Elmhurst, Il., -- North Park's Track and Field program traveled to nearby Elmhurst University this past weekend to compete in the three-day Chicagoland Championship. Facing off against a massive field of regional talent, the Vikings were led by standout performances by Wesley McCloud, Kayna Kanemoto, and Gabriel Thede in the vertical jumps and throwing events, bringing home three top-five finishes.
The men's high jump was where McCloud did his damage, soaring to a 2nd place finish in a field of 17 jumpers, as he cleared a height of 2.00m. On the women's side, Kayna Kanemoto continued her impressive season in the javelin throw. Competing against 27 other athletes, Kanemoto launched a distance of 35.96m to earn herself the 3rd place spot. Rounding out the top five performances was Thede in the men's javelin, who battled through a deep field of 38 throwers to claim 5th place with a toss of 44.77m.
Richard Covington had a strong day for the Vikings in the throwing rings. Covington competed in three separate events, highlighted by 12th place finish in the discus throw out of a massive 64-competitor field with a mark of 39.56m. He also represented North Park in the hammer throw where he placed 23rd out of 49 competitors (40.68m) and the shot put, finsihing 25th out of 58 (12.40).
The Viking sprinters held their own in some of the largest heats of the weekend. In the women's 200m dash, which featured a staggering 83 runners, North Park placed three athletes in the top 25 with Chloe Chesser leading the group in 12th place (26.20s), Riana Hayes following up in 15th (26.39s), and Julia Klein took 24th (26.77s). Chesser also competed in the 100m dash, finishing 23rd in a field of 70 with a time of 12.99s, while Hayes stepped up for the 400m dash, taking 18th out of 52 runners in 1:01.88. Marley Gandee held it down in the distance events, with her best finish coming in the 5000m run, where she placed 14th out of 44 runners, crossing the line in 19:00.56.
What's Next?
The Vikings head to Wheaton College next weekend for the Don Church Twilight meet, taking place on Saturday, April 18th at 11:30am.
