BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (2/20/24) – Arkansas State track and field made history on Tuesday inside the Birmingham Crossplex, sweeping the Sun Belt Conference Indoor Championship team titles for the fifth year in a row – becoming the only program in league history to accomplish such a feat.

Both teams entered the day in second place in the team standings, but the A-State men racked up 104 points on Tuesday to win by 22.5 points ahead of runner-up South Alabama (122). The women’s squad, meanwhile, edged second-place Coastal Carolina 86.5 to 81.

A-State has now won 12 men’s indoor conference titles, with the women claiming their ninth league crown.

Colby Eddowes opened the day by winning the heptathlon with a meet-record score of 5,760 points while Alden Wetzel scored two points in a seventh-place finish (4,638 points).

Hannes Fahl and Lasse Funck went 1-2 in the men’s mile, followed by Ryan Parson in seventh place with a season-best 4:15.75 to give the men’s squad an early 20 points. A-State added 18 points in the men’s 800 meters, but eight points were deducted after meet officials disqualified Fahl, who originally won the event. Funck (1:52.92), who finished second, moved up to the top spot to score 10 points.

In the women’s 800 meters, Cheyenne Melvin successfully defended her 2023 indoor crown, winning with a time of 2:09.22.

Bella Coscetti captured gold in the women’s pole vault, as the sophomore cleared 3.98m (13-0.75) to tie for third in program history in the event. Kaci Andrus finished eighth with a clearance of 3.78m (12-4.75) to add a point.

Cash Kunkel and Jacob Pyeatt capped the day’s individual efforts taking gold and silver in the men’s 3000 meters. Cunkel bettered his career-best mark with a time of 8:12.23 while Pyeatt ran a season-best 8:16.14. Dawson Mayberry followed in sixth (8:27.84) to total 21 points in the event.

Rahel Broemmel claimed silver in the women’s mile (4:54.92) before earning a fourth-place finish in the 3000 meters with a time of 9:37.60. Elizabeth Martin clocked a career-best 9:43.22 to move up to fifth in school history in a seventh-place finish, one spot ahead of Jaybe Shufelberger’s eighth-place mark of 9:55.88.

Selase Sampram uncorked a stellar personal-best throw of 16.31m (53-6.25) to earn silver in the women’s shot put, while also moving up to second in program history in the event. Michelle Ogbemudia followed as the bronze medalist with a mark of 15.90m (52-2).

Willem Coertzen took silver in the men’s shot put, throwing the implement 17.96m (58-11.25), while Menachem Chen hurled a personal-best 16.23m (53-3) to place seventh. Chris Boyd followed in eighth with a mark of 15.75m (51-8.25).

Kenyon Parker and Will Glass combined for 13 points in the men’s 60-meter hurdles, with Parker running a career-best 7.84 to take silver. Glass finished fourth with a time of 8.01. Tyra Nabors scored a point for the women’s team in the 60-meter hurdles, crossing the line in 8.52.

Parker later placed seventh in the men’s high jump with a clearance of 1.97m (6-5.5) to earn two more points to his individual tally.

Spencer Taylor scored six points in a pair of events, placing fifth in the 400 meters (48.25) and seventh in the 200 meters (22.16)

In the men’s triple jump, Matthew Williams placed fifth to score four points, jumping 14.11m (46-3.5).

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