Sangamon Sun

The Illinois College men's track and field team secured two second-place finishes on the first day of the 2024 Midwest Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships. The event is taking place at The Field House on the Ripon Campus in Ripon, Wisconsin.

After the initial day of competition, the Blueboys stand in fifth place with a total of 25.5 points.

Dylan Doss was instrumental in the team's performance, finishing second in the long jump with a leap of 7.02 meters. He also participated in the 4x200 meter relay alongside Carter Wasson, Jaden Saunders, and DJ Williams, achieving another second-place finish with a time of 1:29.02.

In addition to his relay success, Saunders placed eighth in the long jump with a distance of 6.31 meters.

The shot put saw three top-eight finishes for Illinois College. Deon Rodgers secured fifth place with a throw of 13.25 meters, Saul Hernandez tied for sixth at 13.02 meters, and Xander Moushon took eighth at 12.78 meters.

The team showed strong performances in preliminary rounds as well. Three athletes advanced to Saturday's finals in the 60-meter hurdles: Jackson Lee recorded the second-fastest time at 8.67 seconds, Adam Hernandez was fourth at 8.81 seconds, and Jamie Hendrix finished eighth at 9.04 seconds.

Similarly, three Blueboys moved forward to the finals in the 60-meter dash: Doss came fourth with a time of 6.95 seconds, Wasson was fifth at 7.07 seconds, and Saunders seventh at 7.12 seconds.

The championship will conclude on Saturday.