men's track and field team began its 2023-24 indoor season at Pittsburg State's Boo Rogers Combined Events and Crimson and Gold Invitational over the weekend.
Four Bison turned in top-five finishes and NCAA DII qualifying marks, while multiple posted personal-best marks.
BOO ROGERS COMBINED EVENTS
Northwest Nazarene transfer Steven Schmidt made his OBU debut on Friday, competing as the lone Bison in the heptathlon at Pitt State. After Saturday's final event, Schmidt claimed second place with 5,432 points, 204 points less than the event's leader (Hunter Jones – PSU).
Schmidt notched three top-five finishes, including a win in the pole vault with a clearance of 4.70m (15-5). He added a second-place nod in the high jump (2.05m, 6-8.75) and a fourth-place finish in the long jump (6.99m, 22-11.25).
Schmidt's final tally nearly broke the Oklahoma Baptist indoor program record that was set in 2009 (Jonathan Hilton – 5,519). Furthermore, it trailed his career-best mark (5,523) by 91 points, earned at last season's NCAA Division II Indoor Championship.
CRIMSON AND GOLD INVITATIONAL
Trey Bartholomew's first-place finish in the high jump led all Bison participants in Saturday's events. The sophomore leaped a personal-best 2.12m (6-11.5) to claim the top spot alongside Seniru Amarasinghe (West Texas A&M) and Caleb Snowden (Univ. Ark.-Pine Bluff).
Isaiah Willis earned fourth in the long jump with a personal-best mark of 7.34m (24-1), while Alexander Schovanec placed eighth in the shot put with a heave of 16.17m (53-0.5).
Rounding out OBU's notable field participants was Anthony Phillips, who took 12th with a clearance of 4.42m (14-6).
Maxamillian Wheeler ran a 14:24.33 in the 5000m to break the Bison indoor record, set by Cordell Baker in 2012. His feat placed fifth among 52 runners.
Carson Kardokus clocked a personal-best time in 3000m (8:34.16), while Isaiah Willis sprinted to a 14th-place finish in the 200m dash with a time of 21.95.
OBU's 4x400 relay squad posted the ninth-best time at 3:18.81 in the relays. The quartet consisted of Allen Community College transfer Sean Dixon, sophomore Jentezen Smith, senior Marcus Petersen, and sophomore Emmett Murphy.
NCAA DIVISION II QUALIFYING MARKS
Steven Schmidt: 5,432 points (Heptathlon) - 3rd in DII
Maxamillian Wheeler: 14:24.33 - 25th in DII
Trey Bartholomew: 2.12m (High Jump) - 7th in DII
Isaiah Willis: 7.34m (Long Jump) - 10th in DII
NEXT UP
Oklahoma Baptist returns to Pittsburg State on Jan. 19 for the Rumble in the Jungle Invitational.
