Defiance places in WHAC Championship, three new season bests achieved
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - On Saturday, a new personal best was secured, both the women's and men's relay teams reached new heights with season-high times and Defiance earned spots on the scoreboard in day two of the 2025 Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Indoor Track and Field Championship Saturday. The Yellow Jacket women wrapped up the day with a ninth-place finish and the men in eighth of 13 squads each.
Hosted by Indiana Tech at the Doug Edgar Indoor Track Facility, day one of the meet was dedicated primarily to field events in which freshman thrower Cole Armstrong performed well notching a new career-high in weight throwing — 11.62 meters. Four more Defiance College athletes competed, including Lynsey Pease (women's shot put), David Heidelburg (men's shot put and weight throw), Amira Knight (women's long jump), Amanda Barnes (women's weight throw) and Jake Stephens (5000-meter run). The Jackets were kept off the leaderboard on the day, however, Zawadi Debola's 800-meter dash secured a place for her team, followed by two successful relay teams, putting up four total points for the women and two for the men.
The freshman runner, Debola, found herself in seventh place following a 2:38.81 time in the women's 800-meter dash on Saturday. Her count earned Defiance two points and was just three seconds shy of her personal record in the event, 2:35.84.
Both the women's and men's 400-meter relays were the final events to be held, and both featured DC teams — both setting new records on the season.
The women's group made up of Mira Horvath, Rakel Thompson, Shelby Clements and Debola ran the relay with a time of 4:18.56 and earned a seventh-place finish. The previous high was just over two seconds slower and their finish put two more points on the board for the women Jackets.
J'Vontae Barnes, Marcus Snell, Eli Fortman and Tyjon Mance also secured seventh place and posted a 3:33.77 time in the relay. This men's group was just eight seconds shy of the all-time Defiance record in the event, 3:25.77, and snatched two points for their team.
Thompson competed in the women's 200-meter dash and finished with a time of 26.69, breaking her personal best by 0.11. Her time landed her in the first spot of her section and 13th overall. Horvath also competed in the event in 27.33 minutes and a final place of 17th. Horvath held the record in the event on the season with the same 26.69 time – now Horvath and Thompson share the season's best.
The women's 400-meter dash additionally featured Horvath as the sole Yellow Jacket competing in the event. With a time of 1:01.48 and an 11th place finish, Horvath crossed the end line.
On the men's side of the 400-meter dash, Mance and Barnes both found themselves in the running. Barnes finished 10th with a time of 51.65, while Mance tied his own personal record in the sprint in 52.29 seconds, earning him a 13th place finish. Mance originally set his career best on Feb. 8 at the GVSU Mike Lints Alumni Meet.
Fortman entered the men's 800-meter dash, his first race on the day, and finished in 26th place with a time of 2:12.33.
UP NEXT
Yellow Jacket track and field will take a three-week break as they await the start of the outdoor season. Defiance will resume competition on March 8 in the River City Relays at Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla.
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