By Andrew Cross

The second and final day of the Golden State Athletic Conference Track and Field Championships gave The Master’s University men’s team their second championship in a row, while the women finished second. The men won by over 120 points, nearly doubling the score of second-place Arizona Christian. The women finished just ahead of Jessup, with 176 points.

The meet yielded 12 top-5 marks in TMU history and five school records: Josh Williamson in the hammer throw (48.97m), Elijah Espericueta in the 100m (10.99), Jayk Kelton in the long jump (6.81m), Brianna Ironside in the hammer throw (41.65m), and Levi Robert in the 400m hurdles (58.90).

On day two, the Mustangs racked up points in the throws and the distance events to take a commanding lead. Eli Szumera, the school record holder in the javelin, took home the GSAC crown with a throw of 56.95m, winning the competition by more than 7m.

“This GSAC was a special one. It was the last one for me and many of the seniors competing. During the meet, I meditated on the truth that the joy of the Lord is our strength,” Szumera said. “Getting the win today is so much more than I deserve, and I praise the Lord that he gave me another sweet opportunity to experience it alongside my favorite teammates and competitors.”

Senior Ellen Palmgren competed in six events across two days and walked away with the GSAC 800m (2:15) title and finished second in the 5000m and the 1500m. She also anchored the women’s 4x400m relay to a second-place finish and the winning 4x800m relay.

“This was such a sweet couple of days to compete as a team and display the love of Christ by loving each other well,” Palmgren said. “I had so much fun running a bunch of events with some of my favorite people, and getting to do it as sisters in Christ is a sweet privilege. Praise the Lord for such a sweet two days!”

In the men’s distance events, the Mustangs dominated, finishing first through seventh in the 1500 and first through third in the 5000m. Brint Laubach won his first ever GSAC 5000m title, with an effort of 14:48, while Jack Anderson took the 1500m in a wire-to-wire 3:55 victory.

“It was incredible to see so many of our men offer their best effort competing in the 1500m final today. We always offer our best to the Lord because of what He has given us through Christ,” Anderson said.

The Mustangs will compete next at the APU Franson Last Chance Meet on May 10.