Men's Track and Field | 3/13/2021 4:14:00 PM

March 13, 2021-The Emporia State men's 4x400m relay improved on their pre-meet seeding with a ninth place finish at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday afternoon in Birmingham, Ala.
 
The Hornets ran 3:16.25 to finish ninth overall.  Brandon Rhone led things off with a 49.53 split in the first heat on the banked 200m track at the Birmingham Crossplex. He handed off to Jack Watson in second place and Watson's 49.14 split kept Emporia State in second at the exchange. Guy Ramos turned in a 49.16 on the third leg and closed the gap on front running Grand Valley State as he handed off the Hayden Goodpaster for the anchor.  Goodpaster split a 48.44, which was the fifth best split of the ten anchors in the race, but it was not enough pass the Lakers.  Emporia State then had to wait on the times from the other two heats before settling for a ninth place finish nationally.
 
In the team standings Emporia State scored one point on Tanner Raubenstine's heptathlon performance to finish 44^th in the nation.  It is the 12^th consecutive year the Hornet men have scored at the national meet when it has been held.
 
Emporia State is scheduled to begin the outdoor season on Friday, March 19 at the ESU Spring Invitational on the Golden Oval of Witten Track at Welch Stadium.  The meet will be the first outdoor action for the Hornets in 663 days or almost 22 months.