Bickler Highlights Day 1 of Indoor Conference Championships

MARYVILLE, Mo. – Clarke University track and field finished up day one of the Heart of America Indoor Championships Friday evening with a couple of school records being taken down and the women currently sitting in second place with 28 points and men in 10th place with two.

After finishing in sixth place last year in the 5000-meter race, Rory Bickler will find herself on the podium and as a Third Team All-Conference runner after finishing in third place with a time of 18:32.98. That time is more than good enough to beat Lauren Block's 2018 school-record by over 30 seconds.

Emma Grant finished just outside the podium last season in the pole vault competition clearing 3.12 meters, but this year that mark would be good enough to get her in second place and Second Team All-Conference, along with freshman teammate Grace Squires who vaulted the same mark.

Freshman Autumn McLaughlin and Malia Beich would receive Heart Conference Honorable Mentions after finishing in fifth and sixth place after they each hit a mark of 2.82 meters.

On the men's side, Brody Deitering is currently in fourth place of the men's heptathlon with 2,477 points, which included a second place finish in the 60-meter race when he crossed the finish line in 7.22 seconds as well as a first place finish in the shot put where he hit a mark of 11.91 meters.

Deitering will push to be another Pride All-Conference performer tomorrow where he will compete in the 60-meter hurdles, pole vault, and 1000-meter race.

The men's 4x800 relay team consisting of Kole Haverly, Drew Pate, Carson Sansenbach, and Bryce Kondos just missed being a Heart Conference Honorable Mention as they finished in seventh place, however they did make school history as they defeated the previous school-record by three seconds.

Pride track and field will wrap up the Heart of America Conference Indoor Championships Saturday starting at 9 am.