MARIETTA, Ohio -- Despite their collegiate youth, Luke Rader and Eli Adkins have proven themselves time and again with their work ethic and natural ability.
If Saturday's River States Conference Championships were any indication, the pair have certainly made a lasting statement amongst the River States Conference brethren.
Rader, who had already set a new personal best, a new school record and an NAIA National 'B' Standard in the long jump Friday on Day 1 of the River States Conference Championships, made it 3-for-3 at the two-day RSC Championships at the Dyson Baudo Recreation Center in Marietta, Ohio -- as Rader posted a River States Conference event record time of 7.99 in the 55 meter hurdles and posted a new personal best, school record, and RSC Championship winning mark of 44 feet, four-and-three-quarters inches in the triple jump to blow away his competitors en route to a 30-point weekend.
Additionally, Eli Adkins, a true freshman who is competing in his first River States Conference Championship event, cleared six feet, four-and-a-half inches -- allowing Shawnee State to sweep the proceedings in the jumping events at the River States Conference Championships and led Shawnee State's charge to a second-place finish out of nine teams in the two-day event.
Shawnee State, who scored 122 points as a team over the course of the two-day event, including 76 on the second day alone, got 30 points from Rader -- and 20 on the second day from the sophomore from Minford.
In posting his 44-foot, four-and-three-quarter inch triple jump, Rader was able to win the event by nearly a foot-and-a-half over the next closest competitor, all while beating his previous personal best and school record by an inch and a half.
As for his 55 meter hurdles efforts, Rader's 7.99 was the first time in the history of the River States Conference that anybody in the event broke the eight-second mark -- as Rader edged Rio Grande's Dalton Ferguson by two one-hundredths of a second and Indiana-East's Owen Beachler by four one-hundredths of a second to win the 55 meter hurdles.
Rader ultimately obtained not only the River States Conference's Newcomer of the Year for his efforts, but was named as the RSC's Field Athlete of the Year, as well off of a tremendous week that will go down as the best conference championship performance by any jumper in program history to date.
"Luke has been a game changer for the program this season," Shawnee State Director of Cross Country and Track and Field Conner Flynn said. "He continues to show up and be an important piece.
Adkins, meanwhile, won his own showdown with Rio Grande junior Spencer Harris, Midway (Ky.) sophomore Brayden Carson and Rio Grande freshman Logen Justice -- as Adkins cleared the six-foot, four-and-a-half-inch mark on his second attempt while the remaining trio couldn't clear the mark on their final attempts.
"Luke and Eli have established us as a force in the jumps, combining to sweep the jumps titles," Flynn said. "However, I also know those are two guys will keep their foot on the pedal."
Additional
Behind the trio, Connor Ignacio finished sixth in the triple jump, clearing 40 feet, five-and-a-half inches to finish sixth and score three points in the triple.
In additional short-distance running events, Cody Hesler's 52.13 in the 400 meter dash led to a fifth-place showing and four points in all, while Garrett McKinniss' 6.68 also resulted in a three-point output for the freshman.
On the long distance side, Isaiah Lanoy, Dylan French and Trevor Lanoy finished third (4:21.31), fourth (4:25.39) and eighth (4:30.81) respectively in the one mile, combining for 12 points on their own in the event. Garrett Carver also finished ninth, just outside of the points, with a 4:32.94 mark -- but nabbed the fastest overall time in his heat.
From a 1,000 meter run standpoint, Trevor Lanoy and Caden LaRue combined for 10 points -- as Trevor Lanoy posted a 2:35.70 in the event to place as the RSC Runner-Up in the 1,000 while LaRue's 2:40.48 gave the freshman a seventh in the event.
In the 3,000 meter run, Isaiah Lanoy (third, 8:42.71) and Kaiden Lanoy (sixth, 8:48.87) each added in nine additional tallies, while the 4-by-400 meter relay unit of Hesler, McKinniss, Trevor Lanoy and Isaiah Lanoy finished fourth, posting a 3:36.46 to nab the final five points of the two-day meet for Shawnee State.
"I am very happy with the efforts of the Lanoy triplets," Flynn said when asked about the consistent point-scoring of the Lanoy triplets even despite their heavy lifting in terms of events. "They all had a great weekend. Combining for 12 events, totaling just under 15 miles, they showed up for their team. I am thankful that they are part of this program."
With a runner-up finish in the bag, the men's track and field program certainly has a bright future, especially considering its youth.
"A RSC Runner-Up finish for the men's team is a huge step for this program," Flynn said. "Shawnee State has never placed top-two in men's track and field, so what they were able to accomplish this weekend is special. We will continue to work and look to improve upon that in the coming years."
