TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (tcceagles.com) — Tallahassee Community College’s track & field team hosted the TCC Final Fling Mini-Meet on Saturday morning at Maclay School.
In addition to TCC, the meet featured Thomas (Ga.) University’s men’s and women’s teams, as well as unattached community participants and others representing Daytona State College and Florida State College at Jacksonville.
While the rain held off for the duration of the meet, a gusty crosswind greeted runners from start to finish and lightning forced a brief delay prior to the final event of the day.
Those conditions only added to the suspense when Mia Wiederkehr toed the starting line in seek of a qualifying time (2:20.71) for nationals in the 800m.
Running in a co-ed heat, teammates Mat Maier and Rodolph Adonis sacrificed their own pursuit of a first-place finish and paced Wiederkehr instead, while also doing their part to shield her from the wind. The strategy worked and with the finish line in sight, Wiederkehr had just enough left in the final 100 meters.
She crossed the finish line in 2:20.34 to qualify for the NJCAA Track & Field Championships for the second time.
For the record, Maier and Adonis finished just .04 apart. Maier crossed the line in 2:17.91 with Adonis clocking a 2:17.95.
In the men’s 100m dash, Tristen Owens took first place in a time of 11.31 with teammate Ke’Adre Thompson close behind with a time of 11.37, good for second.
Long-distance specialist Bryce Bass was the Eagles’ lone entry in the 5000m and he brought home a third-place finish in a time of 18:02.96.
Owens’ second event of the day was the 400m. Finishing second in 51.71, he now owns the three fastest times in school history.
Thompson won his second event of the day, the 200m, in a time of 22.94.
After a short weather delay, Maier and Adonis also ran a second event, the 1500m.
Maier finished second in 4:27.75 while Adonis was fourth in 4:36.60.
Unattached participants Justin Harper and Elijah Oquendo participated on Saturday. Harper ran the 400m in 59.40 while Oquendo posted a 4:57.22 in the 1500m.
