
In the season opener for the men’s and women’s indoor track & field teams at Muskingum University, Waynesburg University would put on a show that would include notable efforts from the likes of Quinton Weaver and Jacob Harker, both of whom broke school records on the day.
For Weaver, this is not a new occurrence for him, as he has broken several school records in the indoor and outdoor seasons since transferring in from Thiel. In this instance, he broke his own record he had set the previous year, while also becoming the first Yellow Jacket to run the 3k in les than nine minutes, notching a 8:58.74 time to take first in the event. Weaver would also notch a 800 meter time of 2:02.57, taking sixth in said event. According to Lilly Ryer, a junior on the women’s team, she spoke to how seeing such notable efforts and results being had in the first meet of the season is something that only added to the “energy” of the team.
“It was great seeing records broken during the first meet of the year, and I think that added to our energy going into the season,” Ryer said.
Aside from Weaver, as mentioned, Harker would also go on to break a school record, this being in shot put. For him, rather than just being a PR, Harker broke a record held since 2010 that was in place by Jeremy Faidley. For Harker, this mark, similar to Weaver, has him sitting first in the conference and second in the region.
“There’s still a lot of stuff I need to get better on, technique-wise, just watching the film on it. It’s just about getting back at practice and working on the techniques to get the distance farther,” Harker said when reflecting on what his next steps are after breaking such a long-standing record.
As to what the attention will be for Harker when it comes to the remainder of indoor and leading into the outdoor season, Harker does seem to have his eyes set on his main event, although he is doing what the team needs to get points.
“Right now, I practice shot put four or five days a week, then I’ll do weight toss maybe one day. When it comes to outdoor, I’ll do shot most every day, but then I may focus heavier on discus on one day, but I’m mainly focused on shot cause that is where I can get a lot of points,” Harker said.
Even outside of the these record-setting days, both teams had others who put their name in the mix to compete in the PAC. For the men, Noah Jones recorded a long jump of 5.98 meters, which places him top 10 in the PAC right now. Adam Helbling had a triple jump distance of 11.70 meters, having him ninth in the conference, and Michael Wines in his collegiate debut ran a 24.06 second time in the 200 m.
As for the women, Ella Rishell continues her streak of notable performances in the 200 m with a time of 27.42 seconds, placing fourth at the meet, and is now third in the PAC for the event. In the same event, Ella Boothe ran a time of 28.84.
Another notable performance at shot put came from Maggie Clair, who had a throw of 10.93 meters, and has her sitting fifth in the PAC. Lastly, JaLisa Fuller notched a time of 2:39.25 in the 800 m, seeding her just outside the top 10 in the PAC for now.
Both the men’s and women’s teams are back on the road on Saturday, Feb. 1, as they compete at the YSU Mid Major Invitational.