Manchester, IN – The Grace Christian University track & field teams had great success at the Manchester University Invitational on Saturday where they faced off against host Manchester, as well as Ohio Northern, Franklin, and Bluffton Universities. Temperatures were near perfect, with highs for the afternoon reaching into the 60s with minimal wind and sunny skies. The conditions and competition allowed the Tigers to show the fruits of their labor from practices the past few weeks by recording some big results.
"We’re definitely coming home with a combination of new records and sunburn," joked Grace head coach Gerry Verwey. "We are walking off the track today with a new personal record in almost every running event and half of the field events we participated in today. That’s a great sign of our capability but I still don’t think we’ve tapped into what we can truly accomplish yet," added Verwey following Saturday’s competition.
Men’s Highlights:
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Junior Kent Herring (Evart, MI) broke the school record in the 400m dash in 56.23 seconds, breaking a record that was formerly held by Isaac Geter from 2019. Herring now owns both the indoor and outdoor school records for the 400m. He also set a new personal record in shot put (8.10m).
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Freshman Devin Bartee (Muskegon, MI) set a new personal record in long jump (5.36m) moving him up to second all-time in school history and within a half foot of the school record set by Montae Harris back in 2017. Bartee also set a new personal best in the 100m dash, finishing in 12.46 seconds.
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Sophomore Ben Bird (Allendale, MI) found new personal records in the 800m and 1500m races on Saturday. Bird’s time in the 800m was almost 15 seconds faster than his previous lifetime best time.
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Junior Angel Becerra (Allendale, MI) had a solid day competing in discus (24.93m), javelin (17.05m), and the 200m dash (29.70 seconds) where he continues to show growth and maturity in learning new events.
Women’s Highlights:
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Zyan Tatum (Grand Rapids, MI) had a huge day competing in four different events, including the 100m dash twice after reaching finals following her preliminary race. Tatum set a new collegiate best mark in long jump (4.07m), the 100m (14.68 seconds), and won her heat of the 200m (30.35 seconds). She was also the first leg of the women’s 400m relay team.
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Senior Sarena Overbeek (Jenison, MI) broke her personal record in the 800m run with a time of 2:57. She also had a strong race in the women’s 1500m earlier in the meet.
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Freshman Makensie Mondy (Kentwood, MI) placed 5th overall in the 200m dash and moved up to second all-time in school history in both the 100m (13.78 seconds) and the 200m dash (28.67 seconds). She also anchored the 400m relay team.
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Senior Lucy Nusbaum (Holland, MI) finished within 2 seconds of the school record for the 400m dash on Saturday with a time of 1:09.08. This is a lifetime personal best for Nusbaum who also ran the second fastest split of the women’s 400m relay earlier in the meet.
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Senior Jada Reese (Macomb, MI) continues to look impressive in the shot put competition, as well as running a strong third leg of the 400m relay for the Tigers. Reese’s 9.07m best throw in shot put on Saturday was not only a personal best but also moved her up to third all-time for Grace.
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Sophomore Alyssa Gennety (Jackson, MI) has been a huge addition to the distance squad for the Tigers. Gennety continues to show more of what she is truly capable of running and inched closer to the NCCAA national qualifying standard for the women’s 1500m distance on Saturday. Her time of 5:35.24 is the third fastest time in school history (behind former Grace standouts Kimberly Proctor and Olivia Weenum) and moves her closer to a chance at competing in the NCCAA National Championships in South Carolina this May. Gennety also "PRed" in the 800m later in the meet (2:50.25).
The Tigers have a short week of recovery and preparation as they look forward to their next opportunity to compete this Friday, April 14 at Siena Heights University. Field events will begin at 11 AM with the first running event scheduled to kick off at 2:30 PM
