MARION, Ind. – Jennah Carpenter solidified her place in LC State Track and Field history on Friday when she became the first Warrior woman to win multiple national titles. The sophomore from Lewiston maintained her dominance in the high jump with a sweep of both 2023 indoor and outdoor titles. Ashley Britt capped her career with her third All-American honor, and London Kirk earned the first of his career to conclude the 2023 NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships.
“A pretty good ending as a whole, but like all sports, a few disappointments as well,” Head Coach Mike Collins said. “On the high side, Jennah winning a second national title is thrilling. Can’t say enough about this young lady. She represents me and our program at a high level in all areas, and great to see her earning such deserving national recognition. London and Ashley also earning All-American honors is fabulous. We will miss Ashley, and at the same time are already looking forward to having London for a couple more years.”
Overall, the Warrior women finished 18th as a team.
“Our top-25 finish on the women’s side is really encouraging for the future,” Collins said. “Track is a depth game at the team level, and if we can score a few points in a few other events here and there we might have a shot at getting on the podium. Would be a pretty good result for a team without a track. I think we did pretty well anyway, but always setting our sights higher.”
Carpenter set the program record, indoor or outdoor, when she cleared a height of 1.74m. Now a three-time All-American as just a sophomore, she cleared the mark on her third attempt.
Britt finished her career with her third All-American honor and first in the 400m hurdles. The senior ran a personal-best time of 1:02.18 to finish fifth overall.
Deary native Kirk collected his first All-American honor with a fifth-place finish in the 400m. He smashed his own record in the event with a time of 47.01.
Ike Hopper finished ninth overall in the 400m hurdles after a stumble slowed him during the race. He ran a time of 1:00.29.
Senior Nikolous Bertling finished his career with a 15th-place finish in the pole vault. He cleared a height of 4.70m. Freshman Trenton Johnson placed 20th in the triple jump with a leap of 14.02m
“Heartbreaking for Ike who was 80 meters away from earning his own All-American honor when he clipped a hurdle,” Collins explained. “Outstanding young man and I know he will bounce back and that bounce will put him on top of the podium next year. Also disappointing for senior Nik Bertling. As a returning All-American in the pole vault, I know his goals were set high. Pole vault can be unforgiving at times and if anything is out of sync it can be hard to get back on track. He was vaulting well, with just a couple of small things that didn’t forgive today. He will be missed as one of the anchors of our program for the past four years.
“TJ did great in the triple jump,” Collins added. “No doubt he will come back faster and more powerful next year now that he knows what it takes to make the podium and the environment he has to do it in.”
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