PITTSBURG, Kan. – Missouri S&T men's and women's track and field turned in another strong weekend of competition at the 11th Annual Russ Jewett Indoor Gorilla Classic at the Robert W. Plaster Center, competing against more than 1,200 athletes from 49 programs across multiple collegiate divisions. 

 

The Miners were once again led by their record-setting 4,000-meter distance medley relay team of Andrew Bacon (Webster Groves, MO/Webster Groves), Otto Knittel (Spring Hill, KS/Spring Hill), Jack Janovick (Spring Hill, KS/Spring Hill), and Henry Born (Lake Quivira, KS/Shawnee Mission Northwest). The quartet finished second in the prelims, broke the Missouri S&T school record for the second consecutive meet, and qualified for the NCAA Division II National Prelims, continuing their historic indoor campaign and cementing their place among the top relay squads in the country. 

 

On the track, Louis Yohannes (Troy, IL/Triad) delivered one of the weekend's top performances in the 60-meter hurdles, finishing second with a time of 8.03 seconds—just .01 off the school record and making National Prelims. His mark also qualified him for the NCAA Division II National Prelims, highlighting a breakthrough performance in the sprints. 

 

In the throws, Owen Fraser (Kirksville, MO/Kirksville) captured first place in the shot put with a mark of 18.61 meters and added a fourth-place finish in the weight throw at 19.84 meters. Sydney Morris (Jefferson City, MO/Calvary Lutheran) posted two top-eight finishes on the women's side, placing eighth in the weight throw (16.16m) and seventh in the shot put (13.87m). Shaun Wolfe (Fulton, MO/Fulton) added a fifth-place finish in the men's 5,000 meters with a time of 14:53.72, while Hailey Smith (Wentzville, MO/Timberland), Justin Chadwell (Norwood, MO/Norwood), and Luke Bass (St. Peters, MO/Fort Zumwalt South) each contributed solid performances in the field events. 

 

With another competitive weekend in the books and national-level marks secured, Missouri S&T continues building momentum heading toward the championship portion of the indoor season. 

The Miners return to action Feb. 20–21 as they travel to Jacksonville, Ill., to compete at Illinois College.