ARDEN HILLS, Minn.- The University of Northwestern Men's Track and Field team competed in Bethel's Gene Glader Invite on Saturday afternoon and the pressure is starting to mount for the team. The student-athletes understand that this was the last meet before the UMAC Championships next weekend. The Eagles entered Saturday's meet hoping that they would be able to continue to improve their times and distances so that they would be in top form for the Championships this upcoming Friday and Saturday. The Eagles accomplished that goal on Saturday.

• Full Meet Results

Jah'Kiing Joseph (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Heritage) is having a dream start to his collegiate track and field career. His incredible freshman campaign continued on Saturday where he picked up not one, but two, individual event wins. He won the 400M Dash with a time of 51.92 seconds which is the fourth fastest indoor time in program history. He showed that his abilities are not limited to speed but also jumping ability as he won the Long Jump with a distance of 6.27m which is the fifth best distance in indoor program history.

John Shevchuk (Ham Lake, Minn./Blaine) competed in the 400M as well and finished in fifth place overall with a time 54.03 seconds. This was the first time this season that he competed in this event. Shevchuk also served as the lead leg in the Eagles' 4x400 team that finished second overall with a time of 3:52.85. Joshua Rinsmuth, Ashton Lofton (Colorado Springs, Colo./Colorado Springs Christian), and Nathan Eikom (Eagan, Minn./Homeschool) made up the rest of the 4x4 team.

Lofton, alongside Michael Pough Jr. (Jacksonville, Fla./Joshua Christian Academy) and John Thomas III (St. Cloud, Minn./Apollo), competed in the sprinting events for UNW. Lofton's time of 7.74 seconds in the 60M was a personal best. Pough Jr. finished the 60M in 8.70 seconds which was a season best. Lofton had another PR in the 200M where he finished in 17^th place overall at 25.77 seconds. Thomas III had a PR in the 400M at 1:01.41 and then turned in a time of 2:35.63 in the 800M.

In the distance races, it was Joshua Ringsmuth (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove) leading the way in the 1 Mile Run. He finished with a PR of 4:56.84 which landed him in sixth place overall. His teammate Nathan Eikom (Eagan, Minn./Homeschool) was right behind him in seventh place with a PR of 4:57.02. Owen Van De Riet (St. Michael, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville) recorded a PR in the 3000M finishing in sixth place at 10:30.57.

Mark Akert (Chesterton, Ind./Homeschool) had a PR in the Shot Put with a distance of 8.68m and then recorded a distance of 9.53m in the Weight Throw. Michael Pough Jr. (Jacksonville, Fla./Joshua Christian Academy) finished with a distance of 7.77m in the Shot Put.

Next up for the Eagles: the 2024 UMAC Indoor Championships. The meet will take place on Friday and Saturday of this upcoming week (February 23^rd and 24^th) at the University of Wisconsin-Superior.