Kent State’s track and field teams concluded the Mid-American Conference Championship on Saturday in Mount Pleasant, Michigan with a third-place finish from both the men and women’s teams.

The women’s team put up 90.75 points, and the men finished with 91.50.

Junior Dior Delophont was named the Most Valuable Performer, and junior Danniel Thomas was named the Outstanding Field Performer.

Delophont won the long jump Friday, and on Saturday, she won the triple jump with a score of 12.86 meters. She also finished second in the high jump at 1.78 meters.

“She had a fantastic effort this weekend,” coach Bill Lawson said. “She continues to perform well and really has been a strong point for our team this season.”

Delephont also won the MVP award in the Championships in 2013.

Thomas won the shot put event with a mark of 17.71 meters. The mark set a new school and MAC Championship record. Thomas won the event for the second consecutive season.

“(Thomas) had a couple of big throws early in competition,” Lawson said. “She is throwing and training really well, and she punched her ticket to the National Championships with her performance this weekend.”

Junior William Barnes picked up right where he left off on Friday with a win in both the 60-meter hurdles (7.90 seconds) and the 200-meter dash (21.84 seconds).

“Barnes did a great job again,” Lawson said. “He is top 15 in the nation and really has just had a great season. His coaching staff and him have both done an excellent job.”

Senior Miles Dunlap took third in the 200-meter dash at 22.15 seconds. 

Junior Roosevelt Dotson finished second in the men’s high jump with a final score of 2.05 meters.

Junior Wayne Gordon took home the top spot in the 60-meter dash with a time of 6.83 seconds, but before the weekend, Lawson wasn’t even sure if Gordon would run.

“He’s struggled a little bit and has been battling some injuries,” Lawson said. “We weren’t even sure if we were going to run him, but he did a great job, and we really look forward to the outdoor season.”

Junior Donovan Tolbert scored a second-place finish in the triple jump for the men’s side with a height of 15.51 meters.

Notable finishes from the women’s side include a strong finish to the weekend for senior Jackie Leppelmeier. She finished seventh in shot put with a distance of 14.73 meters.

Freshman Tyler Williams also made a statement with a second-place finish in the 400-meter race, finishing in 57 seconds.

Sophomore Lauren Burnett came in second in the 800-meter race with a 2:11.85.

Finally, the 4×400-meter relay team came across the line in fourth place with a time of 3:50.39. Burnett, Williams, senior Lynnese Beyan and sophomore Jorian Ordway made up the group.

Lawson described the overall weekend as a rollercoaster.

“As a program, we had some great ups, but we also had some low-points,” Lawson said. “We did battle some injuries as a team going into the weekend, but we did well and I’m really looking forward and am confident once we start the outdoor season.”

The teams will have next week off but will return to action on March 13as they will travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas for the NCAA Indoor Championships.

Contact Andrew Bugel at [email protected].