On the Road for Emporia State Track & Field at West Texas and Wichita State

Women's Track and Field | 4/9/2025 11:58:00 PM

Emporia State Track & Field 
at Jo Meaker Classic Multis
Thursday-Friday April 10-11 • WTAMU Track & Field Complex • Canyon, Texas
Live Results: SPATO Track | Live Video: None 
at KT Woodman Invitational
Friday-Saturday April 11-12 • Cessna Stadium • Wichita, Kan.
Live Results: Heartland Timing | Live Video: ESPN+ (Friday | Saturday)
Complete Weekend Notes in pdf
Up Next: KU Relays
Thursday-Saturday April 17-19 • Rock Chalk Park • Lawrence, Kan.

ON THE ROAD 
Emporia State track & field will hit the road for the first time this outdoor season with multi-event athletes headed to Canyon, Texas for the Jo Meaker Classic Multis and the rest of the squad goes to the KT Woodman Invitational in Wichita, Kan.

NATIONALLY RANKED
The Emporia State men are ranked #18 in the latest United States Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Outdoor rankings. The Hornets are led by five event groups that are ranked in the top 12 nationally encompassing sprints, jumps and throws. The Emporia State javelin group of Kole Manley, Brooks Lowe, Mitch Budke and Aidan Hicks are ranked second in the nation in the event squad rankings and provide a team high 47.66 points in the national rankings for the Hornets. Ty Anderson and Kinglsey Bennett combined to provide 33.29 points in the 100m while Anderson is seventh in the nation with a mark of 7.44m (24-5) worth 19.23 points in the long jump. Emmanuel Dukpe provides 8.75 points with a time of 47.04 in the 400m to rank 13th in the nation. Max Neeley and Aaron Quillen give the Hornets 5.00 points in the pole vault. High jumpers Trenden Collins adds 0.85 points while the 4x400m relay team of Bryson Turner, Braden Lipgens, Andrew Holton and Dukpe contribute 0.65 points.

THE COACH
Seth Mischke is in his second year as the head coach for the Emporia State track and field programs. The Hornets have produced five MIAA individual champions and an All-American under his leadership. Before coming to Emporia State he spent one year at Chadron State. Eagle throwers earned five All-America awards and four RMAC Championships. Prior to Chadron State, Mischke spent 11 seasons as the head track and field coach at Black Hills State University. The Yellow Jackets produced two individual national champions, 18 All-America earners, 18 conference champions, and more than 100 All-RMAC honorees under his guidance. Mischke was the head coach at St. Cloud State for 12 years. During his tenure at SCSU, the Huskies had 44 All-Americans and one national champion.

LAST LAP
On a cool, wet and blustery day the Emporia State track and field teams recorded 11 career bests, five event championships, five runner-up finishes and one top mark in ESU history at the Midwest Classic in Welch Stadium last weekend. In the team competition the Hornet women finished second and the men third.
Emma Bartholome continued to move up the list of the women's 3000m steeple chase with a personal best of 11:54.30 that ranks fifth in school history. She joined Mason Bina, Madeline Martin and Catherine Lyon to run 10:08.21 and win the 4x800m relay.
Abigael Reid gave the Emporia State women their only individual championship on the track as she ran 1:02.83 to capture the 400m hurdle title.
The Hornet women had a trio of runner-up finishes in the jumps on Friday. Lillian Zeigler cleared a personal best 1.59m (5-2.50) in the high jump, Isabel Vikoler had a personal best of 5.47m (17-11.50) in the long jump and Mia Manley went over 3.48m (11-5.50) in the pole vault.
The jumps were also good for the Emporia State men as they recorded two championships and a runner-up finish.  Max Neeley won the pole vault by clearing 4.78m (15-8.75) while Luke Grace went 7.02m (23-00.50) to win the long jump.  Coby Smith had a mark of 13.48m (44-02.75) in the triple jump to finish second.
Cooper Schroer, Luke Gleason, Sam McDavitt, and Jace Reves combined to run 3:30 .07 to win the final event on the track the men's 4x400m relay. 
In the team competition the Emporia State women finished in second place with 101 points, just two points behind Fort Hays State.  Missouri Southern was third with 92 and Washburn was fourth with 82 points. A total of 15 teams scored in the women's competition. The Hornet men were in third with 89 points as Fort Hays State won with 100 points. Washburn was second with 97 points and Missouri Southern was fourth with 76.

