CHARLESTON, Ill. – The McKendree University men's and women's track and field teams continued their 2022-23 indoor season here Friday by competing at the EIU Early Bird Meet hosted by Eastern Illinois University and held at the Lantz Indoor Fieldhouse.

Between the men and women's teams, the Bearcats recorded 18 Top 5 finishes, including two different Bearcats (one female and one male) student-athlete winning individual event titles. All of McKendree's times at Friday's meet were once against NCAA Division II provisional marks/times.

Friday's meet featured McKendree and three other schools (Eastern Illinois, UMSL and Southern Indiana) on the women's side, while EIU, USI and McKendree competed on the men's side.

On the women's side, the Bearcats had seven Top 7 finishes, including one individual event win and two second place finishes. The lone event win came in the mile run as freshman Lacey Laxton (Coal Valley, Ill./Geneseo) posted a time of 6:04.03. In addition to Laxton, freshman Colleen Zinke (Maryville, Ill./Collinsville) was second in the mile run with a time of 6:24.90.

Along with Zinke's second place finish in the mile run, sophomore Reagan Lucas (Freeburg, Ill./Freeburg) was second in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:29.58.

The Bearcats lone third place finish came in the 4-x-400 relay as McKendree posted a time of 4:40.13 to finish third. The members of the relay team were freshman Tori King (Belleville, Ill./Belleville West), redshirt freshman Laila Searcy (Centreville, Ill./Belleville West), freshman Laila Toms (Belleville, Ill./Belleville West) and freshman Azia Douglas (Cahokia Heights, Ill./Althoff Catholic).

In addition to running the third leg on the third-place 4-400 relay, Toms was fourth in the 200-meter run with a time of 28.18, while she was seventh in the finals of the 60-meter run with a McKendree season-best time of 8.29.

Douglas, who was the anchor on the third-place 4-x-400-meter relay, was fifth in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 11.75 and placed sixth in the 400-meter run with a time of 1:07.88.

Sophomore Kira Johnson placed fifth in the both the shot put with a McKendree season-best mark of 8.77 meters (28'9.25") and the weight throw (8.42 meters, 27'7.50").

Meanwhile, on the men's side, the Bearcats had 11 Top 5 finishes, including an event win in the mile run and tallied four second place finishes. In addition, McKendree recorded five school season best marks at the meet.

In the mile run, the Bearcats went 1, 2, and 3 as junior Seth Kasinger (Pekin, Ill./Pekin Community) won the event with a time a 4:45.73, while freshman Blake Westrater (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon Township) was second with a time of 4:52.43 and junior Oshawi Burgher (Kingston, Jamaica/Excelsior) was third with a time of 5:00.08.

Two of the second-place finishes came in the 60-meter hurdles as senior Johnathan Bumpers (Alton, Ill./Alton) recorded a McKendree season best time of 8.44 to finish second, while sophomore Brendan Harter (St. Louis, Mo./DeSmet Jesuit) was second in the high jump with a McKendree season-best mark of 1.90 meters (6'2.75").

The final second place finish came in the 4-x-400-meter relay with a time of 3:29.02. The members of the relay team were Bumpers, Burgher, freshman David Richard (Wentzville, Mo./Liberty) and freshman Roemello Byndloss (Kingston, Jamaica/Holmwood Tech). In addition to finishing second in the relay, McKendree's 'B' Team was third in the relay with a time of 3:48.01 and the members of that team were freshman Holden Hutchcraft (Pinckneyville, Ill./Pinckneyville), Kasinger, freshman Julian Juszczyk (St. Louis, Mo./Lutheran North) and freshman George Safo (Crete, Ill./Crete-Monee).

McKendree's third place finishes came in the 600 meters by redshirt freshman Caleb Kickham (O'Fallon, Mo./Fort Zumwalt West) as he ran a McKendree season best time of 1:41.13 and in the long jump by Bumpers, who posted a McKendree season-best mark of 6.61 meters (21'8.25').

Richard was fifth in the 200-meter run with a time of 23.26, while posting a McKendree season-best time of 7.11 in the finals of the 60-meter run to finish in sixth place.

Sophomore Kai Toolie (Mascoutah, Ill./Mascoutah) was fifth in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.99.

The Bearcats will take a break from competition for the holidays before returning to action on Friday, Jan. 20 at the University of Central Missouri Invitational in Warrensburg, Mo.

Complete results from Friday's EIU Early Bird Meet

WOMEN'S RESULTS
60-meter dash (Finals)
7. Toms, 8.29 (Season best)
60-meter dash (Prelims)
8. Toms, 8.44
9. Madison Davis, 8.46
11. King, 8.67
200-meter dash
4. Toms, 28.18
400-meter dash
6. Douglas, 1:07.88
800-meter dash
2. Lucas, 2:29.58
Mile run
1. Laxton, 6:04.03
2. Zinke, 6:24.90
60-meter hurdles
5. Douglas, 11.75 (Season best)
4-x-400 relay
3. McKendree 'A' – 4:40.13 (King, Searcy, Toms, Douglas)
Shot put
5. Johnson, 8.77 meters (28'9.25") (Season best)
Weight Throw
5. Johnson, 8.42 meters (27'7.50")

MEN'S RESULTS
60-meter dash (Finals)
6. Richard, 7.11 (Season best)
7. Safo, 7.24
60-meter dash (Prelims)
6. Richard, 7.20
7. Safo, 7.29
10. Hutchcraft, 7.35
13. Alex Hauck, 7.44
14. Dorian Foster, 7.53
200-meter dash
5. Richard, 23.26
8. Safo, 23.65
9. Hutchcraft, 23.78
11. Toolie, 24.59
12. Juszczyk, 24.75
13. Foster, 25.07
14. Mason Young, 27.34
600-meter dash
3. Kickham, 1:41.13 (Season best)
Mile run
1. Kasinger, 4:45.73
2. Westrater, 4:52.43
3. Burgher, 5:00.08
60-meter hurdles
2. Bumpers, 8.44 (Season best)
5. Toolie, 8.99
4-x-400 relay
2. McKendree 'A' –3:29.02 (Bumpers, Burgher, Richard, Byndloss)
3. McKendree 'B' – 3:48.01 (Hutchcraft, Kasinger, Juszczyk, Safo)
High jump
2. Harter, 1.90 meters (6'2.75") (Season best)
Long jump
3. Bumpers, 6.61 meters (21'8.25")