DUBUQUE, Iowa - Wartburg men's track and field took first place in the 2021 American Rivers Conference Outdoor Championships for the second consecutive season with 247 points, which was the most points tallied in Wartburg history. The coaching staff, led by Marcus Newsom, was named the A-R-C Men's Coaching Staff of the Year while sophomore Derrick Smith and senior Dallas Wright were both tabbed the Men's Track Athlete of the Year. 

Wright and Smith headlined the Knights' Saturday performance with each capturing three conference titles. 
 

A-R-C Most Valuable Track Performers ... @WTF_knights Dallas Wright and Derrick Smith. #rollriversTF pic.twitter.com/lPySXjdgay

— American Rivers Conference (@AmerRiversConf) May 16, 2021

The 4x100-meter relay team of Wright, Smith, Riley Nolan and Randy Williams got things going for Wartburg when they set a new A-R-C outdoor record with a time of 41.13, which also placed in the top-five in Wartburg history. 

Senior Matt Heinzman followed up that performance with a new A-R-C outdoor record of his own in the 1,500-meter run. The All-Conference runner tallied a time of 3:51.27 to place first. Sophomore Christopher Collet joined Heinzman on the podium when he took second with a time of 3:52.58 and earned All-Conference honors. 

Wright and freshman Deyton Love battled it out in one of the most anticipated races of the day in the 110-meter hurdles. The two did not disappoint as Wright took first with a time of 14.27, which is now the new all-time record in the A-R-C. Love was just a hundredth of a second behind and finished the race in second place with a time of 14.28, which tied the A-R-C all-time record. 



Smith earned his second title of the day when he took first in the 100-meter dash when he clocked in at 10.64, which ranked in the top-five in school history. Freshman Randy Williams earned an All-Conference spot when he placed third with a time of 10.84. 

Junior Dalton Martin broke a facility record during the 800-meter run when he finished with a time of 1:51.80 to place second. Fellow classmate Wyatt Schmidt joined him on the podium when he too broke the facility record with a mark of 1:52.65. Each earned All-Conference honors. 

In his final race of the day, Wright took home the 400-meter hurdle title when he set a new A-R-C Outdoor Championship record and facility record with a time of 51.72, which was nearly two seconds faster than second place. Love added another All-Conference selection to his resume when he placed third with a time of 54.22. 

Smith wrapped up his day with another championship during the 200-meter dash. The New Orleans native clocked in with a time of 21.52, which was a top-five finish in school history. 

The distance runners continued to shine during the 5,000-meter run as sophomore Christopher Collet and freshman Jacob Green earned All-Conference recognition. Collet led the way with a championship time of 14:52.12, which set a new facility record. Green (14:58.18) also broke the same record and took third. 

Wartburg concluded the event in style with a win during the 4x400-meter relay. Freshman Zach Abbey, Love, Schmidt and Martin recorded a time of 3:18.03 to take first and all received All-Conference honors. 

During the field events, junior Riley Nolan placed second in the javelin throw with a mark of 53.77 meters. Senor Matt Egts joined Nolan on the podium with a third place tally of 48.90 meters. 

Up next, the top-ranked Knights will travel to Greensboro, NC to compete at the NCAA Outdoor Championships held at the Irwin Belk Track on the campus of North Carolina A&T State University. The three-day event will begin on Thursday, May 27. 
 

A-R-C Coaching Staff of the Year ... @WTF_knights and Head Coach Marcus Newsom. #rollriversTF pic.twitter.com/kDSzbJgHFw

— American Rivers Conference (@AmerRiversConf) May 16, 2021

 

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