LAST YEAR'S KT WOODMAN
Emporia State got a provisional qualifier, three third place finishes and 14 top ten marks in their last trip to the KT Woodman Classic in 2022.
Megan McManis cleared a provisional qualifying bar of 12-6.25 (3.82m) to place fifth in the women's pole vault.  It is an outdoor season's best and moves her into the top 20 nationally on Saturday night.
Abigael Reid had the top individual performance for the Emporia State women. She ran 1:02.58 to place third in the 400m hurdles after placing 15th with a time of 15.71 in the 100m hurdles.
Chase Rooney placed third with a time of 11.00 in the men's 100m and was one of three Hornets to finish in the top ten in the men's 400m hurdles.  Davion Scott was sixth with a time of 54.77, Rooney placed eighth in 54.99 while Brock Merz ran 55.45 to place ninth.
The men's 4x400m relay had the other top three finish for Emporia State.  Guy Ramos, Jack Watson, Hayden Goodpaster and Juwan Johnson turned in a time of 3:15.58 to place third.
Emporia State had eight top ten finishes during the Friday night portion of the KT Woodman Classic 
Holly Brockmeier had the top individual finish for the Hornets. She threw 131-9 (40.17m) to place sixth in the women's javelin. 
Dominic Jackson had the top finish for the Emporia State men. He ran 4:07.81 to place seventh in the men's 1500m.
 
HOW TOUGH IS IT?
The MIAA has four men's and four women's teams ranked in the top 25 of this week's USTFCCCA power rankings of the outdoor season.
The MIAA had seven women's teams and five men's teams score, including both national championship teams, at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships. There were a total of the eight women's and seven men's teams represented at the championships. The Association had 66 First-Team All-American honors with five national championships and seven runner-up finishes.

PROVISIONAL QUALIFIERS
So far this season the Hornets have 11 provisional qualifiers in seven different events.
Four of the qualifiers are in the men's javelin. At the ESU Relays Kole Manley finished second with the third best throw in ESU history with a toss of 70.21m (230-04) and is currently ranked fourth in the nation in Division II. Brooks Lowe finished third at the ESU Relays with a throw of 66.98m (219-9) to rank seventh in the nation. Mitch Budke was fifth at the ESU Relays with a provisional mark of 63.26m (207-6) to rank 24th nationally. Aidan Hicks had a provisional throw of 62.44m (204-10) to finish in seventh place at the ESU Relays and rank 27th in Division II.
Ty Anderson ran a school record 10.17 in the men's 100m at the ESU Relays and is currently ranked third in the nation. He also had a provisional qualifier in the long jump at the ESU Relays, going 7.44m (24-5) to place third and rank ninth in Division II. 
Emmanuel Dukpe ran 47.04 to finish second in the men's 400m at the ESU Relays.  It is the fourth best time in Emporia State history and is ranked 13th in the nation this spring.
Max Neeley cleared a provisional qualifying bar of 4.93m (16-2) to place second in the men's pole vault and moved into third all-time at Emporia State in the event. He is 17th in the nation.
Kingsley Bennett joins Anderson with a provisional in the 100m, going 10.37 at the ESU Relays to tie his own fourth best mark in school history and rank 18th in the nation this year.
Abigael Reid won the women's 400m hurdles at the ESU Relays with a provisional qualifier of 1:01.13 to rank 17th in Division II.  
Mia Manley cleared a provisional qualifying bar of 3.87m (12-8.25) to finish sixth in the women's invitational pole vault. It is the second best mark in Emporia State history and is ranked 14th in the nation this spring.

RETURNING HORNET OUTDOOR QUALIFIERS
Emporia State has ten individuals returning that hit the provisional qualifying mark last outdoor season, four of whom participated at the national championships in Emporia.
Trenden Collins was 12th in the nation in the high jump after clearing 2.14m (7-0.25) at the Concordia Twilight Qualifier. He competed at the NCAA Championships, but did not clear a height.
Ty Anderson ran a personal best time of 10.27 to finish 14th in the men's 100m at the national championships. He was also ranked 34th in the nation in the long jump after going 7.43m (24-4.5) at the MIAA Championships. 
Kingsley Bennett ran 10.37 at the Gorilla Classic to rank 30th in the nation in the 100m. 
Three Hornets provisionally qualified in the discus. Antonio Cooper was ranked 25th in the discus with a throw of 52.13m (171-0) at the FHSU Spring Invite. At the Rock Chalk Classic Zach Sulzen Watson threw 51.06m (167-6) to rank 34th while Connor Deters had a mark of 50.62m (166-1) to rank 39th nationally.
Aidan Hicks threw 59.23m (194-4) at the MIAA Championships to rank 48th nationally in the javelin.
For the women Abigael Reid ran a personal best of 1:00.09 to place 14th in the women's 400m hurdles at nationals.
Mele Taula was tenth in the nation with a school record 46.84m (153-8) in the javelin at the Gorilla Classic She was also 16th in the nation in the shot put with a throw of 15.02m (49-3.5) at the KU Relays. At the national meet she was 11th in the javelin with a throw of 45.91m (150-7)  after finishing 12th with a mark of 14.64m (48-00.50) in the shot put.
Madison Vermetten was 25th in the nation in the discus with a mark of 46.77m (153-5) at the Rock Chalk Classic.

