JACKSONVILLE, Illinois – For yet another year, track and field in the Midwest Conference continues to run through Ripon.
 
After a dominant two days, the Ripon track and field programs swept both the men's and women's team titles at the MWC Outdoor Track and Field Championships hosted by Illinois College at England Stadium.
 
The Ripon men have now won three consecutive outdoor team titles, with 2024 marking the fourth overall outdoor championship in school history (1924, 2022, 2023, 2024). The women have won back-to-back crowns – the first two outdoor team titles in school history.
 
Additionally, thanks to a pair of honors this weekend, Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Bob Wood and his staff have now won the last three outdoor MWC Men's Coaching Staff of the Year accolades, in addition to the last two in women's outdoor track and field.
 
Throughout the weekend, Ripon won nine events and set one new school record en route to dominating the conference championships yet again. The men scored 159 points – IC was second with 128 points — and the women scored 149, holding off Monmouth (123 points).
 
Just like the 2024 MWC Indoor Championships, Dameco Walker was named the MWC Men's Outstanding Field Performer at the 2024 outdoor meet. After winning the long jump on Friday, Walker cruised to a triple jump title on Saturday, winning the event for the third time outdoors with a jump of 14.59m – three feet further than the runner-up. He also took sixth in the high jump with a 1.80m showing.
 
It didn't take long on Saturday for a school record to fall. The men's 4x100 team of Logan Vander Galien, Jacob Davies, Walker and Jacoby Cefalu took first and set a new school record with a 41.28 showing – narrowly eclipsing the previous record set by Vander Galien, Davies, Walker and Cade Gray last season.
 
Ben Fisher won his second consecutive outdoor high jump title on Saturday. The senior jumped 2.03m to continue his push towards the DIII outdoor national championships in less than two weeks.
 
Cefalu wasn't content with a relay title, winning an individual conference crown on Saturday as well. The junior paced the 200-meter field to win a competitive final in 21.83. Cefalu was also the 100-meter dash runner-up, clocking in at 10.88.
 
Bridget Finn was the 400-hurdles runner-up (1:05.72) and placed third in the women's 100-meter hurdles, doing so in 15.67. In the men's 100-meter hurdle finals, Dorian Phillips followed up an impressive prelim showing with a third-place, 16.01 time on Saturday to earn all-conference status.
 
The women's 5K has been another strong suit for Ripon and it showed on Saturday. Alison DeNamur (18:15.06), Flyte (19:15.81) and Allard (19:26.03) took third, sixth and eighth, respectively.
 
Two Red Hawk men finished in the top-eight in the 3000-meter steeplechase as Christian Kuwaye came in fourth (9:46.93) and Jeremy Saloun placed sixth (10:07.05). The Red Hawk women showed their depth in the 3000-meter steeplechase, putting three athletes in the top six: Gabby Allard took third in 11:52.46, Kiki Sherman was fifth in 12:16.07 and Mikayla Flyte placed sixth in 12:23.78.
 
In the men's 800, Rainier Villanueva had an impressive runner-up finish – the junior clocked in at second with a time of 1:53.58. Also in the 800, Jacob Jumbeck took seventh in 1:55.75. In the women's 800, Jenny Cortes finished as runner-up with a 2:17.98 showing, while Minnie Hoffman (fifth, 2:25.09) and Isabelle Willett (sixth, 2:25.36) also were in the top-eight. Ripon achieved another long-distance, top-eight performance in the men's 5K as Matt Seeber placed fourth in 15:22.56.
 
Three women were in the top-eight in the high jump: Chloe Studinski (1.50m), Finn (1.50m) and Kynaeda Gray (1.35m) took third, fifth and eighth respectively to earn 11 points for Ripon in that event. Sam Trzebiatowski helped Ripon's cause in the javelin, taking second with a toss of 45.78m.
 
Walker wasn't the only one finishing in the top-eight in the triple jump as Vander Galien took fourth with a jump of 13.23m. Kalyn Otzelberger took fifth in the hammer throw with a toss of 42.61m, while Braedy Picard (fifth, 13.74m) and Noah Hanson (seventh, 13.31m) each scored for Ripon in the shot put. Nicole Arnhold took eighth in the triple jump, scoring 9.99m.
 
Full Team Results
Men

1. Ripon 159
2. Illinois College 128
3. Grinnell 112
4. Monmouth 102.5
5. Beloit 91.5
6. Cornell 82
7. Lawrence 71
8. Knox 22
9. Lake Forest 11

Women

1. Ripon 149
2. Monmouth 123
3. Grinnell 122
4. Cornell 111
5. Illinois College 107
6. Beloit 63
7. Lawrence 63
8. Knox 36
9. Lake Forest 5

UP NEXT
A host of Red Hawks will compete at NCAA Qualifier meets next week at North Central College and Augustana College on May 13-14 and 15-16, respectively.
 
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