Boley Wins Field MVP as Both Scots Teams Finish Second

Monmouth wins eight individual MWC titles

by Nathan Baliva

MONMOUTH, Ill. (03/02/2025) — The Monmouth College men's and women's track and field teams both finished second at the Midwest Conference Indoor Championships on Saturday. The women finished 1.5 points behind Illinois College while the men were four points behind Cornell.

Monmouth senior Maddie Boley (Beecher, Illinois) won her third straight MWC Field Performer of the Year award after winning both shot put and weight throw. Overall the Scots won eight individual conference titles, four by men and four by women.

MEN

Shane Anderson (Lisle, Illinois) won the weight throw at 19.57m, the 17th title in Monmouth history in the event. Defending champion, Caleb Toberman (Clifton, Illinois) battled through an ankle injury to place third at 17.12m. Blake Orwig (Wyoming, Illinois) placed sixth at 16.74m and Gunner Bryant (Curryville, Missouri) was seventh at 16.48m.

In the shot put, Anderson finished second with a season-best 14.37m with Orwig in third at 14.31m. Toberman picked up five points in fourth place at 14.20m and Bryant took seventh at 13.42m.

Matthew Bright (Macomb, Illinois) won the pole vault on Friday with a PR of 4.00m. This marks the 15th time the Scots have won the indoor pole vault at the MWC and the first since Reed Wilson in 2022.

Tashawn Ruffin (Bloomington, Illinois) won the triple jump with a PR of 13.92, the ninth-best indoor triple jump in MC history. The triple jump title is the first for Monmouth since Austin Pfau in 2020 and the 17th overall.

Eli Newton (Dallas City, Illinois) won the 800m race on Saturday in 1:56.05. It is the ninth title in the 800m for the Scots and the second straight for Newton. On Friday, Newton finished third in the mile with a time of 4:19.76, a PR and the third best time in MC history.

Johnny York (Elmwood, Illinois) took third in the 60 race at 7.04 seconds with Janius Taylor (Lakeland, Florida) and Da'Von Patterson (Ponte Vedra, Florida) tied for fourth in 7.10 seconds. On Friday, York and Taylor qualified with PRs, York at 7.03, Taylor at 7.06 and Patterson with a season-best 7.08.

Taylor took third in the 200m with a PR of 22.37 seconds while Patterson finished eighth in 22.66 seconds.

Patrick Curry (Chicago, Illinois) picked up two points with a seventh-place finish in the high jump at 1.75m

Peter Soutsos (Highland Park, Illinois) finished eighth in the 60m hurdles at 9.07 seconds. He set a PR in Friday's qualifiers with a time of 8.72 seconds.

Adrian Outlaw (Galesburg, Illinois) took eighth in the 400 with a time of 51.33.

The 4x400m relay team of Patterson, Newton, Taylor and Outlaw finished third in a season-best time of 3:24.24. The 4x200m relay team of Taylor, Patterson, Outlaw and Curry finished fourth with a time of 1:30.57.

The sprint medley relay of Taylor, Patterson, Outlaw and Newton finished in first place but was disqualified and the distance medley relay team didn't score.

WOMEN

Boley set a new indoor shot put PR on Friday, winning the event at 13.70m. She also won the event in 2023 and this is the 17th time the Scots have won the shot put at the MWC Championships. Kayla Braun (Evansville, Illinois) finished second with an indoor PR at 13.35 while Alayna Earle (Clinton, Illinois) also set a PR at 12.25 to finish third. Jillian Toth (El Paso, Illinois) finished fourth to pick up five points with a throw of 11.89m.

In Saturday's weight throw, repeated her 2024 title for Monmouth's 17th all-time in the event. She threw 18.26m with Toth in second at 16.32m. Braun placed third with a PR of 15.71m and Abbie Johnson (LaHarpe, Illinois) took sixth at 14.02m.

