Heidelburg reaches personal best at GVSU Mike Lints Alumni Meet

ALLENDALE, Mich. - Defiance College headed north to compete in Grand Valley State University's Mike Lints Alumni Meet at the Kelly Family Sports Center on Saturday. One Yellow Jacket reached a personal best on the day, as 14 Yellow Jackets competed in 12 total events. 

Senior thrower David Heidelburg hit a shot put milestone with a 11.36-meter toss. The throw placed 29th in the event, but created a career day for Heidelburg. Freshman Cole Armstrong competed alongside him with a distance of 10.76 meters, slotting him in 35th. 

On the track, Mira Horvath, Rakel Thompson and Shelby Clements took on the 200-meter dash. Horvath finished first on the team in 12th place with a time of 26.69, while Thompson (26.8) and Clements (29.28) completed the trip in 15th and 38th places, respectively. 

The 400-meter dash featured DC men and women in their individual categories. Horvath took 10th with a time of 1:00.73 and Clements finished in 27th at 1:05.81. On the men's side, J'Vontae Barnes and Tyjon Mance competed for 14th and 21st place with respective times of 51.39 and 52.29. In the 800-meter run, Zawadi Debola was the sole competitor on the women's side and came in 24th with a 2:37.05 time. 

Eli Fortman and Jake Stephens – each graduates of Defiance High School – rounded out individual runners. Fortman ran the 800 meter in 2:09.57 and ended in 50th, while Stephens ran the 5000 meter in 18:25.61, coming up in 13th. 

Finally on the track, Barnes, Marcus Snell, Fortman and Mance made up the 4x400-meter relay team and crossed the finish line in 10th place with a time of 3:33.77. 

Outside of the men's shot put, Defiance entered four additional field events. The results are as follows: 

Women's long jump - Amira Knight, 16th, 4.32 meters

Women's shot put - Lynsey Pease, 23th, 8.37 meters 

Amanda Barnes, 27th, 6.95 meters 

Mira Horvath, 28th, 6.28 meters

Women's weight throw (20lbs) - Amanda Barnes, 34th, 10.67 meters

Men's weight throw (35lbs) - David Heidelburg, 32nd, 11.82 meters

Cole Armstrong, 40th, 9.50 meters

UP NEXT

Up next, DC will compete in the 2025 WHAC Indoor Track & Field Championship on Feb. 14 and Feb. 15 at the Doug Edgar Track Complex in Fort Wayne, Ind. The Yellow Jackets will then begin to prepare for the outdoor season, which begins on March 8. 

-JACKETS-