Loper Athletics
TOPEKA, KANS. – Senior Brayden Sorensen won a third consecutive high jump title to pace Nebraska-Kearney at the 2024 MIAA Indoor Championships this weekend in Topeka.The three-day meet began Friday afternoon with the multi-events and ran until Sunday evening. Currently, the MIAA features seven of Division II’s top 18 men’s teams and four of the best 24 women’s squads. UNK came in ranked 11th nationally (men) and eight regionally (women).The top-ranked Pittsburg State men (212 points) and fourth-ranked Gorilla women (221) ran away with the team titles. The Loper men scored 53.50 points to finish sixth with the women tallying 29 points to come in eighth place.
Sorensen (Kearney H.S.) was one of three competitors to clear 6-11.75 but passed on his third attempt at the next height to win. He joins Cole Wellnitz (mile/2015-17) and Wes Ferguson (800-meters/2021-23) as the only Loper men to win three MIAA indoor titles. Additionally, Hastings freshman Nolan Studley came in eighth (6-8.75) to help UNK tally 10.5 team points here.The high jump was good for the women too as Stamford sophomore Brianna Russell (4th/5-7), Dannebrog freshman Sydney Davis (5th/5-7) and O’Neill junior Abby Everitt (8th/5-5) each scored. Also on Saturday, the DMR teams finished third (men/9:54.14) and fifth (women/12:16.96) with Giltner senior Alex Goracke third (63-7.50) and Kansas senior Evan Prohaska fifth (62-8.75) in the weight throw and Kearney sophomore Lily Novacek seventh (57-7.75) on the women’s side. Finally, Albion junior Jordan Soto-Stopak was eighth in the 5,000 (17:59.37).On Sunday, Overton sophomore Maeli Meier ran the second fastest time at 600 yards in school-history (4th/1:24.43) with the 4×4 team placing eighth thanks to the fourth best effort (3:51.89) in Loper lore. That group included Kearney senior Nicole Messbarger who had a career-best 56.24 in the 400 prelims on Saturday. She came in seventh overall. Finally on the women’s side, Kansas junior Slayten Braun now ranks third all-time at 60 meters (7.75).The men’s 4×4 relay team finished sixth with the second-best time (3:15.95) in the annuals. That group featured Ravenna junior Jack Drahota, Fremont sophomore Tyson Baker, St. Paul sophomore Conner Wells and Sidney sophomore Mitchell Deer. Baker also scored in the 800 (6th/1:52.20), Deer was fourth in the 600-yard run (career-best 1:11.80) with Davis seventh in the mile (4:11.73).Finally, Gothenburg senior Micah Swedberg broke his own school-record (48.45/Feb. 2023) in the 400 (48.22/prelims), Fremont junior Jackson Clausen moved up to third all-time at 200-meters (21.89), Hastings sophomore Landon Eckhardt was fourth in the 800 (career-best 1:51.93) and Creighton junior Alex Homan finished fifth in the pole vault (16-3.5).The field for the NCAA Championships March 8-9 in Pittsburg will be released early this week.
