In an event that saw nearly 1,000 collegiate athletes compete, Emporia State set two school records, had 12 provisional qualifiers and had two automatic qualifiers in the ESU Relays at Witten Track.

            “I’m just very happy with the meet,” said Head Coach David Harris. “In fact I’m elated that we were able to run this many competitors through a meet in one day at Emporia State. I believe we did a good job. I was very happy with our team. They came to work and help, and, of course, they came to compete.”

            Josh Schuler tore things up for the men in winning the 100m dash as well as tying an ESU record of 10.29 seconds in the event. Schuler also won the 200m dash and helped the 4×100 relay team win with a time of 40.79 which is second best in ESU history.

            “I was a little disappointed with our time,” Schuler said. “But I mean it was a good day to run, and our hand offs were good, so I felt great about it. I thought we ran faster.”

            Derwin Hall, Ryan Dickson and Shjuan Richardson were also responsible for the first place finish.

            “I felt like we had a good race,” Hall said. “Everybody’s hand offs looked really crisp and solid. I think the wind kind of bothered us a little bit. But we still ran the same time we ran last week, so that’s good.”

            Other top performers for the men included Josh Honeycutt in the triple jump and long jump in which he finished second and sixth respectively.

Briar Ploude (first place) and Marcus Calleja (fifth place) earned provisionals in the high jump as Kevin Roulhac in the hammer throw (third) and discus (fourth) also earned a provisional. Bret Gross earned a championship for ESU finishing first in the pole vault.

For the ESU women, Jennifer Robinson and Deja Jackson both earned provisionals. Robinson earned hers placing second in the high jump with a jump at 5-07.00. Jackson threw for 143-08 and placed fourth in the discus to earn hers.

“Certainly on the women’s side, we had two seconds (Robinson and Katie Mona) that did really well,” Harris said. “Two seconds in a meet like this is a good performance.”

Katie Mona was the other second place finish with her time of 4:40.47 in the 1500m. Mona placed second in the event behind Kansas State’s Sara Stoakes. After leading down the stretch, she lost to Stoakes by just .51 seconds.

“I had been drafting off of her for awhile, so once I actually got the wind, it felt a lot harder, and I just didn’t have enough at the end, the last 100,” Mona said.

The Hornets look to continue their success this year on Thursday and Friday at Witten Track as they compete in the ESU combined Multis.

Brandon Schneeberger

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The Hornet Men’s track team finished second behind host Wichita State on January 12 defeating Division I teams Sam Houston State and Oral Roberts. First place finishes and provisional qualifiers for ESU included Briar Ploude in the high jump, Adam McGovern in the 3000 meter dash, Will Hohmeier in the Mile run and Derwin Hall in the 60 meter dash.

The Women’s track team finished fourth overall with Deja Jackson earning a provisional qualifying mark in her first place finish in the weight throw.

Other provisional qualifiers for the Men included Josh Schuler (second in the 60 meter dash), Andrew Etheridge (third in the 60 meter hurdles), Josh Honeycutt (third in the triple jump) and Kevin Roulhac (second in the weight throw). The track teams will compete in the Central Missouri Invitational on January 21 for their next meet.

Brandon Schneeberger

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A heartbreaking 37-34 homecoming defeat to Truman last Saturday drops the Hornets to 5-4 on the season. The loss left the Hornets with a 4-1 home record on the year in what was also Senior Day for 12 players.

“No doubt we had our chances to win today as we left a lot on the field today,” said Head Coach Garin Higgins. “It’s very disappointing, but we still have some football left before the season is over.”

Kevin Smart scored the game’s first touchdown with 3:20 left in the first quarter. TSU responded by recovering a Tyler Eckenrode fumble at the ESU four yard line and running in for a touchdown to tie the game.

ESU retook the lead after David Harris blocked a punt that Taylor Beitler would run in for a touchdown to make the score 14-7. A three yard touchdown run with 55 seconds left in the half by Truman would tie the game at 14.

