By Samantha Meyer
Two weeks ago, the Cleveland State University women’s track and field program headed to Youngstown to compete in the Horizon League Indoor Championships.
The Vikings competed hard the entire weekend, which helped the team finish sixth overall with a total of 41 points. Cleveland State also captured three All-League Honors and ten podium finishes.
The team had multiple individuals and relays qualify for finals on Sunday. Freshmen Monica Johnson and Mijah Collier both qualified for finals in the 60-meter hurdles. The ladies had strong performances with Johnson placing third and Collier securing sixth. Johnson’s time of 8.84 marks a new program record and earned her Honorable Mention All-League Honors.
“During the 60-meter hurdles, I felt really good,” Johnson said. “The race went pretty fast, and afterward, I was very happy with the outcome. I ran my lifetime best, and I was super excited to learn that I had broken the school record. I was really nervous going into the hurdles because I wanted to perform well, but I knew I had to stay in control and just run my race.”
Also representing Cleveland State was sophomore Tylar Mixon. Mixon represented Cleveland State in the 60-meters as well as the 200-meters. She finished fifth in the 60-meters and fourth in the 200-meters. Her 200-meter time was 25.22, which set a new school record.
In the middle distance events, Collier ran the 400-meters, placing eighth in the finals with a 1:00:00 to secure her spot on the podium. When asked about her thoughts on the meet, Collier said that she had nerves going into the meet, but knew that she was ready for the event.
“I was prepared, nervous, and excited going into the meet,” Collier said. “The coaches had really high expectations for us, so I expected to be on the podium and score points for the team. I definitely went into the meet with a winning mindset.”
The distance team also had an outstanding meet with sophomore Anna Brandt placing eighth in the mile with a time of 5:08.05. Wrapping up the meet, Brandt, Collier and Mixon were joined by sophomore Hannah Gaskins in the 4×400 meter relay, taking home third place in the event. The Vikings ran a hard race, setting a new school record of 3:57.11 to secure a spot on the podium.
Gaskins also earned All-Horizon League Second Team honors, thanks to her efforts in the Pentathlon. Gaskins finished first in the 800-meters, second in both the long and high jump events, fifth in the 60-meter hurdles, and 11th in the shot put. Gaskins finished with a total of 3,319 points. Earning All-Horizon League honorable mentions were Johnson in the 60-meter hurdles and the 4×400 meter relay team.
Track and field head coach Madeleine Outman Carleton thought it was a success all across the board.
“As for the meet itself, from last year to this year, we increased from 8 points to 41 points,” Carleton said. “Placing sixth marks our highest program finish in both outdoor and indoor, so we really had an incredible meet.”
The team has now shifted its focus to the outdoor portion of the season, which started with the 49er Classic held at the University of Charlotte.