HORNET INDOOR QUALIFIERS
Emporia State had 19 provisional qualifying marks for the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships from 15 different student-athletes. 
Ty Anderson was ranked 11th in the nation in the 60m after running a school record 6.68 in the prelims at the MIAA Championships. He placed 11th with a time of 6.72 to  earn second-team All-American honors.
Jonah Remsberg was ranked tenth in the nation after winning the MIAA Championship in the heptathlon with 5,265 points. He finished 11th with 5173 points to earn second-team All-American honors. 
Connor Deters is 20th in the nation with a mark of 17.38m (57-0.25) in the men's shot put at the Bearcat Invite.
Emmanuel Dukpe is 24th in the nation in the men's 400m after running 47.44 at the MIAA Championships.  
Luke Grace scored a 5,135 points at the MIAA Championships heptathlon to rank 25th in the nation.
Israel Domeh ran 21.26 in the men's 200m at the MIAA Championships to rank 26th in the nation. He turned in a 48.09 at the Bearcat Invite to rank 61st in the nation in the men's 400m. 
Max Neeley went 4.93m (16-2.00) at the Ichabod Invitational to rank 27th in the nation. 
Ty Anderson is also ranked 35th in the nation in the long jump wit a mark of 7.29m (23-11) at the MIAA Championships and 40th nationally with a time of 21.42 in the 200m at the Washburn Open. 
Trenden Collins cleared 2.04m (6-8.25) in the high jump at the Bearcat Invite while Will Allen cleared the same height at the MIAA Championships to both rank 38th nationally.
Kingsley Bennett ran 6.77 at the MIAA Championships to rank 42nd in the nation.
Jonah Remsberg is also ranked 46th in the nation in the long jump with a mark of 7.23m (23-8.75) during his heptathlon in Colorado Springs.
The men's 4x400m relay team of Bryson Turner, Israel Domeh, Braden Lipgens and Emmanuel Dupke ran 3:12.36 at the MIAA Championships to rank 17th in the nation.
Isabella Davie scored a total of 3,470 points in the pentathlon at the MIAA Championships. She is ranked 33rd in the nation.
Madison Vermetten threw 17.41m (57-1.50) in the weight throw at the Ichabod Invitational to rank 35th in the nation.
Mele Taula had a pair of provisional qualifiers before undergoing surgery and is redshirting this year. She is ranked 10th in the nation after going 15.15m (49-8.5) in the women's shot put at the WU Alumni Invite.  At the Rust Buster she threw 17.20m (56-5.25) to rank 43rd nationally in the weight throw.
 
TRACK TITLE TOWN
Emporia State's Welch Stadium and Zola Witten Track have been selected as the host site for the 2026 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships.  It will be the fifth time that Welch Stadium has played host to the national championships.
Welch Stadium previously served as the host site for the National Championships in 1995, 1999, 2006 and most recently in 2024 with the first meet in 1995 bringing 450 student-athletes to Emporia. The 2024 and 2026 meets are scheduled to bring 754 student-athletes, nearly 200 coaches and over 100 officials to the Flint Hills over the Memorial Day weekend.
The 2024 meet saw a total of seven Championship Meet records and 22 facility records set during the three days of competition.
The 2026 Championships are scheduled for May 21-23.
During championship week, the NCAA Committee will come to Emporia on Monday with the first practice time available on Tuesday.  Wednesday of championship week will see a variety of coaches and officials meetings before the actual competition begin on Thursday.  The meet will wrap up on Saturday evening. 
Welch Stadium and Witten Track will play host to the MIAA Outdoor Championships this season.  It will b the seventh time in the last 28 years Emporia State has played host to the outdoor championships, the most of any MIAA location since the league expanded in 1989.

NEXT LAP
The Hornets will stay on the road as they take part in the KU Relays.  Events begin o Thursday, April 17 at Rock Chalk Park in Lawrence, Kan.