RESULTS | Day 1 Recap | MIAC Decathlon Recap

ARDEN HILLS, Minn. - The Bethel Royals placed 3rd as a team with 133.5 points, as they played host to the MIAC Outdoor Championships this weekend. "It was so special to be able to host the conference championships here at Bethel," said Head Coach Andrew Rock. "We are so grateful to all the support from parents, alums, friends, family, and the whole university. Our team fed off the energy and had a great meet."

The Royals won 5 MIAC titles on Saturday, highlighted by a MIAC Championship record in the 400m hurdles by Joel Smith. Smith won the race by over 2 seconds in a program and championship record of 52.01. David Myres took 4th in 55.15 and Trokon Karngar was 6th in a personal best 55.87, giving Bethel 19 points in the event.

Bethel swept the hurdle races as Josh Sampson won his first individual MIAC title by winning the 110m hurdles in a personal best 14.38 seconds. Sampson's time is the 3rd fastest in program history and is currently ranked 17th in Division III. David Myres had a podium finish as he placed 3rd in 14.72, breaking the 15-second barrier for the first time in his career. Myres' time is the 4th best in program history and is ranked 41st in Division III. Bethel's hurdle dominance continued as Pryce Ferrin and Micah Smith scored points for the Royals in the high hurdles. Ferrin was 5th in 15.55, and Smith was 6th in 15.68, both of which are personal bests. 

Jacob Parent raced his way to victory in a tightly contested 400m dash. Parent got out strong and was able to hold onto a narrow lead to win in 46.76, just 0.21 ahead of Cal Wright from Concordia. Parent's time set a new MIAC championship record and is ranked 4th in Division III. Grant Nelson also placed well in the 400m dash, taking 4th in 49.05.

Smith, Nelson, Sampson, and Parent came together at the end of the day to win the 4x400m relay by a landslide. Their time of 3:14.39 won the race by over 6 seconds. 

Adam Hokanson is a name the MIAC should get familiar with. The freshman launched onto the scene by winning the shot put with his final toss of 15.06m / 49'5". That is the 2nd best throw in program history. 

The Royals earned 3 other podium finishes on Saturday. Sam Gardeen had not competed in a month because of an injury, but that didn't stop him from earning a personal best in the pole vault. Gardeen cleared 4.50m / 14'9" to take 2nd place. Abe Schlegel added half a point for Bethel as he tied for 8th with his clearance of 3.95m / 12'11.5".

The 4x100m relay team of Collin Asplin, Grant Nelson, Cameron McConnell, and Jacob Parent took 2nd in a time of 41.45. McConnell was 3rd in the 100m as he ran 10.76, and 4th in the 200m in 21.90.

Captain Reese Thompson ran a terrific steeplechase race as he put down a 14 second personal best, running 9:31.44 to take 6th place. That is the 2nd best time in program history. Simon Swenson added 2 points for Bethel as he jumped 13.25m / 43'5.75" to take 7th in the triple jump.

"It was an amazing weekend for our athletes to be able to have this championship here on campus," said Rock. "We had a very memorable season with this team."

A handful of Royals will continue competing for a spot in the NCAA Division III national championships. Next week, Bethel will compete at UW-LaCrosse on Thursday, May 18th.