Salazar Breaks Spartans Track Record
ST. LOUIS, Mo. & FRANKLIN, Ind. – The Manchester University outdoor track & field teams were back in action for a busy weekend of competition.
On Friday night, a select few Spartans traveled to St. Louis to compete in the prestigious WashU Distance carnival. While in St. Louis, Enrique Salazar (Plymouth, Ind./Plymouth) broke yet another Manchester record – one that had stood for over 40 years. Salazar ran to sixth-place finish in the 10,000m following a time of 29:46.52. Salazar’s time broke Jeff Niespodziany’s record from 1981 by over a minute and stands as one of the top eight times in all of NCAA Division III this spring.
Additionally on Friday, Elizabeth Lohman (Fort Wayne, Ind./Carroll) ran the second-fastest time in MU history in the 3000m steeplechase after posting a time of 11:34.75.
On Saturday afternoon, the bulk of the outdoor track & field teams competed at the Grizzly Invitational hosted by Franklin College. The Manchester men led the five team field with 161 team points while the women came home a narrow third with 143 team points. Saturday’s meet saw numerous personal bests established as well as nine event wins and 26 podium finishes.
Men’s Event Winners
Gabe Melvin (Jacksonville, Fla./Atlantic Coast) won the 100 meter dash with a leading time of 11.24.
Duriel Moss Jr. (Homestead, Fla./Christopher Columbus) took home the top spot in the 200m following a time of 23.17.
Ben Villafuerte (Angola, Ind./Angola) won the shot put while breaking into the MU all-time Top 10 listings with a mark of 14.60m. His mark was good enough for 9th all-time at MU.
Joseph Powell (Beach Park, Ill./Zion Benton) won the javelin following a leading hurl of 41.79m.
The men’s 4×100 meter relay team also took home top honors on Saturday.
Women’s Event Winners
Carley Camp (Logansport, Ind./Logansport) won the hammer throw with a leading distance of 46.11m – good enough for 5th on the all-time MU Top 10 listings.
Adelle Stanko (Okemos, Mich./Okemos) won the triple jump with a top mark of 10.04m.
Fiona Frost (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence Central) won the 3000m steeplechase after posting a time of 13:19.78.
The 4×400 meter relay team also won its race on Saturday afternoon with a leading time 4:21.32.
