The Biola track and field team participated in the Sunshine Indoor Meet on Feb. 6, followed by the La Verne Indoor Dual on Feb. 7. The Eagles did not have enough participants to earn a team score, but had several first place finishes over the weekend and added two athletes to their Indoor National Tournament roster.
Biola’s first meet of the weekend was the Sunshine Indoor Meet at the University of Westmont. The Eagles took two first place finishes out of the three events Biola competed in.
Senior distance runner Kevin Horchler finished first in the men’s 5000 meter run with a time of 14:51.96, more than ten seconds ahead of the second place finisher. Horchler has earned a NAIA B spot for the men’s 3000 meter, and a NAIA A spot in the men’s 5000 meter.
The women’s distance medley provided the second first-place finish for Biola. Junior distance runners Brooke Arvidson, Iliam Kung and Kellian Hunt, along with junior middle distance runner Anika Gasner, make up the relay team. Their time in this meet earned them an A spot in Nationals.
The La Verne Indoor Dual proved more successful for the Eagles, as they earned five first place and two second place finishes.
The women’s relay teams won in the 4×100, 4×400 and 4×800 relays. The 4×800 team, made up by freshman distance runners Stephanie Croy and Hannah Freehan, sophomore distance runner Sarah Pfaff and senior distance runner Carrie Soholt, earned an invite to Nationals NAIA A division with their performance.
Biola also took first in the women’s 1000 meter run thanks to Gasner, who finished less than three seconds ahead of teammate Hunt.
The Eagles’ final two first-place finishes came from pole vaulting, where Biola swept both the men and the women’s draws. Senior pole vaulter Jeff Tran cleared at 4.75 meters to secure the win.
Junior pole vaulter Nicole Falkenstine earned a trip to Nationals with her performance as well. Falkenstine won the women’s pole vaulting event with a personal best height of 3.50 meters.
“I think just staying healthy is a big thing,” said Tran. “And just continuing with our progress [getting ready for Nationals].”
As of now, Biola will be participating in seven events in the NAIA Indoor Track and Field Championships on Mar. 7. They have two more meets to try and add to that number, traveling to Aliso Viejo on Feb. 14 to participate in the Soka University Indoor Qualifier.
