(LEBANON, Ill., February 29) -- The McKendree University men's track and field team finished in fifth place at the Great Lakes Valley Conference Indoor Championships hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Parkside in Kenosha, WI.

The Bearcats wrapped up their indoor season collecting 56 points in the 11 team field for the highest team showing in program history that included two first place finishes and three All-GLVC honors.  

Freshman Demontez McCray (O'Fallon, IL/O'Fallon) and sophomore Alex McCrite (Tamms, IL/Egyptian) each netted a first place finish to earn first team All-GLVC and GLVC Champion. McCray topped the 200-meter with a time of 21.77 seconds, setting a freshman record for McKendree, while also taking home a second place finish in the 55-meter. McCrite needed a jump off before being crowned the winner in the High Jump with a height of 2.03-meters.

Sophomore Ryan Pearce (Villa Grove, IL/Villa Grove) placed second in the Shot Put, posting a distance of 16.13-meters to earn a slot on the second team All-GLVC team. Freshman Monte Wolke (Sigel, IL/Cumberland) finished fourth in the Pole Vault with a height of 4.58-meters and freshman Jacob Troutman (Flossmoor, IL/Homewood-Flossmoor) landed a fifth place finish in the Long Jump with a distance of 6.80-meters.

The men's 4x400-meter relay team placed fourth with a time of 3:22.39. The four legs were run by McCray, sophomore Alexis Palmer (Parkland, FL/Nova) and freshman Tyree Allen (Country Club Hills, IL/Hillcrest) and Tyler Johnson (South Holland, IL/St. Rita).

Freshman Grant Riggs (Highland, IL/Highland) set a school record in the Heptathlon posting 349 points in the five scored events.