Mandie Maddux did it again.
After grabbing first place in five of the seven heptathlon events, Maddux came out on top and became a Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Champion once again.
Thursday, the WAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships continued for day two in Lawrence, Kan. Maddux came into the day with an impressive lead in the heptathlon, and wasn’t going to let that slip away.
During the Indoor Championships, Maddux claimed gold in the pentathlon. Now, just three months later, she’s bringing home gold in the heptathlon, proving she’s a force to be reckoned with in multi-events.
“Mandie took care of business today,” assistant coach Chad Pharis said. “She came in with a goal of scoring over 4,800 today, and did everything it took to score it.”
Maddux not only exceeded her goal – she scored 4,859 points – but she also broke the school record in the event.
In her first event, the long jump, Maddux finished in fourth place with a distance of 5.05 meters (16’-7”).
Maddux then continued to sweep the remaining events with first-place finishes, mirroring her results from Wednesday.
In the javelin, Maddux took first place with a throw of 38.11 meters (125’-0”).
With a comfortable lead in the heptathlon, Maddux was poised to finish strong in the last event of the day, the 800 meter run.
Pharis said him and Maddux had talked prior to the 800 about potentially having her jog it in for the win, allowing her body a bit of a break.
It was a nice thought.
“She felt too good to not get after the 800,” Pharis said. “A seven-second personal record shows what kind of shape she is in.”
Maddux finished the 800 in first place with a personal record time of 2:23.52.
With that, Maddux was flooded with emotions.
“Finishing the race brought out the reminder of all the hard work from the year, the days of self-doubt, and the many moments of encouragement from everyone,” Maddux said. “I knew I had reached my goal and was just overwhelmed with emotions that I had finally done it.
I won the WAC heptathlon.”
…
But the day didn’t stop there for the Redhawks.
The only event left in day two was the 10,000 meter run.
It was the distance runners’ turn.
Elena Smith ran a gutsy race, claiming silver while also beating her school record time with a new record time of 36:02.24.
“She went all in,” head coach Trisha Steidl said. “She ran a strong race and got a new personal record, school record, and finished second!”
The men wanted in on the action, too, though. They wanted to bring some medals home, as well.
So they did.
Matthew Seidel claimed silver in the event with a time of 30:46.21.
“Matt led the chase pack for the entire race, which is a pretty tough thing to do,” Steidl said. “He was able to keep the pace honest, which whittled the pack down, leaving three to race for the last two podium spots. Matt finished strong as he has shown he is capable of.”
Right behind him to claim bronze was Baxter Arguinchona, who set a personal record time of 30:47.62.
“Baxter ran a smart race and was able to dig deep and make a strong move in the last mile to clinch the final podium spot,” Steidl said. “It was a great race for him today, and a wonderful way to start off his final conference meet.”
Also running the 10,000 was Ben Monk, who set a new personal record with a time of 31:31.28.
“I’m extremely proud of the tenacity everyone showed today,” Steidl said. “They really put themselves out there, and it paid off.”
It was a great day for the Redhawks, and they’re ready to keep it going on Friday.
Even before the 10,000, the energy and anticipation for what’s next could be felt.
“The team is pumped for Mandie, and is chomping at the bit to get started tomorrow,” Pharis said.
Steidl echoed Pharis.
“Mandie started things off with a bang today, and that got everyone else excited to do great things,” Steidl said. “It’s great that the 10Ks went so well and continued that momentum. I expect to continue to see more great things from the team in the next two days!”
Day three of the WAC Championships will get going Friday afternoon in Lawrence, Kan.