Trojans Start Strong at Crossroads League Championships
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Taylor men crowned one Crossroads League Champion on the opening day of the 2022 Crossroads League Track and Field Championships. Mitch De Jong won the javelin throw at the Harris Family Track Stadium on the campus of Notre Dame. The first day of competition also highlighted Sammy Sommers, who qualified for NAIA Nationals in the long jump, and Liam Hesting, who broke the TU school record in the hammer throw.
For the second-straight year, Mitch De Jong won the javelin throw at the Crossroads League meet. The senior launched an event-winning toss of 56.15-meters on his final attempt of the day, claiming the crown and collecting 10 points for the Purple and Gold.
Sammy Sommers posted a stellar career-best leap of 7.24-meters in the long jump. Finishing in second place overall, the junior soared past the NAIA B-standard and moved to No. 3 all-time on the TU top-10 list.
Despite the rainy weather and slick conditions of the throwing ring, Liam Hesting managed to break his own Taylor school record in the hammer throw, claiming an impressive mark of 55.44-meters. Hesting finished fourth in the hammer and added a seventh-place finish in the shot put with a toss of 13.84-meters.
In the 10,000-meters, Alex Helmuth turned in a runner-up finish with a time of 30:46.31. Junior Josh Harden recorded a massive PR, clocking a time of 31.49.02 to claim sixth place.
The Taylor men's 4x800-meter relay added an eighth-place finish and an additional point to the Trojan's team score. Nate Conkel, Nathan Brainer, James Bates and Colton White cruised to a combined time of 7:56.47.
Three sprint prelims took place on Thursday afternoon. Matthew Sakeuh advanced to finals in the 110-meter hurdle semis, clocking the third-fastest time of 14.91. In the 100-meter dash prelims, Braden Bixler finished 11th with a time of 11.20 and Cole Whitehead ended 14th in 11.24. Brayden Gilbert cruised to a time of 23.82 in the 200-meter dash prelims, ending 24th overall.
After eight scored events, the Trojans sit in fourth place in the team standings with a total of 37 points. The Taylor men will return to the track tomorrow, as they wrap up the action at the Crossroads League Championships. Field and running events are set to begin at 11:00 am.