The indoor track and field season continued for the Wayne State Wildcats as they faced tough competition at the Bearcat Classic.  

The Bearcat Classic, held on the campus of Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Mo., took place last weekend and saw teams from across the Midwest come to compete. No team scores were kept, as the meet focused heavily on the individual performances.  

Dylan Kneifl highlighted the men’s side of the meet, finishing with a high jump of 6’ 10.25”, or 2.09 meters in metric. He would go on to get first place in the event. This jump would also be a provisional mark for Kneifl, qualifying for the NCAA Indoor Championships March 8-9, in Pittsburgh, Kan. The mark to qualify was 2.03 meters, or 6’8”.  

Behind Kneifl, Elliot Nottlemann finished fifth with a jump of 6’4”, and Debonaire Williams finished 14th, jumping an even 6’.  

In the men’s long jump, the Wildcats also had five jumpers in the top 15. Logan Moeller leaped 22’8”, roughly seven inches short of a provisional mark. Alex Brandt had a jump of 21’2”, and Ty Dingman jumped 20’8”. Brandt and Dingman finished seventh and eighth, respectively. Cody Rogers finished 11th, and Jarrett McQueen rounded out the top 15. Rogers jumped 20’4”, and McQueen 20’1”.  

Daniel Elge and Daylin Mallory were both in the top ten in shotput. A throw of 52’1” helped Elge finish in fifth place, and Mallory threw 47’8”, ending in tenth place. Elge also placed in the weight throw with a toss of 52’2.75”. Jaxson Ninete finished 15th in the weight throw after throwing 48’10.25”.  

The Wildcats found success on the track as well, with Keaton Wattier coming in third in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.21 seconds. Wattier was .15 seconds away from a provisional mark. Quentin Dreyer had a third-place finish in the mile with a time of 4:17.25.  

On the women’s side, Keyla Sembo secured a fourth-place finish for the Wildcats in the triple jump, hitting 35’9.25”. Olivia Schwarzrock threw the shotput 41’3.25”, cementing a tenth-place finish. Schwarzrock would also go on to place seventh in the weight throw with a toss of 54’10”. Hailey Baker finished 15th in the weight throw with a 48’4.75” throw.  

Faith Polacek, Callie Kirchner, Jozlyn Barnes, and Kelsey Larsen placed 11th, 12th, 13th, and 15th respectively, in the 1,000-meter run. Polacek finished with a time of 3:13.38, Kirchner at 3:14.0, Barnes at 3:14:37, and Larsen ran a 3:15.23.  

Kylie Pachta finished tenth in the 800-meter run, clocking in at 2:22.34.  

The Wildcats will have two more meets before the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference meet and will next compete in Seward, NE at the Concordia Invite.