Men’s Track and Field Makes Mark at Mustang Invite

The RedTail Men's Track and Field team took fourth place overall, broke nine school records, and broke two meet records at the Mustang Open in Cedar Rapids on Saturday, April 17. 

Connor Belken took first place overall in the 200-meter dash, setting a personal best time and breaking the school record with his time of 21.64 seconds. 

Sam Mickelson added another first place finish for the RedTails in the 1,500-meter run with a school-record time of 4 minutes, 5.70 seconds. Koby Brackemeyer took fourth place in the event. Mickelson and Brackemeyer currently sit at number one and two in program history. 

Mickelson also punched his ticket to nationals in the steeplechase, breaking his own school record with a time of 9 minutes, 52.52 seconds.

Jojo Frost took first place in the 400-meter dash with a meet and school record time of 52.71 seconds. Frost's time places him fifth overall in the NJCAA.

Harry Vanderlinden qualified for nationals with his impressive, sixth place finish in the 10k run. Vanderlinden ranks 14th overall in the nation in this event. 

The men's 400-meter relay team of Belken, Frost, Brackemeyer, and Blake Osborn won the meet with a school record time of 3 minutes, 16.25 seconds. 

Blake Veenstra took second place in the discus throw with a mark of 47.14. He also added a fourth place finish in the shot put with a school record mark of 16.06.

"We moved up in our national rankings, showing the men's team is in good form leading into the Drake Relays, Regional Championships, and National Championships," says head coach Tyler Mulder.

Next up, the RedTails travel to Des Moines to compete in the Drake Relays from April 22-24.