After halftime and a Truman field goal, ESU sophomore Derwin Hall scored two touchdowns in a two and a half minute span, one of which was a career long 65 yard touchdown run to help the Hornets take a 27-17 advantage.

“I was thankful to have the opportunity to show my speed today,” Hall said after the game. “It was a tough loss today, but we are going to bounce back in the face of adversity.”

Truman would cut into the Hornet lead before the end of the third quarter with a 20 yard touchdown run to make the score 27-24 at the end of three quarters.

In the fourth quarter, an unblemished home record seemed imminent after a touchdown run by Adrian Abner and an interception by Michael Luthi on the Bulldog’s following possession. However, the Hornets were unable to add to the lead before giving the ball back.

Truman would score a touchdown after driving the ball 71 yards in less than two minutes. With only about four minutes in the game, Abner would fumble at the ESU 20 yard line resulting in a TSU touchdown run with two minutes left in the game. ESU would block the PAT to keep it at 37-34, but would turn the ball over on downs to end the game.

“It’s very frustrating to end our season at home that way as we had a lot of missed opportunities,” Higgins said. “We are going to have to bounce back from this loss, and move on to next week.”

The Hornets travel Saturday to St. Joseph, MO to take on Missouri Western as they look to bounce back from the loss.

Chris Hopkins

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A glow rose from Welch Stadium at Emporia Sate as students gathered last night at a candlelight vigil in memory of junior business marketing major Samuel Williams. Williams was found dead on Wednesday as a result of a motorcycle accident.

Over 150 students came to the candlelight vigil held for Williams last night. Jennifer Baldwin/The Bulletin.

His former track coach, John David Harris, said that the autopsy report showed no evidence of alcohol or drug use.

As an All-American track athlete with a personal best time of 20.99 seconds for 200 meters, Williams undoubtedly contributed to the team, but his teammates said his talent surpassed athletic ability.

“The guy was a world class athlete, I had no doubt in my mind that he would have been in the Olympics one day if he wanted to, he had that kind of talent,” said Kent Lonberger, junior communication major and member of the track team. “But he was also a great teammate. He led by example, and had very few words, but when he spoke, he meant it and you could always get a good laugh out of Sam.”

A starting block was set up on the track in memory of Williams. Jennifer Baldwin/The Bulletin.

Harris recalled an example of Sam’s sportsmanlike attitude.

“Last year after the outdoor championships, it was my last year coaching,” Harris said. “He gave me his All-American award, and he was just very grateful. I was just a provider of workouts and here he is showing me his gratitude.”

Williams was determined and confident in his athletic ability even before he had the support of the coaching staff, which he showed when he first approached Harris.

“The first time he walked into my office, he asked if he could run track,” Harris said. “When you hear somebody say they can run 10.3 seconds in the 100 meter, you kind of laugh it off, but the first time I saw him at practice, he took about three steps and I looked at the other coaches and just smiled.”

Jennifet Baldwin/ The Bulletin

At that same practice, Williams made a first impression on teammate Derwin Hall, sophomore pre-physical therapy major.

“I remember the first time I met Sam, I was actually intimidated,” Hall said. “But once you talk to him, or he cracks a smile, or you get to know his personality, you just see that he’s the sweetest guy.”

Lonberger said that he will remember Williams for his character.

Track coach David Harris stands next to the illuminated finish line during Thursday night's candlelight vigil. Jennifer Baldwin/The Bulletin.

“Sam had the biggest smile ever, he was a great friend and loyal,” Lonberger said. “He was there for you whenever you needed it. He was just a great guy.”

His personality was one that Lonberger said will not soon be forgotten.

“It’s amazing to me, all of the people that showed up,” Lonberger said. “He was only here two years, but he affected a lot of people and changed a lot of lives. As a team, we are going to do whatever we can to honor him in our lives and on the track.”

Brooke Kent, senior psychology major, said that Williams will remain an inspiration for the team.

“I think everybody on this team is going to miss him,” Kent said. “But I know our team is going to be stronger because of this.”

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