Manchester U Track Host Invitational

NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind. – The Manchester University outdoor track & field teams battled the elements on Saturday afternoon as the Black & Gold hosted the Manchester Invitational at Spartan Stadium on April 9.

Battling chilly temperatures and the occasional snow shower, the Spartans welcomed competing athletes from Earlham College, Grace College (Ind.), Grace Christian University (Mich.), Hanover College, Hope College, Huntington University, Illinois Tech, Indiana Wesleyan, Muskegon Community College, Olivet College, and St. Francis (Ind.).

The Manchester men led the 12-team field with an overall team score of 133 points. Hope College placed second with 105 team points, while Grace (Ind.) placed third with 100 team points. On the women’s side, Hope led Saturday’s field with 186 team point, while Grace (Ind.) placed second with 126 team points and Hanover third with 88 team points. The Spartan women place sixth with 58 team points.

Prior to the start of Saturday’s meet, Manchester honored its senior class with a small, on-field ceremony.

Event Winners

Men

The 4×100 meter relay team of Gabe Melvin, Duriel Moss Jr., Tristen Bronaugh, and Quentin Willis took home the top spot on Saturday after sprinting to a final time of 43.45. The team’s time was good enough for 7th all-time on the Manchester Top 10 listings.
Quentin Willis (Athens, Ga./Oglethrope) would go on to add a first-place finish in the 110m hurdles after crossing the tape in a personal best time of 15.65.
Ben Villafuerte (Angola, Ind./Angola) rounded out the afternoon with a first-place finish in the shot put, topping the field with a final mark of 14.61m. Villafuerte improved upon his personal best set earlier this spring and his mark still ranks 9th all-time at Manchester.
Women

Adelle Stanko (Okemos, Mich./Okemos) won the triple jump on Saturday with a leading mark of 10.09m. Stanko also earned a second-place finish in the long jump following a mark of 4.78m.
Carley Camp (Logansport, Ind./Logansport) took home top honors in the hammer throw following a leading mark of 43.96m. Additionally, Camp placed third in the shot put on Saturday afternoon. Her mark of 12.72m improved upon her best mark set earlier this spring and still stands as the 5th-best mark in school history.
Podium Placements (Top 3)

Men

Zackary Freel (South Whitley, Ind./Whitko) earned a runner-up placement in the high jump on Saturday after clearing 1.75m.
Gabe Melvin (Jacksonville, Fla./Atlantic Coast) posted a runner-up placement in the 200m dash after clocking a final time of 23.20. Melvin also landed on the podium in the 100m dash following a third-place finish and time of 11.29 seconds.
Tristen Bronaugh (Crawfordsville, Ind./Crawfordsville) placed third in the 400m with a personal-best time of 51.80.
Joe Garling (Cedar Lake, Ind./Hanover Central) placed third in the hammer throw after a final mark of 42.73m.
The 4×400 meter relay squad of Ben Miles, Brayden Stamm, Dylan Leininger, and Connor Havens placed third with a collective time of 3:54.80.
Women

Brooke Bouwens (Clarksville, Mich./Lakewood) earned a runner-up finish in the 100m hurdles on Saturday after crossing the finish line with a time of 17.38. Her time was a new personal best.
Up Next:

The Spartans are slated to compete at the Indiana D3 Championships hosted at DePauw University on Saturday April 16.