Wildcats Open 2025-26 Indoor Season at Mel Tjeerdsma Classic

MARYVILLE, Mo. - The Baker men's and women's track and field teams kicked off their 2025-26 indoor seasons by competing at the Mel Tjeerdsma Classic, hosted by Northwest Missouri State, this past weekend in Maryville, Mo.

On Friday, freshman pole vaulters Haylei Potter (Burlington, Kan.) and Jamaal Mason (Cherryvale, Kan.) officially commenced the indoor campaign as pole vault was the lone event that competed on Friday. Potter cleared 3.07 meters and placed fourth in the women's field, while Mason (3.00 meters) finished 18th on the men's side.

Makenna Longacre earned runner-up honors in the women's 300-meter race after clocking a time of 43.33 seconds, placing second in an event that was comprised of almost entirely conference runners. The men's 300m featured a pair of Wildcats in the top-15 with Caden Cohee (36.88) taking sixth and Eithan Kodger (37.85) following in 14th.

In the first race of his junior campaign, Trot Wood recorded a time of 50.07 and came in seventh in the men's 400m. He also ran one of the legs of the BU men's 4x400-meter relay team (Wood, Cohee, Kodger, Micah Sanders) that took sixth.

Hannah Jensen turned in a couple of top-20 finishes in the women's horizontal jumps, taking 10th in the triple jump (10.53m) and 19th in the long jump (5.07m). Jace Woodard and Ethan Surey had a strong to their BU careers with Woodard marking a jump of 13.09 meters and finishing in 11th, while Surey went 12.32m and placed 15th.

Julie Coffey had her best mark of the women's shot put come in at 10.47m, which placed her 19th, and took 28th in the weight throw with a toss of 12.32m.

For the BU distance group, Michael Knaussman (9:23.68) and Jacob McGlasson (9:30.42) crossed in back-to-back spots in the men's 3,000m, with Knaussman coming in 14th and McGlasson following right behind in 15th.

Baker will head into the holiday break with a meet already under its belt and will make a return trip to Northwest, competing in the Bearcats' Coach Alsup Open on January 17 in Maryville.

#BakerBuildsChampions