PITTSBURG, Kan. – Oklahoma Baptist opened up the indoor season with strong debuts at Pitt State's Boo Rogers Combined Events, Crimson and Gold Invitational, and the Washburn Alumni Invite.
Steven Schmidt started the weekend breaking the school record in the heptathlon. The previous high was 5,519 set by Jonathan Hilton in 2009. Schmidt secured first in the men's high jump with a jump of 2.15 meters. The long jump event saw the Battle Ground, Wash., native then earn second place, covering 7.11 meters. Schmidt saw his final personal best of the weekend in the 1k, taking second with a time of 2:52.66 Schmidt totaled 5,531 points, currently leading the nation in points.
Saturday's action saw the Bison spread across two separate events, the Crimson and Gold Invitational and the Washburn Alumni Invite. At the Crimson and Gold Invitational, In the 200 dash,
Isaiah Willis earned seventh place with a time of 21.96. Johnson took 28
th (22.63), setting his personal best in his debut as a Bison.
Sean Dixon earned second place in the 400 with a time of 48.56.
Jared Cheatwood recorded a 49.26 finish for ninth place, claiming a new personal best in the event, and
Jentezen Smith took 11
th place at 49.41, also setting a new personal best.
In the men's mile run,
James Williams was the top contender for OBU with a time of 4:23.30 to take 17
th place with
Josh Kearse snagging 18
th at 4:23.65. In the 5,000,
Emery Crayton placed 10
th, recording a personal-best time of 14:54.04.
Jaden Redmond also claimed a new personal best at 15:50 in the 5k.
In the 4x400 relay, the Bison secured third place with an NCAA provisional time of 3:14.45. Dixon ran the first leg of the race for the green and gold as Smith and Cheatwood followed, with Willis as the anchor.
Quintin Richardson placed eight in the high jump at 1.95m.
Nathan Goodson placed 11th and
Aaron Lyle placed 12
th in his first outing with OBU, each of the men clearing 1.85m each. In the long jump, Willis earned a fifth-place with a mark of 7.31m.
Carson Kardokus placed fifth in the 3,000m with a time of 8:31.32 setting a new personal record.
Ethan Banks took 25
th (9:03.71) and Hudson Cunningham took 26
th (9:05.35), a new personal best.
The Washburn Alumni Invite welcomed OBU's throwers, competing in the shot put and weight throw.
Karson Holsapple led the Bison in the shot put with a 15.29m (50-02.00) heave for a new personal-best.
Holsapple also claimed a new personal-record with a 11.33 (37-02.25) weight throw, taking 20
th place in the event.
Elijah Wood followed closely behind with a 15.02m (49-03.50) mark for eighth place also claiming a new personal best in the event.
Werchem led the herd for OBU in the weight throw with a mark of 15.35m (50-04.50), securing a spot among the top 10.
Next up for OBU Men's Track and Field is the Owen Hewett Invitational at the University of Oklahoma on Jan. 17, 2025.
