On Saturday, the Arkansas State women’s team won the Sunbelt Conference Outdoor Championships for the fourth year in a row, while the men’s team also emerged victorious at Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium in Myrtle Beach. Paulin Meyer, representing the ASU team, scored a total of 30 goals and won the 5,000m race, clinching his third title. He set a new competition and facility record, completing the race in 16:16.24. Rahel Broemmel finished second with a time of 16:21.41, and teammates Javy Schfelberger and Sarah Trammell secured fourth and seventh places respectively. In the 1,500m race, Meyer and Broemmel took first and second place, with Meyer finishing in 4:26.67 and Broemmel close behind in 4:28.63. The ASU team also performed well in other events, with Jacob Pyatt securing second place in the men’s 5,000m with a time of 14:18.36, and Miles Thomas winning the men’s 100 in 10.16 seconds. Will Glass was the winner of the 110m hurdles, with a time of 13.82 seconds.
The University of Central Arkansas (UCA) men’s and women’s teams secured fifth place at the ASUN Conference Championships in Jacksonville, Florida. Kiara Williams set a new school record with a pitch of 45 feet and 8 inches and was placed fourth in the women’s shot put event. She also broke a new school record alongside her teammates in the women’s 400m relay, completing the race in 44.87 seconds. In other events, the UCA men’s team won the 400m relay with a time of 40.30, and Kendell McCoy and Ciara Tucker were placed third and fourth respectively in the Women’s 100, with times of 11.80 seconds and 12.01 seconds. Wesley Suen emerged third in both the men’s 100m and 200m with times of 10.62 and 21.05 respectively.
Meanwhile, Huntsville head coach, Matt Williams decided to step down from his position after 19 years, with the last four being spent as a head coach. During his time, the team went 12-30 and made the playoffs in 2020 and 2021 under his leadership. Williams plans to continue coaching and teaching science at Harbor University. He felt that the time had come to embark on a new challenge, and his departure was a personal decision. The school superintendent expressed his regret at Williams’ departure and wished him the best of luck.