INDIANAPOLIS – The UIndy track & field teams packed the Athletics and Recreation Center on Friday to compete in the UIndy Collegiate Challenge. The meet proved to be a success for both teams, as school records fell during the event. Program marks in the women's weight throw and pole vault were surpassed for the second straight meet, while many more season-best times and distances were set as well.

The first record that fell for the Greyhounds came by during the women's weight throw, as Katie Monk broke her own UIndy record on her incredible performance. Her 20.56 meter throw was a half-meter ahead of her previous mark. Hilary Paxson also had a successful event, as she placed third on a solid 19.28 meter toss. The men replied with three of the top four finishes in their event, with Austin Hogan's 19.25 meter throw claiming victory. AJ Murphy came third with a distance of 16.38 meters, and Keeton Adams followed behind him with his 16.16 meter toss for fourth.

Monk and Hogan soon took a sweep in the shot put events. Monk's 15.10 meter throw was .55 meters ahead of the second-place finisher. Hogan and Co. took over the men's event, as Hogan claimed another victory at 17.19 meters. Brock King propelled to second overall on his 15.82 meter toss, and Adams earned the third place spot on a 15.59 meter toss throw.

Meanwhile, Brittney Clark etched her name in the Greyhound history books with a record-setting performance in the women's pole vault, claiming the top spot in the event on a height of 3.66 meters. Her teammates Kylie Falcone (3.55 meters) and Lauren Joseph (3.35 meters) placed second and third, respectively, to show an excellent team performance. Clark's mark bested the former school record of 3.62 meters. set by Falcone just last month. Look for this budding rivalry to produce more school records in the future.

The Greyhound runners kicked off the meet with several top eight finishers in the 3000 meter run. Lauren Bailey led the women with a second-place time of 10:01.37, three seconds off the school record. Mickayla Wenzel had a great race as well, running a PR on a 10:11.81 for fourth overall. The men compiled four of the top five finishes in the event, as Taylor Kleyn crossed the line at 8:54.27 for second overall. Both Kleyn and Nathan Herbst (third; 9:03.53) achieved best times on the young season.

The 60 meter hurdles featured three Hounds between the two teams, as Dallas Ford finished third overall for the men. Ford's excellent finish was a difference maker, as his 8.52-second time was .03 seconds above the fourth-place finisher. Keri Ertel qualified for fifth in the women's event, earning a time of 9.35 seconds in finals.

The distance runners came back up to the start in the 800 meter run, as Yailene Leon was the lone Greyhound to finish top eight in the women's event, finishing fifth on her 2:28.46 season best time. Ben Nagel replied with a top eight run of his own, as a 2:03.63 run earned him sixth place overall for the men.

The women stormed onto the scene by claiming the top two spots in the 400 meter run shortly after. Mary Watts was the lone runner to finish under a minute (:59.72) for the win, and Isabel Bradley was right behind her in second place with a time of 1:00.49.

The men took over another field event, the long jump, by claiming the top two spots. Brady Walden threw himself 6.96 meters across the sand for the top finish of the day, a season best distance so far. Trace Oswalt followed suit right after, with his 6.81 meter jump good for second in the event. Kirsti Oswalt led the Greyhound women in the long jump, placing third overall. Her 5.24 jump inched her closer to the school record, as it was also a season best distance.

Watts claimed another top-eight finish in the women's 200 meter run, as her sprint placed eighth overall on a time of 26.49 seconds. Allen Wright came through on the men's side, besting his season time of :22.88 for fifth place.

The final event for the Greyhounds had similar success, as Deju Miller placed second overall for the women in the high jump. Her teammate, Taylor Strnad, also jumped a height of 1.60 meters in the event. Teammates Seth Ragon and DeAndre Bluitt both placed in the top four of the men's event, as Ragon finished third on a 1.95 meter jump and Bluitt followed with a fourth place, 1.90 meter bounce.

UP NEXT
With another successful meet in the books, the Greyhound track and field teams will prepare for a couple events in the next couple weeks, starting with the UIndy-hosted Tom Hathaway Distance Classic on Jan. 25. The first of February send the Hounds to the Hillsdale Wide Track Classic up in Michigan, while the following day brings the Indiana Wesleyan Midwest Classic in Marion, Ind.