Warriors have an explosive start to outdoor season

LEAVENWORTH, Kan. – Sterling College Track and Field opened up their outdoor season at the Spire Team Challenge on Friday and Saturday, March 20-21. The Warriors had standout performances in the jumps with Charles Jones breaking his own school record in the triple jump and Belle Barnett clearing NAIA A standard in the high jump in her outdoor collegiate debut.

Jones won the triple jump with a mark of 15.68m (51-05.5), the first ever +50ft. jump in Sterling College history. The mark is also an NAIA A standard to qualify him for the national championship.

In the throws, James Dickerman had a strong showing in his Warrior debut with a fifth-place finishes in the javelin throw with a mark of 47.03m (154-03), also an NCCAA qualifying mark.

Blake Robertson also posted NCCAA qualifying marks in both the shot put and the discus. He placed third in the shot put with a mark of 14.19m (56-6.75) and seventh in the discus with a mark of 42.94m (140-10).

Also competing in the throws were Keaton Miller and Brayden Kermode. Miller finished ninth in the shot put with a heave of 12.82m (42-00.75) and 23rd in the discus with a throw of 34.33m (112-07). Kermode placed 20th in the shot put with a mark of 10.40m (34-1.5) and 27th in the discus with a toss of 33.65m (110-04). The duo also placed 16th and 17th in the hammer throw with Miller throwing a 36.48m (119-08) and Kermode just behind him at 36.00m (118-01).

In the sprints, Sean Watson carried the Warriors in the 400m dash and 200m dash finishing with times of 52.76 and 23.52, to place 24th and 45th, respectively.

In the distance races, Ian Chrisler ad Wesley Brantley placed 55th and 58th in the 800m run with times of 2:11.64 and 2:13.58, respectively. Jacob Tonne ran the 1500m and finished 64th with a time of 4:32.26 while Camryn Gantt competed in the 5000m run where he ran a time of 16:58.41 to place 67th.

For the women, Belle Barnett had a standout performance in the high jump with an NAIA A standard clearance of 1.70 (5-7) to win the event in her outdoor debut.

Briana Croisant carried the team in the throws finishing 16th in the shot put with a mark of 9.76m (32-00.25) and placing 17th in the hammer throw with a heave of 31.82m (104-04).

On the track, Claire Miller competed in the 5000m run where she ran a time of 20:55.43 to finish 34th while Janie Perico and Audrey Blake placed 43rd and 44th in the 1500m with times of 6:01.38 and 6:37.82, respectively.

The Warriors will be back in action at the Emporia State University Spring Open on Friday, March 27 in Emporia, Kan.

Be sure to check for news and updates on Sterling Warrior Athletics on Facebook (/SCWarriors), Twitter (@SterlingCSports), and Instagram (sterlingcsports), as well as the hashtag #SwordsUp. Watch the Warriors' live home events on the Sterling College Sports Network.