SFA Grabs Two Titles at WAC Outdoor Championships

Thursday, May 9

Orem, Utah

Stephen F. Austin

Western Athletic Conference

SFA Grabs Two Titles at WAC Outdoor Championships

5/13/2024 11:11:00 AM | Track & Field

By: Jace Green, Assistant for Strategic Communications

OREM, Utah- The Stephen F. Austin track and field team put a cap on their conference schedule with the WAC Outdoor Championships this past weekend.  The 2024 WAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships were hosted by Utah Valley and held at the Hal Wing Track & Field Stadium from Thursday, May 9 through Saturday, May 11.  Stephen F. Austin took home two WAC titles along with 12 top three finishes.

"As a whole, we were happy with a lot of our performances, Head Coach Rob Hansen said, "We're rebuilding our depth to address the overall team score, but we have a lot to be excited about for the future, as well."

Nathan Kapel and Kira Van Den Ham highlighted the weekend for the Lumberjacks as they both grabbed WAC titles in their events.  Kapel finished 1st in the 5000m with his time of 14:31.21.  Van Den Ham grabbed her 1st place finish with her mark of 3.83m in the pole vault. "Kira led from the first jump of the competition, gaining momentum with every jump. Super proud of the way she competed for the win," said Head Coach Rob Hansen.

The women took home three top three finishes this weekend.  Kira Van Den Ham grabbed her WAC title in the pole vault and was joined by Kennedy Swann who placed 2nd in the 200m with a time of 23.58.

"Kennedy Swann had a star-in-the-making type of weekend, said Coach Hansen said, she ran five tremendous races including prelims and finals. Her 200m silver medal performance was extremely impressive. She also earned 5th in the 100m final and ran an absolutely pivotal leg on the ladies 4x100 which earned bronze and set a school record. I can't say enough about her or the rest of that relay. They really know how to show up on game day!"  Lindsey Davis, Timiejha Furlow, Kennedy Swann, and Jada Gipson all ran the 4x100 and finished 3rd with a time of 44.84.

The men took home nine top three finishes this weekend.  Nathan Kapel led the men with his 1st place finish in the 5000m.  Kapel also finished 3rd in the 1500m with his time of 3:40.5 (altitude conversion) and crushed the previous school record.

Jackson Parrish grabbed silver in the 800m with his time of 1:51.03.  Jarvis Anderson home two 3rd place finishes for SFA.  He grabbed bronze in the 400m hurdles and long jump with a time of 50.10 and a mark of 15.09m respectively.  Gideon Mengich also grabbed a 3rd place finish after running a time of 9:00.18 in the 3000m steeplechase.  Sheldon Noble placed 2nd in the men's long jump after hitting a mark of 7.56m.  Cole Szedga also grabbed silver with his 66.68m mark in the javelin.

"Nicholas Grullon battled the flu all weekend but was determined to score and add as many team points as possible, Coach Hansen said, he missed the final in a gutsy 400m prelim run against a nationally competitive field. He bounced back to run well in the short hurdles and PR for silver in the high jump. His championship weekend was inspiring."  Grullon placed 2nd in the high jump with a mark of 2.07m.

Qualifying Lumberjacks for the NCAA West Regional Preliminary Round will travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas on May 22 through May 25.  The regionals will be hosted by the University of Arkansas and will be the final shot for SFA's athletes to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships on Jun 5th.