Washburn University hosted its second indoor track meet Jan. 23. Ichabod track and field competed from 11 am to 6 pm.

With a total of 504 entries, students competed against Baker University, Benedictine College, Cloud County Community College, Cowley College, Fort Hays State University, Fort Scott Community College, Garden City Community College, Highland Community College, Northwest Kansas Technical College, Ottawa University, Pittsburg State University and Pratt Community College.

The women’s track team had finished the day with 15 top-10 finishes. While the men’s team hosted the Kansas Open at their Indoor Athletic Facility, the women’s team ended the day with two NCAA provisional marks and a school record. Overall, there were 20 top-10 finishes, 12 personal records, two broken school records and two more NCAA provisional marks.

Natalie Lanman, a senior Washburn University pole vaulter, started the day off early but ended short. After scratching at 2.91 meters (7.19 feet), Lanman was able to comment on her performance.

“It is definitely a mental sport for sure, like it’s 99% mental and 1% athleticism at this point,” said Lanman. “I just really need to focus on getting my head in the right mental space before and just being confident on the runway.”

Being confident is one thing, but having fun while competing is another.

Lanman said, “I am always excited. It’s finally nice to actually be able to stay here and actually compete at home and also have your teammates all be here and everything. It’s very exciting!”

Athletes and coaches alike were excited to be back for the season, but many agreed that this season has been different for everyone.

“We are coming off kind of a long break, winter break was extra long this year and stuff like that,” said Tom Haug, a senior high jumper. “We are really trying to get back into it still, it’s only the second meet. We also have to rush because we only have a couple meets this season since we cut out a couple.”

Runners Logan Stock and Tom Haug both agreed that speed was their biggest issue for today’s meet.

“I am working on staying healthy and then there is the mental side of it, staying mentally focused and not worrying too much and staying confident,” said Stock.

Third place in high jump was Logan Stock with a height of 1.99 meters (6.5 feet) and Tom Haug took seventh place with a height of 1.89 meters (6.2 feet).

After the field events had slowed down, the running events sped up.

Nikki Kraaijeveld finished the women’s 400-meter dash with a time of 1.02.93 coming in 13th place.

Out of breath after her race, Kraaijeveld explained, “I was in a very slow heat, so I was like really in front of them, it’s also been two years since my last meet because I was injured really bad, so I am just trying to get back into racing and stuff, but I don’t feel really fast.”

Kraaijeveld said that “practice, practice, practice” will better her times.

Rick Attig, the assistant men’s and women’s track and field coach, had a lot to say about the athletes, as well as the new facility.

“I coached at KU and the University of Nebraska for a total of 22 years, and I had a chance to be around some pretty good athletes,” said Attig. “A lot of times people say it is 100% mental on certain things, and that’s not quite true, it’s a lot of physical, and there is only so much to it that’s mental.”

As Attig spoke, he watched Skyler Saunders perform the women’s high jump. “Like she just ran through, it’s a mental thing and a lot of times it sets how you jump the next jump. She messed up her first run through and came in very tentative, in doing that she didn’t travel over the bar like she should have.”

COVID has made recruitment tougher because watching the athletes has become difficult.

“It has been a very difficult recruiting period because of COVID and not competing,” said Attig. “We have no idea what the performance is honestly, but I can really see the track program stepping up. This is going to be kind of a national showcase in terms of having track meets here. We are just hoping that at some point we could have some high school kids competing here.”

In terms of the new facility, it brings more opportunities for athletes and coaches alike.

“This is our fifth year doing track and field, and it’s been a little difficult because we never had the facilities. A lot of people don’t realize that when people come in here it’s like ‘I’ve never seen anything like this at all.’ Officials come from all over the country to officiate and when they come in, they are awestruck,” Attig said.

With only a few more indoor track meets left for Washburn, the Ichabods are still trying their hardest to qualify for the NCAA in various events.

Edited by: Matthew L. Self,

Men’s Results
60m – Prelims
Wyatt Heiman – 7.11 – qualifies for finals
Josh Wiltz – 7.30

60m – Finals
Wyatt Heiman – 7.11 – 7th

200m
Josh Wiltz – 30th – 23.67

400m
Romain Henry – 49.41 – 2nd – Washburn Record
Mason Engelken – 51.60 – 14th
Wyatt Heiman – 54.01 – 28th

800m
Gabriel Chinya – 2:01.06 – 9th – PR
Kael Ecord – 2:01.44 – 10th – PR
Kyler Kaniper – 2:19.08 – 20th – PR

Mile
Gabriel Chinya – 4:21.86 – 6th – PR

3000
Ethan Thompson – 9:16.29 – 9th.- PR

60m hurdles – Prelims
Romain Henry – 8.20 – qualifies for finals – NCAA Provisional
Logan Stock – 8.55 – qualifies for finals
Mason Engelken – 8.55 – qualifies for finals – PR
Pau Borillo-Febrer – 9.23 – PR
Dalton White – 9.36

60m hurdles – Finals
Romain Henry – 8.12 – 1st – PR – NCAA Provisional – Washburn Record
Logan Stock – 8.51 – 4th
Mason Engelken – 8.65 – 7th

High jump
Logan Stock– 1.99m (6-06.25) – 2nd
Tom Haug – 1.89m (6-02.25) – 7th

Pole Vault
Peyton Lane – 4.83m (15-10.00) – 4th – NCAA Provisional
Zac Chandler – 4.53m (14-10.25) – 6th

Long jump
Pau Borillo-Febrer – 6.59 (21-07.50) – 5th – PR

Triple jump
Nasjon Porter – 13.75m (45-01.50) – 2nd

Shot Put
Michael Majors – 15.03m (49-03.75) – 5th
Sam Stranathan – 13.63m (44-08.75) – 8th – PR
Mitch Miller – 12.93m (42-05.25) – 9th – PR
Braden Rose – NM

WT
Braden Rose – 16.24m (53-03.50) – 4th – PR
Michael Majors – 15.63m (51-03.50) – 5th
Sam Stranathan – 15.58m (51-01.50) – 6th
Mitch Miller -14.51m (47-07.25) – 11th

Women’s Results
60m – Prelims
Mandana Vouillemin – 8.12 – 11th
Darian Hillebert – 8.17 – 14th
Shae Ware – 8.20 – 15th

200m
Darian Hillebert – 26.35 – 5th

400m
Chia Okoro – 1:00.73 – 5th
Lyndsay Stinson – 1:02.10 – 8th
Nikki Kraaijeveld – 1:02.93 – 13th – PR
Antina Junge – 1:04.84 – 16th – PR

800m
Lily Johnson – 2:19.46 – 2nd – PR – Washburn Record
Verena Vesely – 2:33.41 – 10th – PR

Mile
Sierra Mortensen – 5:18.24 – 1st
Keslie Dent – 5:41.47 – 10th – PR
Avery Hoffpauir – 5:45.26 – 11th – PR
Luz Lopez-Gonzalez – 5:56.73 – 12th – PR

3000m
Stacy Briggs – 11:56.11 – 4th

High Jump
Skyler Saunders – 1.66m (5-05.25) – 2nd

Pole Vault
Virgi Scardanzan – 3.96m (12-11.75) – 2nd – PR – NCAA Provisional
Rachael Mayberry – 3.76m (12-04.00) – 3rd – NCAA Provisional
Tassilyn Bolin – 3.36m (11-00.25) – 6th – PR
Josie Hickerson – 3.36m (11-00.25) – 7th
Natalie Lanman – NH

Long Jump
Taylor Grasser – 4.89m (16-00.50) – 9th – PR
Mandana Vouillemin – 4.80m (15-09.00) – 10th