Cedarville smashes two school records in day one of the Tennessee Invite

By Matt Schaeckenbach

Big moments produce big performances.

It’s a principle that holds for most sports. Basketball players compete their best in the playoffs. Football teams push the intensity a notch higher, and track athletes find another gear to shift into. In fact, most world records occur on the biggest stages, such as the Olympics or the World Championships.

On day one of the Tennessee Invite, this principle held true for several Yellow Jackets as they raced against SEC Division I schools, including the University of Tennessee and the University of Kentucky.

Conditions-wise, the stars seemed to align for the competition, with the forecast calling for minimal wind, sunny skies and temperatures in the upper 70s. 

It was a perfect day for a track meet. 

Cedarville wasted no time in attacking the record books, as 3x school record holder Brandon Rogers toed the line for the Yellow Jackets in the 200 meter dash. 

It was a loaded competition, with top runners seeded in the mid 20s for their time. However, Rogers used the competition to his advantage, and despite heavy legs and a long wait before his race, he let his competitors push him to his fastest mark ever. 

Known as a 400 meter specialist, Rogers fell behind slightly at the gun as the true sprinters pulled ahead. 

“Not my best block start,” Rogers said, reflecting on the race. His competitors had the early lead on him coming into the home stretch, but they couldn’t keep away from him for long.

“It was fun to run them down at the end,” Rogers said. 

With a powerful stride and tremendous closing speed, Rogers began to pick them off, one by one, coming into the final meters. He pulled even with Tusculum’s Lansford Cunningham with a few meters to go, and overtook him right at the line as he crossed in a finishing time of 21.70 seconds.

Rogers’ mark is his fourth school record and currently ties him for the sixth fastest time in the GMAC Conference this season.

Following Rogers’ blazing performance, Josh Paul was heating up in the men’s triple jump competition. 

Paul faced off against a loaded field as well, jumping against nine athletes better than him, with personal records deep in the 15 meter territory. However, Paul was more excited than nervous about the competition.

“This meet is a great chance for everyone to get some high-level competition and experience against people at your level or higher,” Paul said. “That was definitely my case in the triple jump.”

Paul opened up with a few strong jumps, leaping to distances of 47’10.50” and 48’8.25”. The mark was good enough to break his previous school records by nearly four inches. 

Paul made it through to the finals, continuing to jump strong, but failing to surpass his mark from before. In the end, he placed sixth overall, a reflection of the meet’s depth and strength. 

“The strong field, good weather, and a good week of rest and training last week led to a pretty good performance that I’m happy with,” Paul said. “I think it could have been a 50 foot day, but soreness in the legs held me back.”

Paul’s training has been strong all season, as he outlined his plan for the coming weeks leading up to GMAC and Nationals. 

“Can never go wrong with a new PR and a school record,” Paul said. “All possible through the grace of God and encouragement from my team.” 

Along with Paul and Rogers, Cedarville posted strong marks in the 400m hurdles, with Evan Meisberger and Rebekah Brinser finishing seventh and 18th, respectively.

The Yellow Jackets will be back at it again on Saturday for the final day of the competition. With pristine weather forecasted and elite fields scheduled to run, it should be another strong day for Cedarville as their stars go head-to-head against the best of Division I.

Matt Schaeckenbach is a Junior Liberal Arts major from Iowa City, Iowa. He loves spending time with his family, running, playing board games, and encouraging others in Christ.