May 5, 2023

TU Men Take Fourth at Crossroads League Championships

INDIANAPOLIS – The 2023 Crossroads League Outdoor Track and Field Championships wrapped up on Friday afternoon, with the Taylor men finishing in fourth place in the team standings.

The top performance came from Nate Conkel, who raced to an individual league title in the 800 meters, topping the field with a time of 1:53.02.

While Conkel's win was TU's lone title of the day, Taylor claimed All-Crossroads League honors in two other events. Sammy Sommers took third in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 55.32 and the group of Bradley Braxton, Aidan Guckenberger, Sommers and Braden Bixler took third in the 4x100-meter relay with a time of 42.33.

Liam Hesting collected the lone NAIA-standard performance of the day for Taylor, hitting the B-standard and finishing fourth in the discus with a distance of 48.36.

The Trojans also showed well in the steeple, with Jack Hammond and Jared Stayte taking sixth and eighth and in the 110-meter hurdles with Isaac Elkin and Bixler taking sixth and seventh.

TU's fourth-place team finish at the two-day championships was highlighted by individual titles from Conkel, Sommers and Damon Knowles, as well as with a total of nine All-CL performances.

Taylor will be back in action on May 12 and 13 at the Last Chance Invite at Indiana Wesleyan in the final outing prior to the NAIA National Championships on May 24 through 26.