Miranda Hursey (Hanna City, Illinois) won the pole vault for the second straight year. She cleared 3.40m and then defeated the IC competitor in a jump-off for Monmouth's 10th pole vault title. Megan Dailey (Pendleton, Indiana) tied for third at 3.10m and Delaney Rexroat (Monmouth, Illinois) finished fifth at 2.95m.

Madison Rusk (Annawan, Illinois) won the triple jump with an indoor PR at 10.21m while Rexroat placed third at 10.16m. The triple jump title is Monmouth's first since 2016 and 10th overall. Rusk also took second in the long jump with a season-best 5.40m.

Makaiha Moore-Bell (Knoxville, Illinois) took second in the 60m with a time of 7.93 seconds and Rusk finished seventh in 8.14. They both set PRs in Friday's qualifiers, Moore-Bell at 7.92 seconds and Rusk at 8.07.

Moore-Bell was fourth in the 200m with a PR of 26.41 while Rusk was fifth in 26.46, a season-best.

Lauren Anderson (Cambridge, Illinois) finished seventh in the high jump at 1.40m.

The 4x200m relay team of Moore-Bell, Rusk, Danielle Johnson (Annawan, Illinois) and Natalie Gonzalez (Galesburg, Illinois) finished fourth in 1:49.03.

The 4x400m relay team of Moore-Bell, Johnson, Gonzalez and Rusk finished seventh in a season-best time of 4:19.88.

The distance medley relay team of Melissa Bivolarov (Arlington Heights, Illinois), Gonzalez, Johnson and Samantha Costello (Morris, Illinois) picked up four points with a fifth-place finish in 13:42.55.

The sprint medley relay team of Moore-Bell, Bivolarov, Johnson and Gonzalez finished seventh in 4:37.08 to pick up two points.

NEXT UP:

Select Scots will compete next week in various Last Chance Qualifiers. The NCAA Indoor Championships are in Rochester, New York March 13-15.

NCAA Division III National Rankings (as of 8:00 p.m. on 3/1/25)
2 - Shane Anderson - weight throw - 19.88m
7 - Maddie Boley - weight throw - 18.47m
8 - Caleb Toberman - weight throw - 19.01m
10 - Caleb Toberman - shot put - 16.78m
14 - Maddie Boley - shot put - 13.70m
23 - Jillian Toth - weight throw - 16.76m
50 - Miranda Hursey - pole vault - 3.52m

Career Highs for indoor meets (does not include those participating in an event for the first time)

Competitor - event - new career high (old career high)
Shane Anderson - shot put - 14.37m (14.18m)
Maddie Boley - shot put - 13.70m (13.66m)
Kayla Braun - shot put - 13.35m (12.55m)
Kayla Braun - weight throw - 15.71m (15.66m)
Samantha Costello - 5000m - 20:00.42 (20:17.18)
Alayna Earle - shot put - 12.25m (12.21m)
Natalie Gonzalez - 60m hurdles - 10.90 (10.99)
Damone Johnson - long jump - 5.87m (5.73m)
Paige Luntsford - 5000m - 20:12.91 (21:32.06)
Makaiha Moore-Bell - 60m - 7.92 (7.97)
Makaiha Moore-Bell - 200m - 26.41 (26.95)
Da'Von Patterson - 200m - 22.66 (22.74)
Tatum Points - 60m hurdles - 10.94 (11.20)
Delaney Rexroat - long jump - 4.91m (4.88m)
Tashawn Ruffin - triple jump - 13.92m (13.68m)
Madison Rusk - 60m - 8.07 (8.18)
Madison Rusk - 200m - 26.46 (26.49)
Madison Rusk - triple jump - 9.60 (10.21)
Peter Soutsos - 60m hurdles - 8.72 (8.91)
Asa Stegall - 60m hurdles - 9.59 (9.72)
Janius Taylor - 60m - 7.06 (7.09)
Janius Taylor - 200m - 22.37 (22.47)
Johnny York - 7.03 (7.06)