CEDARVILLE, Ohio - The Malone University men's indoor track & field team won their first NCCAA title since 1999 and first NCCAA National Championship in program history on Saturday. The Pioneers had previously won the NCCAA Invitational event 27 years ago, but now have returned to the mountaintop and scored their first official men's indoor track & field championship. The Malone women's team was third overall.
 
As a result of the team's success, Zach Fresenko and his staff have been declared the Coaching Staff of the Year by the NCCAA for men's indoor track & field. It is the fifth Coach of the Year distinction to Fresenko in his young career.
 
The Pioneers were led by Wheeler Award winner and NCCAA Men's Indoor Track Athlete of the Meet Phil Stupka. On Saturday, Stupka set a new personal-best and school record mark of 6.82 seconds in the 60-meter dash and ran a 22.00-second time in the 200-meter dash. The senior was atop the podium in both events.
 
Hayden Schmidt was a two-time NCCAA national champion as well on Sunday in the mile run (4:19.48) and 3000-meter run (8:45.18). Xander Heil placed third in the mile (4:21.97) and Yahya Jawadi second in the 3000 (8:45.48) to accumulate heavy points for the team. The final men's national champion was Tyler Twining in the 800-meter run (1:57.10). Brylan Holland (1:57.56) reached the podium as well with a second-place finishing spot.
 
Otani Ekpe was second in the 60-meter hurdle event finals with a time of 8.23 seconds, a mark that is tied for sixth in school history. Bryant Thompson was runner-up as well in the long jump (6.71 meters / 22' 0.25") and snuck into the top-ten in program history. Thompson was also fourth in the 400-meter dash and led the team with a time of 50.67 seconds. Gavin Tribelo was third in the shot put (15.26 meters / 50' 0.75").
 
The 4x800-meter relay team of Hayden Coughanour, Jacob Cureton, Will Potts and Lex McMahon secured a third-place time of 8:10.94 while the 4x400-meter relay team of Ekpe, Twining, Eric Dehmer and Holland were fifth (3:27.41).
 
All told, the Pioneers accumulated 158 points at the NCCAA Championship, which was far and away beyond second-place Bethel University (85 points). Cedarville University secured the women's title with 195 total points and Malone had 73 points.
 
Allea Graves led the Pioneers with three individual national titles and she was named the Women's Indoor Track Athlete of the Meet. She has tied the school record in the 60-meter dash with a race-winning time of 7.73 seconds and she improved upon her school record time of 56.55 seconds in the 400-meter dash. Graves added a 200-meter dash championship as well at 25.38 seconds.
 
Graves joined Amber Morris, Brooklyn McIntyre and SaRae Johnson in the 4x400-meter relay team that was second overall with a time of 4:07.67. The 4x800-meter relay team consisted of Rachel Whetstone, Carolyn Miller, Savannah Headley and Marisa Brown and they placed fourth overall (10:27.56).
 
Kristin Yeager recorded a third-place finish in the 3000-meter run at 10:35.37 while McIntyre was fourth in the 800-meter run (2:23.27) and Isabelle Perry scored an eighth-place finish in the shot put (10.74 meters / 35' 3.00").
 
The Pioneers will work towards a Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) championship now with preparations coming at their next event, the Akron Invitational, on February 20.