RIO GRANDE, Ohio -- It's one thing to be a great athlete.
However, having the moxie to come up large in championship moments takes a mental skillset in addition to a physical one.
Shawnee State men's track and field athletes Alan Austin, Luke Rader, Isaiah Lanoy and Eli Adkins are four of the best that one could find in both of those areas, and on Friday, the quartet were exceptional once again.
The trio combined for four River States Conference Championship victories on the opening day of the River States Conference Championship Meet, with Adkins posting a personal best and NAIA National 'B' Standard high jump to seal his NAIA National Championship berth in thrilling fashion, Isaiah Lanoy posting a NAIA National 'A' Standard mark in the 3,000 meter steeplechase en route to his own personal best, Austin throwing a personal best in the javelin throw, and Rader adding in his fourth River States Conference Championship in 2025 alone with his 22-foot, five-and-a-quarter-inch long jump -- helping Shawnee State claim third place as a team following the opening day of the RSC Meet, which is being held at The Stockmeister Track and Field at the University of Rio Grande.
Alan Austin/Luke Rader
An individual who has already sealed his NAIA National Championship berth in the discus, Austin, the defending conference championship in discus, got his conference championship resume started early.
Having thrown a previous personal best of 36.75 meters -- 120 feet, seven inches -- in the javelin throw, Austin turned up the dial in a hurry with a massive nine-meter personal best, winning the conference title in the javelin throw with a 150-foot, one-inch performance on his second throw of the event.
As for Rader, the standout leaper kept adding to a 2025 resume that is as good as any inside the conference realm. A three-time River States Conference Champion and a 2025 NAIA All-American in indoor track and field in the long jump already, Rader added his fourth conference championship of the academic year with a 6.84-meter long jump that was 22 feet, five-and-a-quarter inches. The performance was nearly a full foot longer than the next-best long jump.
Isaiah Lanoy/Eli Adkins
Shawnee State's final pair of conference champions on the day added in a dramatic flair to the way in which both individuals won their events.
An individual whose form continues to round out with every passing meet, Shawnee State sophomore and Isaiah Lanoy, a NAIA National Championship Qualifying talent already for the upcoming 2025 NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships, put together a 3,000 meter steeplechase performance to remember -- and not just with his time.
Going against another individual who had already clinched his berth in the event in Rio Grande's Wes Taylor, Lanoy established the pace early on and set a blistering fast time that had Lanoy ahead by nearly nine-and-a-half seconds heading into the final lap.
On that final lap, Lanoy, going down the backstretch for the final time, stumbled over a hurdle and fell to the ground, but sprung back up and not only continued the race, but increased his lead to nearly 13 full seconds over Taylor at the finish while setting a new personal best time of 9:13.97 that was nearly 12 seconds faster than his previous personal best in an incredible performance. The mark puts Lanoy in sixth place in the NAIA in the 3,000 meter steeplechase -- even after the fall that cost the terrific running talent five seconds in the race itself.
As astounding as that performance was, Adkins' effort was arguably just as exciting, if not moreso.
Having been on the verge of NAIA National Standard marks all season in the high jump, Adkins busted the door down in a big way.
One of just six athletes in the RSC to clear 1.85 meters, then just one of three to do it at the 1.90 meter mark, Adkins already clinched his conference championship by becoming the lone athlete on the opening day of the meet to post a 1.95 meter high jump.
Knowing that the NAIA Standard was within his grasp, however, Adkins opted for the bar to immediately be moved up to the 2.06 meter mark -- or the six-foot, nine-inch mark necessary to collect a NAIA National 'B' Standard jump.
On his second attempt, Adkins, after just grazing the bar on the first try, accomplished the long-awaited NAIA National Standard jump in a thrilling and perfectly nailed leap from start to finish, much to his delight and that of his fellow teammates, including Austin, field athlete Marli Marcum and others.
In addition to that jump, which puts Adkins eighth in the NAIA with his leap, the freshman nearly cleared six feet, 10 inches on his first attempt -- just grazing the bar as he leaped to just miss the NAIA National 'A' Standard. However, that six-foot, nine-inch jump will be more than enough for Adkins, who will make his first NAIA National Championship appearance in late May.
"Alan, Isaiah, Luke, and Eli set the tone with their conference championships," Conner Flynn, Shawnee State's Director of Cross Country and Track and Field, said. "Seeing Eli hit the high jump standard was something we've known he was capable of doing, so it was great to see it come together. Alan was able to win the javelin title in his season opener for the event, and Isaiah Lanoy put on a show in the 3,000 meter steeplechase from start to finish, and we know he is still not where he will ultimately be in the event."
In addition to the 40 points that the above quartet scored, Shawnee State got a fourth-place finish from Matthew Rauch in the pole vault, who cleared 3.65 meters -- or 11-and-three-quarters inches -- in the event. Distance running talents Kaiden Lanoy and Dylan French each added in fifth-place finishes as Lanoy's 9:46.58 in the 3,000 meter steeplechase and French's 31:33.03 in the 10,000 meter run were each personal bests -- Lanoy's by seven-and-a-half seconds and French's by over 17.6 seconds.
The 4-by-800 meter relay unit of Caden LaRue, Aidan Judd, Cody Hesler and Trevor Lanoy came together to post a 8:08.59 to finish fifth, rounding out the scoring for the opening day of competition at the River States Conference Championship Meet.
In addition to the above performances, five individuals have already clinched point-scoring placements for Day 2. Davin Heckard and Garrett McKinniss qualified for Saturday's 100 meter dash finals with times of 11.24 and 11.25, Rader and Rauch notched times of 15.75 and 16.08 to qualify for the finals of the 110 meter hurdles -- with Rader setting the best preliminary time in the conference -- and McKinniss added in a 22.77 in the 200 meter dash to seal a second qualifying time in a sprinting event.
"I believe we set the tone for what our program is about (on Friday)," Flynn said. "Four individual conference championships on the men's side and many podium finishes for the women. I'm looking forward to Day 2."
Additional
The men's track and field program at Shawnee State will be back in action for the second and final day of the River States Conference Championship Meet. Action commences at 11 a.m. at The Stockmeister Track and Field at the University of Rio Grande.
For Day 1 results, visit https://milesplit.live/meets/646977/events.
