Multiple Storm women move up all-time ranks on first day of A-R-C Championships

STORM LAKE, Iowa - The Simpson men and women track and field teams opened day one of the American Rivers Conference Championships, with Spencer Moon winning the men's 5000 meters and multiple athletes on the women's side moving up the Storm all-time ranks.

Moon claimed his first career indoor track and field conference title after winning the 5000 meters in a tactical race with a final time of 14:52.64. Moon broke away from a pack of about eight runners just past the 3000 meter mark, stretching his lead each lap, before comfortably crossing the finish line. Moon now holds both the indoor and outdoor 5000 meter titles. Max Cleveland easily moved into the final of the 60 meter hurdles, qualifying in third position with the second-fastest time of 8.21.

On the women's side, Lara Kallem also had a wonderful performance in the 5000 meters. Kallem finished fourth in a time of 18:12.95, which is the second-fastest time in school history. The distance medley relay team composed of Ava Carder, Kate Huisinga, Aryss Forbes, and Teghan Booth took third in the event in a time of 12:34.37, the fourth-fastest in history, to earn all-conference honors. Audrey Arnold will also race for a championship tomorrow in the 60 meter hurdles, running a 9.21 in the prelims, giving her the fourth-fastest time in school history.

The heptathlon and pentathlon competitors also experienced success. In the men's heptathlon, Ulysses Patterson leads the overall competition after day one with a total score of 2,684 points, with just 66 points separating the top four. Patterson won the shot put event in the heptathlon with a career-best toss of 11.82 meters. The Clinton, Iowa native also placed second in the long jump and the high jump, setting a career-best in the latter with a mark of 1.85 meters. Clarke Latcham sits in fourth overall, setting a career-best mark in each of the four events today. Latcham ran a 7.33 in the 60 meters, jumped 6.17 meters in the long jump, and recorded a throw of 10.27 meters in the shot put. Latcham capped off the day by winning the high jump in another career-best of 1.91 meters.

Maddie Hays and Aaliyah Johnson finished in the top five in the women's pentathlon, with all five events taking place on day one. Hays kicked off the competition with a career-best 10.09 in the 60 meter hurdles and then recorded a career-best mark of 8.74 meters in the shot put. Johnson finished in the top three in three of the five events, including a second-place finish in the shot put after a throw of 10.54 meters. Hays vaulted up the leaderboard in the final event, the 800 meters. Hays won the event in a career-best time of 2:25.74, going from eighth to fourth in the overall competition. Both women set new career-bests for their overall scores in the pentathlon, with Hays's fourth-place finish garnering 2,782 points, while Johnson took fifth with 2,764 points. The two scores were also good for the third and fourth-best scores in school history.

Events To Watch

For day two, there are multiple events for Storm fans to keep an eye on. The men's heptathlon resumes at 10 a.m. with the 60 meter hurdles that will feature Patterson and Latcham. The duo will also compete in the pole vault and 1000 meter run to close out the overall heptathlon. Patterson owns the best career mark of any competitor in the pole vault, with a 3.86 meter vault earlier this month.

Moon will race in the highly anticipated 3000 meters. Moon will face off with Wartburg's Christopher Collet, with both of their career-bests almost 20 seconds faster than any other runner in the field. Cleveland and Arnold will both race in their respective 60 meter hurdle finals after comfortably qualifying.