North Central Missouri College men's and women's track and field athletes turned in a series of solid performances at the Washburn University Open, held Friday and Saturday, Jan. 30–31, in Topeka, KS.
On the women's side, Cierra Stigger and Jamari Ervin represented the Pirates in the 60-meter prelims. Stigger (99th place) posted a time of 8.143 seconds, while Ervin (101st place) matched that mark with an 8.147 in her heat, showing strong early-season speed against a deep field.
Distance runner Abby Jones competed twice over the weekend and delivered consistent efforts in both events. Jones (52nd place) clocked an 11:56.81 in the 3,000 meters (52nd place) on Friday before returning Saturday to run a 19:37.36 in the 5,000 meters (32nd place), gaining valuable experience racing at the collegiate open level.
In the field events, Alise Perkins (14th place) competed in the women's high jump during the Friday open session, clearing 1.45 meters to finish her competition.
The Pirate men also produced notable results, led by Genesis Bethea in the high jump during Saturday's invitational. Bethea (9th place) cleared 2.04 meters, a strong performance against top-tier competition.
Nathanial Giffin (4th place) rounded out the weekend for NCMC in the men's pole vault on Friday, clearing 4.55 meters to cap a solid showing for the Pirates in the field events. He also qualified for the NJCAA Indoor Nationals with the vault.
Overall, the Washburn University Open provided NCMC athletes with a strong early-season test and valuable competition as they continue to build toward the heart of the indoor track and field season.