RESULTS

Grinnell, Iowa – The Bethel Royals men placed 5^th as a team at the Darren Young Classic hosted by Grinnell College. The Royals scored 71 team points on the day.
Bethel's athletes won three events: the 4x400m relay, the 3000m, and the pole vault.

In the 4x400m relay, Joel Smith ran his leg to perfection, giving the Royals the lead at the first exchange. 6-time All-American Isaac Erickson ran a great leg and handed off in first to freshman Josh Sampson. Sampson held off a charge from Nebraska Wesleyan to hold the lead at the final exchange. Captain Shawn Monroe left no doubt as Bethel won the race in 3:19.80. That time ranks as the 5^th best in all of Division III and is the top time in the MIAC this season.

Andy Barnhart ran his best race of the indoor season in the 3000m. After recovering from a stress fracture in the fall, Barnhart earned his first victory of the season by pulling away from the field in the final 400m and running 8:50.55. Along with Barnart's victory, Ike Mendel and Josh Halverson also placed well in the same race. Mendel ran the majority of the race with Barnhart and earned 3^rd place with his time of 8:56.42. Josh Halverson had a personal best and broke the 9-minute barrier for the first time in his career. His time of 8:59.07 placed him 6^th.

Freshman Jake Twogood continued his terrific indoor season with the first victory of his collegiate career. Twogood cleared 13'7"/4.14m on his first attempt before attempting personal record heights above 14 feet. Multi-eventer Lukas Walton earned a point for the Royals by finishing 8^th in the vault. He had a 10-inch personal best by clearing 12'7.25"/3.84m. Gabe Irons also added points in the field events. Irons threw a personal best 51'2.25"/15.50m in the weight throw for 4^th place.

In the sprint events, Sampson had the top individual finish. He ran a personal best 8.37 in the 60m hurdles to take 3^rd place overall. Tyler Sealock and Brandon Loverude both earned points by finishing 7^th in their respective events. Sealock ran the 200m in 23.31, while Loverude ran the 400m in 53.17.

Cooper HItt also contributed points in the distance events. Hitt ran an indoor personal best in the 800m, won his heat, and took 4^th overall in a time of 1:59.62. The distance medley relay team of Carter Woetzel (1200m), Jack Zieske (400m), Dawson Ashley (800m), and Caleb Foster (1600m) combined to run 11:18.49, taking 3^rd place.

The Royals continue their season next week with two meets on the schedule. The majority of the team will compete at St. Olaf on Saturday, February 22^nd while a handful of athletes will run at the University of Minnesota on Friday, February 21^st.