Men's Track and Field | 1/18/2023 12:30:00 PM

Emporia State Track & Field
at UCM Invite
UCM Multipurpose Building • Warrensburg, Mo.
Friday, January 20,2023
Field Events at 2:00 p.m. • Running Events at 5:30 p.m.
Live Results: trxctiming.com
Complete Notes in pdf
Up Next: Wendy's Pitt State Invitational
Robert Plaster Center • Pittsburg, Kan.
Saturday, January 28, 2023
Field Events at 10:00 a.m. • Running Events at 10:55 a.m.

BACK AT IT
The Emporia State men's and women's track and field teams return to action at the UCM Invite following the semester break.

LAST LAP
Emporia State came away with three provisional qualifiers, five top three placers and 28 top ten finishes at the Crimson & Gold Invitational/Boo Rogers Multis in Pittsburg.
The men's 4x400m relay team of Guy Ramos, Jack Watson, Brock Merz and Hayden Goodpaster had the highlight of the meet, finishing second with a provisional qualifier.  Their time of 3:14.94 is the sixth best in school history.
Megan McManis had a provisional qualifier for the Emporia State women.  She cleared 3.73m (12-2.75) to place fourth in the pole vault.
Brandon Wilkes got things started for the Hornets with a provisional qualifier in the heptathlon during the Boo Rogers Multis.  He scored a personal best 4,818 points to place ninth overall. He had a personal best time of 9.08 in the 60m hurdles to start day two and ran 2:50.40 for a fifth place finish in the 1000m, the final event of the competition.
Grace Jacobs cleared 1.65m (5-5.00) to place second in the women's open high jump. Alyssa Conway threw 16.22m (53-2.75) for a third place finish in the women's weight throw. Ty Anderson was second with a leap of 6.69m (21-11.50) in the men's open long jump.

THE COACH
Steven Blocker is in his 12th year as the head coach for the Emporia State men's and women's track and field programs. He served as an assistant with the Hornets beginning in 2009 working primarily with the sprinters, jumpers and multi-event athletes. He has produced 65 All-Americans and 42 MIAA Champions as a head coach after coaching 14 All-Americans, six MIAA Champions and an NCAA Division II National Champion as an assistant at ESU.

LAST YEAR'S UCM INVITE
Emporia State collected one provisional qualifier, five event championships and six runner-up finishes at the UCM Invitational.  Both teams finished second in the team standings. Megan McManis recorded a provisional qualifier in the pole vault. She cleared a then indoor personal best of 12-1.50 (3.70m) to place second in the event.
Jenna Ramsey ran 5:08.41 to capture the title in her first indoor mile race.
Clarice Nichols and Ashley Cookson earned second place finishes in the horizontal jumps for Emporia State. Nichols was second in the long jump. Her mark of 17-3.25 (5.26m) is an indoor personal best in the event.
Cookson went 35-4.75 (10.78m) to place second in the triple jump.
Hayden Goodpaster and Juwan Johnson both won individual championships and were a part of a relay championship for the Emporia State men. Johnson ran 22.66 to win the title in the 200m while Goodpaster turned in a 1:13.65 to earn the championship in the 600y.  They combined with Guy Ramos and Jack Watson to win the 4x400m relay in 3:23.44.
The foursome of Henry Rokusek, Luke Gleason, Coby Smith, and Justyn France wrapped up the night with a time of 11:28.82 to win the distance medley relay.
The men had three runner-up finishes. Xavier Hall ran 8.37 in the 60m hurdles, Justyn France had a time of 4:28.51 in the mile run, and Nathan Ewing cleared 6-4.75 (1.95m) in the high jump.
 
MIAA PRESEASON POLL
The MIAA has released the preseason coaches polls in men's and women's indoor track and field. Both the Hornet men and women are ranked tenth in the preseason polls. The women placed ninth and the men placed tenth at last year's MIAA Indoor Championships.

UP NEXT
The Hornets will return to Pittsburg, Kan. on Saturday, January 28 for the Wendy's/Pitt State Invitational. Field events are set to start at 10:00 a.m. with running events at 10:55 a.m. in the Plaster Center.