PITTSBURG, Kan. — Mississippi College track and field put together a statement performance Saturday at the Pittsburg State Invitational, turning in event wins, school records, provisional qualifying marks and a wave of personal bests as the indoor season continues to gain momentum.
The Choctaws were strong across the board, from sprints and hurdles to distance races and field events, with multiple athletes climbing the Gulf South Conference rankings. The performance reflected both veteran consistency and the continued emergence of a talented freshman class.
On the men's track, Tristan Jusino-Lansing highlighted the day in the 60-meter hurdles, breaking the school record with a time of 8.02 while finishing fourth overall. The run marked a personal best and a provisional qualifying mark, placing him first in the GSC and 18th nationally in NCAA Division II. Jusino-Lansing also added a personal best in the 400 meters, clocking a 51.20 later in the meet.
The 800 meters proved to be another productive event for Mississippi College. Gabe Hodson recorded an indoor personal best of 1:52.48 to finish third overall and move into third in the GSC rankings. Samuel Hodson followed closely with a personal best of 1:53.57, good for sixth place and fifth in the conference, while Sam Evans added a personal best of 1:58.18. The Choctaws also produced three personal records in the mile, as Sidney Stegall ran 4:16.51, Matthew Meadows clocked 4:19.88, and Benjamin Hodson crossed in 4:21.86.
Distance success continued in the 5,000 meters, where Cooper Parmer ran a personal best of 14:48.44 to place third and rank fifth in the GSC. Matthew Singletary followed with a personal-best time of 14:48.90, finishing fourth and ranking sixth in the conference. Charlie Rook added another PR with a time of 15:35.74. The men's 4x400 relay capped the day on the track with a season-best time of 3:18.74, finishing sixth overall.
The women's track squad also delivered several standout performances. Haylei Mason advanced to the finals of the 60-meter hurdles and finished sixth with a time of 9.01, placing her third in the GSC and making her the top-ranked freshman in the conference. Lilly Jensen posted a personal best of 2:23.47 in the 800 meters, while the 5,000 meters belonged to Bre Bell, who won the event outright with a personal-best time of 17:18.79 to move into the top spot in the GSC. Kinley Harris followed with a personal best of 17:53.35, ranking second in the conference.
One of the top moments of the meet came in the women's distance medley relay, as the quartet of Benoit, Bailey, Wallace and Wallace captured the event win with a time of 11:56.42. The mark qualified provisionally for postseason consideration and stands as the fifth-fastest time in school history.
In the field events, freshman Schyler Chambers delivered a breakout meet, earning finalist honors in both the long jump and triple jump. Chambers posted a personal best of 6.91 meters (22 feet, 8 inches) in the long jump to finish sixth and rank third in the GSC, then followed with a sixth-place finish in the triple jump at 14.80 meters (48 feet, 6.75 inches). Ethan Belcher cleared a personal-best height of 4.36 meters in the pole vault to tie for sixth, while Jake McMillan added a personal best of 6.66 meters (21 feet, 10.25 inches) in the long jump.
The throwing events were equally productive for the Choctaws. Bryan Puckett recorded a season-best mark of 16.03 meters (52 feet, 7.25 inches) in the shot put, finishing seventh and ranking second in the GSC. Steven Conrad turned in a personal best of 17.57 meters (57 feet, 7.75 inches) in the weight throw to place sixth and move into second in the conference, while Jake Keesee added a personal best of 17.07 meters (56 feet) in his Choctaw uniform. On the women's side, Kennedy Thompson continued her strong indoor campaign with a seventh-place finish in the weight throw at 16.21 meters, maintaining her No. 1 GSC ranking in the event and ranking sixth in the shot put. Ann Cobb and Emily Taylor rounded out the field highlights with personal bests of 5.05 meters (16 feet, 7 inches) and 4.93 meters (16 feet, 2.25 inches), respectively, in the long jump.
Mississippi College will look to build on the momentum from Pittsburg next week, returning to action on Saturday, Feb. 7, when the Choctaws travel to Birmingham, Alabama, to compete in the UAB Blazer Invitational at the Birmingham CrossPlex. The meet is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. and will provide another opportunity for MC athletes to chase marks and continue climbing the conference and national rankings.
