NAPERVILLE, Ill, -- North Park University track and field program put together a strong showing this weekend at their first official outdoor meet of the year, headlined by a massive individual victory and a slew of personal bests across both the men's and women's rosters.  Kayna Kanemoto dominated the women's javelin competition, securing a 1st place  finish in a field of 18 competitors.  She launched a throw of 39.21m which stands as Kanemoto's new personal best, setting a high bar for the rest of her season.

The Vikings saw significant success in the jumps and throws.  Gabriel Thede had a strong day in the men's javelin, claiming 4th place out of 22 participants with a solid toss of 48.83m.  In the pits, Darrius Whiters flew to another 4th place finish for the Vikings in the men's triple jump. Whiters cleared 13.60m, marking a new personal best in the event.  Wesley McCloud also cracked the top five finish in the men's high jump, clearing 1.90m to take 5th place in a competitive field of 15.

Richard Covington had a busy afternoon, competing in three different throwing events. His top performance came in the hammer throw, where he placed 11th out of 29 with a personal best distance of 38.92m.  Covington followed that up with a 12th place finish in the shot put (12.33m) and a 15th place finish in the discus (36.72m) against a massive field of 43 throwers.

On the track, Jordan Brazil showcased his speed in the sprints, finishing 11th in the 100m dash with a time of 11.26s and returned later to secure 13th in the 200m. His 200m time of 23.04s marks a personal best for him as well.  Rounding out the Viking finishes were Leonardo Gonzalez and Jalen Rios in the 800m.  Gonzalez crossed the line in 20th place with a time of 2:03.92, while Rios followed closely behind in 24th at 2:04.53 in a deep field of 42 runners.

North Park will compete again tomorrow, March 31st at the Wheaton College Invitational starting at 10:30am.