MIAC HEPTATHLON DAY 1 RECAP | MIAC DAY 1 RECAP | RESULTS  

ST. PAUL, Minn. – MIAC Champions! The Bethel Royals won their first ever MIAC Indoor Track & Field title scoring 143.5 points, edging out St. John's by a mere 2 points. The Royals swept the team titles as the women repeated as conference champions.

"This was such a special weekend for both of our programs!" said Head Coach Andrew Rock. "The team score was so tight and both team championships came down to the 4x4 relays. Honestly, that made it so difficult and trying at times because every event mattered so much but it made it all the sweeter because it took everyone in every event they were in! God graciously blessed the teams with a beautiful moment for both of our programs to win at the same time!"

The title chase was filled with drama, as St. John's had a 7 point lead with only the 4x400m relay remaining. Bethel pulled out the victory, scoring 10 team points, while the Johnnies finished 8^th to earn 1 team point. Joel Smith, Josh Sampson, David Myres, and Jacob Parent won the race in 3:21.46.

Bethel earned 5 other event titles over the weekend. Jayson Ekiyor won the 60m hurdles (8.08), Landen Liu won the 60m dash in a Championship Record 6.76 seconds. Liu came back on Sunday to win the 200m in 21.99, just ahead of teammate Jacob Parent in 22.26 in 2^nd place. Parent won the 400m in 49.17, while Joel Smith was 2^nd in 49.33. Smith won the 600m run in 1:20.87.

The Royals also gained big contributions from the field events. Sam Gardeen took 2^nd place in the pole vault with a clearance of 4.42m / 14'6". Evan Larsen was 4^th in the shot put (14.54m / 47'8.5"), and Adam Hokanson was 6^th (13.91m / 45'7.75").

The men's 4x200m relay team pulled off what turned out to be a very important 2^nd place finish. The team of Jayson Ekiyor, Grant Nelson, Alec Braun, and Josh Sampson ran 1:29.79, just 0.01 ahead of St. John's – a 4 point swing in the favor of the Royals.

"We are so grateful for that and the amazing memory that this has given us!" said Rock. "I just really also want to say that the amazing support group that we had this weekend from parents, alums, our team members, our president, our athletic director, friends, and family made all the difference! We are humbled and so grateful by all the support that you show us all!"

The Royals will continue their indoor season next week at the Wartburg Qualifier on Saturday, March 4^th in a final attempt to earn a national qualifying mark. The NCAA Indoor Championships will take place the following week on March 10-11 in Birmingham, Alabama.