Storm men rise one spot in regional rankings
NEW ORLEANS - The Simpson College men's track and field team rose one spot to ninth in the newest edition of the USTFCCCA Midwest Regional Rankings while its keeping its top 25 status in the USTFCCCA National Rankings, as announced on Tuesday.
The Storm have now been ranked in the top 10 in every regional poll and the top 25 in every national poll this season. The Storm collected 135.79 points in the regional pool, while gaining 36.66 points from five athletes in four events nationally.
The Storm have many athletes contributing to its regional score now, but Spencer Moon remains one of the major factors of the Storm's success. After setting the facility record in the 3000 meters last weekend at the Wartburg Indoor Select, Moon now ranks first in the region in the event. Moon also ranks first in the mile and second in the 5000 meters, contributing 67.22 points to the Storm's regional total of 135.79 points. Nationally, Moon ranks in the top 10 in all three events, the only Division III athlete to be in the top 10 nationally in three different events.
Carter Berkey remains first in the region and eighth nationally in the men's long jump. Berkey's school-record mark of 7.22 meters added 23.22 points to the Storm's regional total. Max Cleveland is fourth in the region in the 60 meter hurdles, earning 16.29 points for the Storm. Cleveland is coming off another victory in the event at Wartburg, taking gold in a time of 8.20. The distance medley relay team of Cade Mash, Kyler Peck, Ean Warrick, and Hank Gardner is third in the region with a time of 11:06.61, earning 18.10 points.
The Storm also had many competitors jump into the regional rankings. Ulysses Patterson ranked in the top 30 in four events: the 60 meter hurdles, the high jump, the long jump, and the heptathlon. Patterson also joined Blake DePhillips, Brendan Godbout, and Joseph Sams as the 20th-ranked 4x400 meter relay in the region. Clarke Latcham earned 7.15 points for his 10th place regional ranking in the heptathlon, while also ranking 17th in the high jump, earning an extra point.
Other debutants in individual events included both DePhillips and Godbout in the 60 meter hurdles, while a trio of 5000 meter runners also qualified to be ranked after last Friday's Bearcat Invite. Marc Medici, Andrew Klein, and Brody Wirtz all set career-bests to be regionally ranked in the event.
The Storm men are back in action on Saturday at the Darren Young Invitational in Grinnell.
