The Emporia State men’s and women’s track teams placed sixth and seventh, respectively, at the MIAA Indoor Championships last weekend in Joplin, Mo. Here, the hornets broke a school record in the heptathlon and had 16 provisional qualifiers for nationals, including one automatic qualifier.

With 5,305 points, Payson Maydew, sophomore, broke his own school record and the Leggett and Platte Center building record in the heptathlon. This score also allowed him to automatically qualify for nationals. Maydew scored even more points for the men’s team by also placing sixth in the 60m hurdles, with a time of 8.52 seconds in the finals.

“I think everyone on our team gave outstanding effort,” Maydew, an accounting major, said. “Every time there is adversity, our team pushes through it. It may not have been the exact team results we were looking for but there is so much in store for outdoor on our team. I’m super excited for it.”

Nikki Wetstein, senior health promotion major, was fourth place in both the pentathlon and the 60m hurdles. She provisionally qualified in both of these events, with a score of 3,517 points in the pentathlon and a time of 8.62 seconds in the finals of the 60m hurdles. Wetstein also scored for the team and provisionally qualified in long jump with a jump of 5.56 meters.

“This meet was bittersweet for me being a senior,” Wetstein said. “I had high expectations for myself and the team. Although we didn’t finish as high as we had hoped, I know everyone gave their all, and it showed through our marks and times. We had a lot of personal and season bests, and in the end, that’s what matters.”

On the men’s side, Duke Tibbs, freshman, ran 49.29 seconds in the men’s 400m run, which is a provisionally qualifying time. Samuel Saidi, junior jumper, was second in the high jump and eighth in the triple jump. He cleared a provisional height of 2.08 meters in the high jump and 14.09 meters in the triple. Jordan Manning, sophomore, cleared 2.03 meters to tie for third place in the men’s high jump.

On the women’s side, Alaina Fairbanks, senior, and Maggie Wilson, junior, both cleared a provisional qualifying height of 3.57 meters in pole vault. Fairbanks was third, while Wilson was fourth in the event.

Steve Blocker, head coach, said the meet went well.

“We had some great performances,” Blocker said. “We weren’t happy with our overall team finish, but we performed right near our very best in all areas with just a couple of mistakes that cost us. Overall, I’m proud of the way we competed. This is one of the best conferences in the country.”

The Hornets now prepare for the NCAA Indoor Championships before hosting the ESU Spring Opener on March 29.