Winning multiple events in the weight throw this season, junior Matthias Tayala went into day one of the Mid-American Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships looking to continue his strong performance.

He did just that and then some at the championships hosted by Central Michigan.

Tayala set a record for the meet when he threw a distance of 22.90 meters in his weight throw event.

“Tayala came off a great performance last week, and he just continues to throw strong,” coach Bill Lawson said. “What he did was fantastic. It’s an incredible accomplishment, and he has had a great year.”

Junior Reggie Jagers also carried his strong season into the first day of the championships with a third-place finish in the weight throw event with a distance of 20.41 meters.

Junior Dior Delophont captured victory in the women’s long jump event with a jump of 5.95 meters. It was her second conference title in the event.

Freshman Sam Tollerud registered a second place finish in the pole vault at 4.03 meters and tied sophomore teammate Morgan Estes for the school record.

Redshirt junior Becca Herte finished seventh in the same event with a height of 3.73 meters.

Other finishers included senior Jackie Leppelmeier, who finished third in the women’s weight throw at 20.46 meters. Senior Xavier Braxton finished seventh in men’s long jump at 7.04 meters.

Juniors William Barnes and Wayne Gordon advanced into finals on Saturday after registering strong preliminary scores.

Gordon won his 60-meter dash preliminary heat with a time of 6.80 seconds, and Barnes won his 200-meter dash heat with a time of 21.74 seconds. Barnes also won his 60-meter hurdles preliminary event with a score of 7.81 seconds.

Both men, along with many other sprinters for Kent State, will look to put on a strong performance in finals and try to grab a few more wins to conclude the MAC Championships on Saturday in Mount Pleasant, Michigan.

Contact Andrew Bugel at [email protected].