SHAWNEE – Oklahoma Baptist drew 10 wins and posted multiple NCAA Division II provisional marks at its annual OBU Invitational meet over Easter weekend. The Bison also registered notable marks at the ESU Relays on Thursday, March 28.
OBU INVITATIONAL
Isaiah Willis broke the 33-year-old Bison outdoor long jump record with a winning leap of 7.49m (24-7). He eclipsed Doug Butler's mark of 7.44m (24-5) that was set in 1991. Willis' jump met the NCAA DII provisional standard and ranks 12
th in the country.
Trey Bartholomew won the high jump with a personal-best mark of 2.12m (6-11.5), a DII provisional and the nation's seventh-best leap.
Nathan Goodson trailed in seventh with a clearance of 1.80m (5-10.75) before adding a seventh-place mark in the triple jump – 12.77m (41-10.75).
Evan Olson's heave of 58.86m (193-1) received top honors in the javelin, ahead of
Preston McConnell's 35.26m (115-8) throw that finished seventh.
Matthew Werschem and
Elijah Wood took second in their respective events, the hammer throw – 47.13m (154-7) and the discus – 41.64m (136-7).
Wood added a win in the shot put with a personal-best hurl of 14.86m (48-9).
Karson Holsapple claimed second with a mark of 14.13m (46-4.25).
Anthony Phillips cleared 4.41m (14-5.5) in the pole vault and took second place.
Emery Crayton won the 5000m race with a time of 15:14.00, while
Ethan Banks took fourth in the 3000m steeplechase.
Carson Kardokus and
Michael Parker posted top-10 finishes in the 1500m with times of 3:57.34 (5
th) and 4:02.63 (8
th), respectively.
Boone Bennett and
Aaryn Anderson earned provisional times in the 110m hurdles, crossing the finish line in 14.31 (1
st) and 14.39 (2
nd). Rounding out the OBU's top-10 placers were
Jentezen Smith (3
rd, 14.49), Michael Ward (5
th, 14.92), and Joshua Miller (6
th, 15.52).
Sean Dixon collected his first win of the outdoor season in the 400m hurdles after running the nation's 17
th-best time of 53.15. Smith (2
nd, 54.17), Anderson (3
rd, 54.90), and Bennett (4
th, 55.82) also placed in the race's top five.
Caden Peevey recorded a win in the 200m (21.51) and a second-place finish in the 100m dash (10.57).
In the 400m,
Jared Cheatwood took second in 49.42 and Kardokus added a fourth-place finish in the 800m (1:56.24).
Oklahoma Baptist's top placer in the multi-events was
Caden Martin, who took fifth after racking up 5,480 points. His run was highlighted by a pair of second-place finishes in the javelin (43.55m, 142-10) and 400m (54.74).
The Bison 4x100 relay squad won with a time of 40.94, OBU's fastest time since 2022. The quartet was made up of Peevey, Dixon,
Marcus Petersen, and Willis.
OBU's 4x400 relay team of Dixon, Petersen, Smith, and Willis also claimed top honors with a time of 3:17.57.
ESU RELAYS
On Thursday,
Matthew Higdon paced the Bison's entries in Kansas with a second-place mark in the hammer. Higdon's throw of 58.29m (191-3) met the NCAA DII provisional standard.
Alexander Schovanec also registered sixth-place finishes in the shot put – 16.20m (53-1.75) and discus – 48.65m (159-7).
NEXT UP
Oklahoma Baptist returns to action this weekend at the Arkansas Spring Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark.
