Off to a strong start, the indoor track season got underway over the weekend as the Dodge City track and field team opened indoor competition by competing at the Richard Alsup Invite in Maryville, Missouri hosted by Northwest Missouri State. 

A pair of NJCAA national qualifiers and two school records paced the Conquistador performances to open the year with several athletes putting together strong performances and many just off the national qualifying mark. 

After a spectacular freshman campaign, Brenden Carter is off to a great start for his sophomore year as he earned second place in the high jump out of 26 competitors posting a leap of 2.03 meters (6'08"). He easily qualified for NJCAA Indoor Nationals as the qualifying mark is set at 1.99m. He also finished seventh in the long jump behind a leap of 6.32m (20'09"). 

Kasey Kopetic secured the other national qualifying mark for the Conqs as he took third in the 60-meter hurdles posting a time of 8.11 in the finals. His time also broke his school record by .07 seconds. 

Dante Reid etched his name in the school record books as he posted a toss of 15.29m (50'02") to finish eighth in the weight throw and break the school record. His mark is just .50 meters off the national qualifying mark. 

Albert House had a strong showing in the season-opening meet for the Conqs as he won the 200-meter run with a time of 22.17 beating out 73 other competitors. He also earned fifth place in the 60-meter hurdles behind a time of 8.28 and grabbed a third-place finish in the 400-meter run posting a time of 49.42. He was just off the qualifying pace by one second or less in all three events. 

A second-place finish was earned by Josue Vega in the 5000-meter run posting a time of 14:55.69 which is less than a second off the school record and just a couple of seconds off the national qualifying time in the event. 

Deven Bolton started his Conq career strong by finishing fifth in the high jump and came close to qualifying for nationals posting a leap of 1.93m (6'04"). 

Behind a time of 7.05, Josiah Moss grabbed a fourth-place finish in the 60-meter dash after posting a time of 7.03 in the prelims. 

On the women's side of the competition, a second-place finish in the high jump and the 60-meter hurdles paced the Conqs. Sophia Calistro posted a leap of 1.50m (4'11") to take second in the high jump, while Olivia Leatherman earned a second-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.15. 

Bianca Gleim posted a time of 58.44 to earn sixth place in the 400-meter run and was less than a second off the national qualifying mark. She also finished ninth in the 200-meter run posting a time of 26.25. 

The indoor season continues on Friday, January 31st when the Conqs travel to Kearney, NE to compete at the Charlie Foster Classic hosted by the University of Nebraska at Kearney.  


Other Results for the Conqs:
Jayden Marquez - 60m (7.32); 200m (24.17)
Jorden Delattre - 60m (7.44); Long Jump (5.64m)
Alexis Bradshaw - 60m (8.67); 600yd (1:40.85)
Zyria Thompson - 60m (8.68); 200m (29.47)
Kasey Kopetic - 200m (23.18)
Alexander Tushabe - 200m (23.60); 400m (53.01)
Josiah Moss - 200m (24.22)
Gracee May - 200m (27.04); 400m (1:02.54); Long Jump (4.90m) 
Olivia Leatherman - 200m (28.03)
Suheyyb Mohammed - 800m (2:02.77)
Sarai Chavez - 800m (2:26.10)
Ivy Washington - 800m (2:35.81); 5000m (20:00.52)
Juan Gomez-Lira - 1000m (2:48.86); 3000m (9:42.14)
Juan Badillo - 1000m (2:50.65); 3000m (9:57.56)
Daniela Cerda - 1-Mile (5:55.69); 3000m (11:55.50) 
Debora Guevara-Borjon - 1-Mile (6:36.47) 
Alex Teffu - 3000m (8:55.90) 
Ava Washington - 3000m (11:36.91) 
Teressa Martinez - 5000m (21:58.87)
Deven Bolton - Long Jump (5.80m) 
Sophia Calistro - Long Jump (4.76m) 
Dante Reid - Shot Put (12.92m) 
James Littlewood - Shot Put (12.30m); Weight Throw (13.34m)
Logan Cruz - Shot Put (10.19m)
Matthew Garcia - Weight Throw (13.34m)